Moonshot 

By: Michael Bingaman

Background

     The first time that people heard about the trip to the moon they were shocked and in disbelief. Nobody back then thought it was possible to go to the moon and return safely. This mission would eventually get the name Apollo 11. They called it Apollo 11 because in Greek Apollo means God of Light and Day. People hoped this trip would bring good spirits to America. The group of three astronauts; Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Aldrin Junior stepped on the moon on July 20, 1969 and won the Cold War Space Race against the Soviet Union.^[1] They placed an American Flag on the moon as a symbol of a victory and happiness. The President at the time, John F. Kennedy said that this was a priority on his list of things to do. He wanted to prove to the Soviet Union that the United States had more advanced technology. The spaceship was named the "Eagle" and launched on June 20th Kennedy Space Center. They stayed on the moon for 21 hours doing tests. While they were up there Michael Collins orbited the moon while they performed the tests.^[2] Neil Armstrong was the first human to step foot on the moon. This is why people called it moonshot. 

Significance

     There is a huge significance about traveling to the moon. One thing that is significant is that it gave the United States a victory over the Soviet Union in the Race to Space. This proved to be crucial because it proved to Russia that the US had more advanced technology. This race was a very small part of the Cold War. There was a lot of pressure on the US to win and they did. President John F. Kennedy challenged Russia so there was a lot of pressure to win and if they won then we would have been embarrassed. This was also significant because it was the first ever trip to the moon. Nobody thought it could be done. People were shocked when they first heard about it on the radio. They couldn't believe the astronauts got there safely. Another significant part to this journey is that the astronauts ran scientific tests while up there. They collected 21.6 kilograms of rock and soil. Also, they planted chemicals to see if there was any sign of life on the moon. It was a huge step for US astronauts. Neil Armstrong once said, "One small step for man, one great leap for mankind. While on the moon they also planted an American flag.^[3] The flag was a symbol of a victory and happiness. This is why moonshot is significant to the US and also to the world.