A Space Race Reborn?

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood before Congress and delivered a bold proclamation. The U.S. should “commit itself,” he said, “to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

To many, being able to send someone to another world 240,000 miles away (a distance equal to about nine-and-a-half loops around the Earth) within nine years seemed ridiculous—if not impossible. NASA had only just recently launched an astronaut, Alan Shepard, into space for the first time, and U.S. passenger jets had been around for only a few years. Color TVs were just making their way into people’s living rooms, and personal computers wouldn’t become common in homes for another three decades.

But Kennedy believed the times demanded an ambitious goal. Ever since the Soviets had launched the satellite Sputnik in 1957, triggering the space race (see Timeline, below), the U.S. had been trying to catch up, and many questioned whether it was falling behind its Communist rival technologically.

Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, had even used the country’s early successes in space to claim that “economy, science, culture, and the creative genius of people in all areas of life develop better and faster under Communism.”

Desperate to prove that capitalism and democracy were paramount, Kennedy told NASA’s administrator, James Webb: “Everything we do ought to really be tied into getting onto the moon ahead of the Russians.”

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood before Congress and delivered a bold proclamation. The U.S. should “commit itself,” he said, “to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

To many, being able to send someone to another world 240,000 miles away within nine years seemed ridiculous. It felt impossible because that distance equals about nine-and-a-half loops around Earth. NASA had only just recently launched an astronaut, Alan Shepard, into space for the first time. U.S. passenger jets had been around for only a few years. Color TVs were just making their way into people’s living rooms. And personal computers wouldn’t become common in homes for another three decades.

But Kennedy believed the times demanded an ambitious goal. The Soviets had launched the satellite Sputnik in 1957. That launch triggered the space race (see Timeline, below). The U.S. had been trying to catch up ever since. Many questioned whether the U.S. was falling behind its Communist rival technologically.

Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, had even used the country’s early successes in space to claim that “economy, science, culture, and the creative genius of people in all areas of life develop better and faster under Communism.”

Kennedy was desperate to prove that capitalism and democracy had the upper hand. He told NASA’s administrator, James Webb: “Everything we do ought to really be tied into getting onto the moon ahead of the Russians.”

NASA created the Apollo program to achieve that goal, employing the efforts of nearly half-a-million people and spending $20 billion (the equivalent of more than $100 billion in today’s money). The program didn’t get off to a good start, however. In 1967, three astronauts were killed when a fire erupted in the cockpit of a spacecraft during a training exercise for Apollo 1.

But the U.S. soon forged ahead. The following year, the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) learned that the Soviets were on the verge of sending an astronaut into orbit around the moon. In an incredible feat of ingenuity, NASA rushed three astronauts into the moon’s orbit before the Soviets. The mission, Apollo 8, delivered the first major victory for the U.S. in the space race. 

By then, Kennedy had been assassinated, but for the first time, his dream of sending astronauts to the moon before the decade closed seemed possible.

Possible—but still extremely risky. NASA’s next two missions, Apollo 9 and Apollo 10, successfully tested many of the tasks the astronauts of Apollo 11 would need to perform on their voyage to the moon and back. But two things could never be tested: a manned landing on the moon and launching a spacecraft off the lunar surface. So one of the biggest questions leading up to Apollo 11 was whether the astronauts would get stranded on the moon. 

President Richard Nixon even had a speech prepared in case that happened. “Fate has ordained,” he would say, “that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.”

NASA created the Apollo program to achieve that goal. The program employed the efforts of nearly half-a-million people and cost $20 billion. That’s the equivalent of more than $100 billion in today’s money. But even with a huge labor force and all that money, the program didn’t get off to a good start. In 1967, three astronauts were killed when a fire erupted in the cockpit of a spacecraft during a training exercise for Apollo 1.

But the U.S. soon forged ahead. The following year, the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) learned that the Soviets were on the verge of sending an astronaut into orbit around the moon. In an incredible feat of ingenuity, NASA rushed three astronauts into the moon’s orbit before the Soviets. The mission, Apollo 8, delivered the first major victory for the U.S. in the space race.

By then, Kennedy had been assassinated. But for the first time, his dream of sending astronauts to the moon before the decade closed seemed possible.

