A Man on the Moon
Copyright © by William H. Sadlier, Inc. Permission to duplicate classroom quantities granted to users of Common Core Progress.
(Genre: Explanatory Text with Speech)
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The Space Race started after World
War II. The United States and the
Soviet Union had emerged from the
war as the two most powerful
countries in the world. They had
different systems of government.
The United States was the champion
of democracy, while the Soviet Union
was a defender of communism. Both
countries wanted their form of
government to succeed in countries
around the world. The two countries
competed for allies, weapons,
and power.
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Both countries wanted to develop
rocket technology for their own
power and protection. The United
States had an early victory by being
the first to develop the nuclear bomb,
but space was the next frontier.
Although the Germans had been
the first to develop modern rocket
technology, rocket science had begun
long before the war.
invading British. Britain then used
them against the United States, as the
lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner”
relate: “And the rockets’ red glare/The
bombs bursting in air . . . ”
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In 1898 a Russian schoolteacher,
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, proposed
the idea of using rockets to explore
space. Although deaf from childhood,
Tsiolkovsky was an active inventor,
and he developed the math that
made modern rocket science possible.
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The next great advance in rocket
science came from an American,
Robert H. Goddard. He experimented
with liquid fuel for rockets. In 1926
Goddard tested the idea. The flight
lasted for only two-and-a-half
seconds and landed about half a
football field away. Goddard’s
A Brief History of Rockets
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The first rockets were developed in
China in the 12th century. The
Chinese had already invented
gunpowder and fireworks. These
rockets were weapons that were an
extension of that technology.
The technology spread through
Asia, and then to Europe, when India
used gunpowder rockets against the
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A Man on the Moon continued
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Hermann Oberth, another great
rocket pioneer, published a book in
1923 about rocket travel into outer
space. His writings inspired many
small rocket societies around the
world. In Germany, members of the
Society for Space Travel experimented
with rocket designs that eventually
led to the development of the V-2
rocket, used by Germany during
World War II.
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On October 4, 1957, the Soviet
Union launched Sputnik II, the world’s
first artificial satellite. It was about
the size of a beach ball, weighed
about as much as an adult male, and
orbited Earth in less time than it
takes to watch a movie.
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The Sputnik launch crossed a new
frontier for human beings—entering
space. Its success captured the world’s
imagination. It also caught America
off guard. Not only had they lost the
race to space, but Americans also
feared that the Soviets would now be
able to launch nuclear missiles from
Europe to the United States.
While America was still reeling
from the news, the Soviets chalked
up another victory. On November 3,
Sputnik II carried a dog into space. It
was the first animal to orbit Earth.
America Rallies
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After the war, the United States
and the Soviet Union captured many
unused V-2 rockets. Many German
rocket scientists came to the United
States. Others went to the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union Pulls Ahead
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A few months later, in January
1958, the United States launched
Explorer II. This satellite carried some
scientific instruments. The data
gathered from this mission led to the
discovery of magnetic radiation belts
around Earth. Then, in July 1958,
Congress passed a law that created
the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA). The United
States was determined to win the
Space Race.
To the Moon!
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The moon was the next frontier.
The Russians again were leading the
way. They crash-landed the
spacecraft Luna 2 on the surface of
the moon in 1959. Then they sent
Luna 3 in orbit around the moon to
photograph its “dark side”—the side
that is always turned away from
Earth. That was the first time anyone
had seen it.
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Meanwhile, the United States
launched two monkeys into space
and recovered them from a splash
landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
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The Russians then stunned the
world by sending the first human
into space. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
Copyright © by William H. Sadlier, Inc. Permission to duplicate classroom quantities granted to users of Common Core Progress.
experiments continued, though, and
his work changed how high and fast
rockets could fly.
A Man on the Moon continued
entered Earth’s orbit in Vostok II.
About a month later, the United
States launched astronaut Alan
Shepard into space on Freedom 7.
Copyright © by William H. Sadlier, Inc. Permission to duplicate classroom quantities granted to users of Common Core Progress.
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We go into space because whatever
mankind must undertake, free men
must fully share. . . .
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. . . I believe that this nation should
commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out, of landing a
man on the moon and returning him
safely to the Earth. No single space
project in this period will be more
impressive to mankind, or more
impor-tant for the long-range
exploration of space; and none will
be so difficult or expensive to
accomplish . . . But in a very real
sense, it will not be one man going
to the moon—if we make this
judgment affirmatively, it will be an
entire nation. For all of us must work
to put him there. . . .
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Let it be clear . . . that I am asking
the Congress and the country to
accept a firm commitment to a new
course of action, a course which will
last for many years and carry very
heavy costs . . . If we are to go only
half way, or reduce our sights in the
face of difficulty, in my judgment it
would be better not to go at all.
The United States was ready to
make a bold move ahead. President
John F. Kennedy had a plan, and he
shared it in a speech to the United
States Congress on May 25, 1961. He
asked the nation to pull together to
meet the challenge of putting a man
on the moon.
