The Space Race: A Wild Success or a Narrowly Avoided Catastrophe?
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The space race took place during a difficult time in American history. The country was on the brink of war with the Soviet Union and presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy were tasked with deciding how to respond to the Soviet's increased success in space. Although many critics argue that the space race and the 1969 Moon landing were dangerous, politically driven endeavors that had little effect on American society and prosperity, the positive impacts that the Apollo program had on the country far outweigh the negative consequences.
A WELL-DOCUMENTED ENDEAVOR
NASA's Apollo 11 Image Gallery offers brilliant photographic insight into the pinnacle of the space race: the Moon landing. See a few of the best images in the gallery below:
Sources: (1) Harrison Schmitt on the Moon during Apollo 17. (Photograph. NASA. Accessed April 29, 2018.) (2) Bootprint on the Lunar Surface. Photograph. NASA. Accessed April 30, 2018.