Why Space Essay Research Paper

Why Space. Essay, Research Paper

How does space exploration and an organization likeNASA (National Aeronautical and Space Administration)benefit the United States. The formation of NASA to monitorand explore space has served the United States by supplyingus with advancements in medicine, military defense, consumerproducts and the citizens of all participating countries asense of pride in their countries. Space exploration hasevolved from being a source of bragging rights during thecold war to a tool to develop faster ways of communicationand scientific breakthroughs that are used to cure and/orprevent diseases. The United States has become a worldpower by using NASA to develop ways to defend the USA aswell as benefit the inhabitants of the world.

Early History

After the end of W.W.I the United States did not thinkmuch about space travel. But as soon as the USSR launchedSputnik I in 1958, the first artificial satellite to orbitthe earth, the USA quickly began to attempt to create asatellite of their own. Before the United States couldcreate a satellite, the Soviets announced that they made andlaunched their second satellite named Sputnik II, it was thefirst biological spacecraft. After the launching of SputnikII the US felt tremendous pressure to launch its firstsatellite. The United States quickly launched Explorer I,the first American satellite in space, Explorer was createdto measure cosmic rays and micrometeorites in earth.satmosphere. The US then launched another satellite namedVanguard I to measure the amounts of radiation inouter-space. The launching of satellites by both the US andUSSR would soon lead to manned space travel. After thelaunching of Vanguard I by the USAF, the US realized thatthey would need a federal organization to regulate spacetravel. In 1959 the US government created NASA to maintainand expand the United State.s interests in space travel.Not long after the creation of NASA, the organizationquickly experiment with space suits and space vessels toprepare for sending a man into space. The Soviets soonannounced that they launched a satellite called Luna II thatwas meant to take the first close-up pictures of the sun.It was the first rocket to leave the earth.s gravitationalfield. The US continued to work on their goal of sending aman into space by selecting and beginning to train seven menin May 1959. These first seven American astronauts werenamed the Mercury 6. While the United States was selectingastronauts to start their space program the Soviets werealready taking pictures of the moon and planning to getready to send a man to the moon.

1961-1970

Freedom 7 was launched on May 5, 1961 carrying aMercury 6 astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr.. The rocket climbed302 miles into the air making the ship and Shepard the firstAmerican astronaut to fly into space. The United Statesbriskly went to work, trying to sent another American intospace. John Glenn was selected as the Mercury 6 astronautthat would orbit the earth. On February 20, 1962 the US wasready to surpass the USSR in the field of human spaceexploration. John Glenn successfully was launched intoorbit around the earth, becoming the first human to do so.He completed three orbits around the earth in his Friendship7 spacecraft. The mission was extremely successful for theUS and NASA. After the mission the United States became theleading country in the field of space exploration. The USstarted to get ready for further missions into space byreaching new breakthroughs in space suit technology. Themanned orbiting laboratory suit of 1963 was an Air Forcerefinement for the Gemini spacecraft missions. The mannedorbiting laboratory was designed to carry two or moreastronauts into space at the same time for an extendedperiod of time. The suit was supposed to allow theastronauts to be able to move around the Gemini spacecraftfreely. However the suit was made obsolete when the ProjectGemini lightweight suit was developed in 1965. The spacesuit was designed to be easily removed during flight to aidto the astronauts comfort, making it easier for theastronauts to tolerate long journeys. These suits were ofgreat value to the Apollo missions. The Apollo missionswere meant to eventually land a man on the moon.While Soviet space program was faltering because thegovernment refused to allocate the needed funds to supportthe Soviet Cosmonauts, the United States was getting readyto send a man to the moon. The first ten Apollo missionswere to survey the moon and the gravity fields around it tomake planning a landing easier once these missions wereaccomplished the US prepared to execute the mission to themoon. The three astronauts chosen to go to the moon wereCommander Neil Armstrong, Pilot Edwin .Buzz. Aldrin, andPilot Michael Collins. These three men would be solelyresponsible for .opening up the universe to allmankind.(document). On July 16, 1969 the rocket launchedoff of the launch pad and out of earth.s atmosphere. Thelaunch was a complete success and everything went accordingto plan. Three days later the crew approached the moon andstarted to orbit around. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrindeparted from the main rocket in the lunar module and landedon the Sea of Tranquillity on the moon. The module landedand Commander Armstrong climbed down the ladder and said thewords (insert smallstep). The command module left themoon.s orbit three days later and returned to earth on July24, 1969. Several other Ap