Possible—but still extremely risky. NASA’s next two missions were Apollo 9 and Apollo 10. Both successfully tested many of the tasks the astronauts of Apollo 11 would need to perform on their voyage to the moon and back. But two things could never be tested: a manned landing on the moon and launching a spacecraft off the lunar surface. So one of the biggest questions leading up to Apollo 11 was whether the astronauts would get stranded on the moon.

President Richard Nixon even had a speech prepared in case that happened. “Fate has ordained,” he would say, “that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.”

The world turned its attention to the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, 1969, the day of the Apollo 11 launch. Armstrong, Aldrin, and a third astronaut, Mike Collins, sat atop a 363-foot-tall rocket with the chemical energy of a small atomic bomb, about to go where no one had ever been before—a celestial body remarkably different from our own, with surface gravity only one-sixth of Earth’s and temperatures that range from 260 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 280 degrees.

Armstrong thought there was only a 50-50 chance they’d successfully touch down on the moon. Sure enough, four days into their journey, when it came time to land, they ran into trouble.

While in the moon’s orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the lunar module, the Eagle, and broke apart from the command module to fly the rest of the way to the surface. As planned, Collins remained in the command module orbiting the moon. If anything were to happen to Armstrong and Aldrin, he would be the lone survivor.

The Eagle’s descent was supposed to be guided by computer. But at about 1,000 feet from the surface, Armstrong noticed a problem: They were headed for a giant crater, surrounded by boulders. He took control of the module and manually landed it on the moon with just about 15 seconds worth of fuel to spare.

The world turned its attention to the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16, 1969. The Apollo 11 launch was set to occur that day. Armstrong, Aldrin, and a third astronaut, Mike Collins, sat atop a 363-foot-tall rocket with the chemical energy of a small atomic bomb. They were about to go where no one had ever been before. Their journey would take them to a celestial body remarkably different from our own. The moon has surface gravity only one-sixth of Earth’s and temperatures that range from 260 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 280 degrees.

Armstrong thought there was only a 50-50 chance they’d successfully touch down on the moon. Sure enough, four days into their journey, when it came time to land, they ran into trouble.

While in the moon’s orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the lunar module, the Eagle. They broke apart from the command module to fly the rest of the way to the surface. As planned, Collins remained in the command module orbiting the moon. If anything were to happen to Armstrong and Aldrin, he would be the lone survivor.

The Eagle’s descent was supposed to be guided by computer. But at about 1,000 feet from the surface, Armstrong noticed a problem. They were headed for a giant crater, surrounded by boulders. He took control of the module and manually landed it on the moon with just about 15 seconds worth of fuel to spare.

Six hours later, Armstrong emerged from the spacecraft and took the first steps on the lunar surface, leaving footprints that are still there today. “That’s one small step for [a] man,” he declared, “one giant leap for mankind.”

An estimated 600 million people worldwide watched the moon walk on live TV set up by the astronauts. It was even shown on government-run TV in Moscow, sparking a temporary truce in the Cold War. 

“Everyone forgot, for a few moments, that we were all citizens of different countries on Earth,” Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who would have been the first man on the moon had the Soviet Union gotten there first, later wrote in a memoir. “Even in the military center where I stood, where military men were observing the achievements of our rival superpower, there was loud applause.”

Armstrong and Aldrin spent just over two hours conducting experiments and planting an American flag. Then they reentered the lunar module, linked back up with Collins in the command module, and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.

Back on Earth, the astronauts were treated as heroes and they marched in parades. But many also questioned the priorities of a nation that spent billions on space while there were so many pressing domestic crises. “If we can put a man on the moon, why can’t we solve our problems at home?” became a popular slogan.

The U.S. completed five more trips to the moon in the next three years. (After Apollo 11, the Soviet Union abandoned efforts to send humans to the lunar surface.) But the Apollo program was too costly to sustain, and no one’s been back to the moon in nearly half a century.

Six hours later, Armstrong left the spacecraft and took the first steps on the lunar surface. He left footprints that are still there today. “That’s one small step for [a] man,” he declared, “one giant leap for mankind.”

An estimated 600 million people worldwide watched the moon walk on live TV set up by the astronauts. It was even shown on government-run TV in Moscow, sparking
a temporary truce in the Cold War.

