A Cold Race to the Moon: The Apollo Program

The Apollo space missions date back to the "space race" which took place during the Cold War era. Sparked by the threat of Sputnik 1, a satellite sent into orbit in 1957 by the Soviet Union, the United States felt vulnerable, as they believed the Soviets were developing a method to launch ballistic missiles from space. While the United States felt obligated to catch up to the Soviets in the interest of national security, they also took on the challenge of staying one-step ahead of the Soviets for increased power and prestige in their ongoing political battle. The organization known today a…