From President John F. Kennedy’s
Speech to Congress, May 25, 1961
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Now it is time to take longer
strides—time for a great new
American enterprise—time for this
nation to take a clearly leading role
in space achievement, which in
many ways may hold the key to our
future on Earth. . . .
Recognizing the head start obtained
by the Soviets with their large rocket
engines, which gives them many
months of lead-time, and recognizing
the likelihood that they will exploit
this lead for some time to come in
still more impressive successes, we
nevertheless are required to make
new efforts on our own. For while we
cannot guarantee that we shall one
day be first, we can guarantee that
any failure to make this effort will
make us last . . . But this is not merely
a race. Space is open to us now; and
our eagerness to share its meaning is
not governed by the efforts of others.
Spying Eyes in the Sky
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While the United States was
working on a manned lunar mission,
events on the ground were getting
tense. The United States and the
Soviet Union were getting into
conflicts as the Soviets helped
communism to spread. American
airmen spotted Soviet missile sites
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Still, there was a lot of mistrust.
Space missions gave both countries
another way to spy on each other
from the air. Both countries soon
developed “spy satellites” that would
allow them to photograph and
monitor each other from space.
Lunar Landing
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Apollo 11, the American mission
that would land the first men on the
moon, was made up of several parts.
The Saturn V rocket would power it
into space. The Columbia command
module would take the astronauts
into lunar orbit. The Eagle lunar
module would be the part that
landed on the moon’s surface.
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The voyage began on July 16, 1969.
Aboard Apollo 11 were Neil Armstrong,
Michael Collins, and Edwin “Buzz”
Aldrin, Jr. Everything went as
planned. After reaching lunar orbit,
Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the
Eagle and landed it on the moon on
July 19, with Armstrong famously
reporting, “The Eagle has landed.” As
Armstrong descended the ladder to
become the first person to set foot
on the moon, he said, “That’s one
small step for man, one giant leap
for mankind.”
Reaching for the Moon
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Although the Soviets dominated
early in the space race, things were
about to change. The Americans did
not seem to be making progress, but
they were. Each NASA mission built
on the previous one.
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The Soviets said publicly that they
were not trying to reach the moon,
but they worked covertly on that
project as well. Their efforts were less
successful, though. As it turns out,
the Soviets were using many smaller
engines while the Americans were
using a few large ones. In the end,
the Soviets never did put a man on
the moon.
Getting Home from the Moon
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The Apollo 11 mission was not
complete until the astronauts
returned safely home. After studying
and taking samples on the moon’s
surface, Armstrong and Aldrin got
back into the Eagle and launched it
into the lunar sky. Everything would
have to function properly, or they
would be stranded on the moon with
no way home.
Copyright © by William H. Sadlier, Inc. Permission to duplicate classroom quantities granted to users of Common Core Progress.
being built in Cuba. With Cuba
only a short distance from Florida,
missiles fired from these sites could
easily strike the United States.
Meanwhile, the Americans had a
missile base in Turkey near the Soviet
border. For two weeks, the Cuban
Missile Crisis threatened the world
with nuclear war. Eventually, both
countries stepped back from the brink.
A Man on the Moon continued
Copyright © by William H. Sadlier, Inc. Permission to duplicate classroom quantities granted to users of Common Core Progress.
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Meanwhile, Collins had been
orbiting in the Columbia ever since
Armstrong and Aldrin had left in the
Eagle. The plan was for the Eagle and
the Columbia to dock in space. The
measurements and timing had to be
exact. Millions of people watched on
television and cheered as Armstrong
and Aldrin joined Collins. They had
done it! The astronauts separated the
two crafts and let the Eagle drift away
into space.
The final rocket had just enough
thrust to get the Columbia out from
the moon’s orbit. The astronauts
splashed down in the Pacific Ocean
on July 24. The mission was
accomplished, and President Kennedy’s
challenge had been answered.
Other Apollo Missions
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In all, six Apollo missions (Apollo
11, 12, and 14–17) sent people safely
to the moon, giving humanity a
wealth of scientific data and lunar
samples. Experiments included the
study of soil, meteoroids, heat flow,
magnetic fields, solar wind, and more.
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Apollo 13 captured photographs but
did not land on the moon due to a
malfunction. An explosion occurred
in space. Pilot John L. Swigert, Jr.
calmly reported to Mission Control,
“Houston, we’ve had a problem.” The
whole world held its breath until the
astronauts made it back home after
overcoming mechanical difficulties
and dwindling supplies.
From Competition to Cooperation
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After years of competition, the
Soviet Union and America planned a
joint mission. It was a symbol of
hope and goodwill for people at a
time when wars were being fought
over communism and the
superpowers were stockpiling
nuclear weapons.
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On July 17, 1975, the Apollo and
Soyuz crafts docked in space. The
hatch opened, and Apollo
commander Thomas P. Stafford and
Soyuz commander Alexey A. Leonov
shook hands. People back on Earth
dared to hope for peace.
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