“Everyone forgot, for a few moments, that we were all citizens of different countries on Earth,” Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who would have been the first man on the moon had the Soviet Union gotten there first, later wrote in a memoir. “Even in the military center where I stood, where military men were observing the achievements of our rival superpower, there was loud applause.”

Armstrong and Aldrin spent just over two hours conducting experiments and planting an American flag. Then they reentered the lunar module and linked back up with Collins in the command module. The three of them splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.

Back on Earth, the astronauts were treated as heroes and they marched in parades. But many also questioned the priorities of a nation that spent billions on space while there were so many pressing domestic crises. “If we can put a man on the moon, why can’t we solve our problems at home?” became a popular slogan.

The U.S. completed five more trips to the moon in the next three years. After Apollo 11, the Soviet Union abandoned efforts to send humans to the lunar surface. But the Apollo program was too costly to sustain, and no one’s been back to the moon in nearly half a century.

With the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, space exploration developed into more of a partnership. Today, American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts work side by side at the International Space Station.

“There’s a little rivalry, for sure,” says Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society, a U.S. nonprofit that promotes space education. “But it’s much more cooperative than it is competitive.” 

However, being a leader in space is still a symbol of power—just as it was 50 years ago—and Lakdawalla says that isn’t something the U.S. should give up.

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. After, space exploration developed into more of a partnership. Today, American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts work side by side at the International Space Station.

“There’s a little rivalry, for sure,” says Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society, a U.S. nonprofit that promotes space education. “But it’s much more cooperative than
it is competitive.”

But being a leader in space is still a symbol of power. And it’s just as symbolic as it was 50 years ago. Lakdawalla says that isn’t something the U.S. should give up. 

“We’re the first ones to put people on the moon,” she says. “We’re the first ones to visit every one of the planets. We’re the only agency that has sent spacecraft beyond the solar system. That’s valuable geopolitically.”

Now China wants to knock the U.S. out of space’s top spot. The Communist nation is using space to show off its technological might—much like the Soviet Union did during the space race. It’s not just for bragging rights, though. The U.S. has more satellites than China and can use them to aim missiles and bombs accurately and communicate with U.S. troops around the world. China wants to match those capabilities.

Experts say China’s ambitions may spark more U.S. space exploration. NASA has already begun planning its return to the moon. This time, it says, it will get there by teaming up with private companies. Those could include the two major commercial spaceflight corporations, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.

NASA has also announced plans to build the Lunar Gateway, a space station that will orbit the moon and be an outpost for astronauts exploring the lunar surface. NASA says the Gateway would enable it to utilize the moon’s water ice, which could be converted into drinking water and fuel for even longer missions.

 “This time, when we go to the moon, we’re actually going to stay,” NASA’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said at a press conference in March. “We will use what we learn as we move forward to the moon to take the next giant leap—sending astronauts to Mars.”

“We’re the first ones to put people on the moon,” she says. “We’re the first ones to visit every one of the planets. We’re the only agency that has sent spacecraft beyond the solar system. That’s valuable geopolitically.”

Now China wants to knock the U.S. out of space’s top spot. The Communist nation is using space to show off its technological might. It’s following tactics similar to the ones the Soviet Union used during the space race. It’s not just for bragging rights, though. The U.S. has more satellites than China and can use them to aim missiles and bombs accurately and communicate with U.S. troops around the world. China wants to match those capabilities.

Experts say China’s ambitions may spark more U.S. space exploration. NASA has already begun planning its return to the moon. This time, it says, it will get there by teaming up with private companies. Those could include the two major commercial spaceflight corporations, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.

NASA has also announced plans to build the Lunar Gateway. This planned space station will orbit the moon. It’ll also be an outpost for astronauts exploring the lunar surface. NASA says the Gateway would be able to use the moon’s water ice. The ice could be converted it into drinking water and fuel for even longer missions.

“This time, when we go to the moon, we’re actually going to stay,” NASA’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said at a press conference in March. “We will use what we learn as we move forward to the moon to take the next giant leap—sending astronauts to Mars.”

Additional reporting by Laura Anastasia.

Additional reporting by Laura Anastasia.