A giant leap

Angela Guiao
MSMU Class of 2021

(7/2019) "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

A giant leap. That is exactly what the lunar landing was. I can still remember learning about it as a small child. There were picture books about the planets, and the moon always had an American flag sticking out of it. Curiously enough, I only remember the name of Neil Armstrong, though there were two astronauts at the time: Armstrong and another man named Buzz Aldrin.

In 1969, Apollo 11 flew out the first two people to ever set foot on the moon. While in itself, the action was momentous. It also signaled for the end of the Space Race. The Space Race is a 14-year competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, and it was basically a race to see who would dominate space first.

During a time when country loyalty and patriotism were at an all-time high. America desperately needed a win against the Soviets. As a result of this, when President John F. Kennedy introduced a proposal that stated, "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth", America had something to root for.

While in its foundation, the reasons for the race weren’t the best as it had certainly been fueled by military agendas. But in hindsight, it was also a vital and much-needed win for the United States. After the second World War, President Kennedy believed that it was important that the United States was perceived as superior, even if in actuality that had not been entirely true. And when challenged by the Soviet’s to prove their adequacy in space, the United States had to step up to the plate.

At the time, the two countries were in the middle of the Cold War: a war which began shortly after World War 2 where, interestingly enough, the two countries were allies. The Cold War is cold because of the fact that there was no heavy, direct fighting between the two sides. Instead they supported opposing local conflicts as a way to show that they were not on the same side.

Twice, the Soviets beat America. The first loss was Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. It was released by the Soviets on October 4, 1957 and caused fear that the Soviets would eventually be able to launch ballistic missiles into space. The second loss was when the Soviets were successful in sending the first person to orbit space in a spacecraft. His name was Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin.

My mother, being only 7 at the time, does not remember much about the lunar landing and was only able to tell me one thing when I asked: "America won". And it was true. We won. At the time, us winning the Space Race was a big deal. The first man on the moon was American! The United States proved that it was capable of commanding the sky, and that it was technologically and scientifically advanced enough to give the Soviet Union a run for their money. To have two Americans stand upon the surface of the moon meant everything. Which was just the rush they needed after the hit they took when Sputnik was released.

On this 50th Anniversary of the lunar landing, I think it’s important for us to remember the feelings of patriotism and unity. Especially in today’s political and social climate, the United States seems more divided than it ever was. The Space Race allowed everyone to be on the same team. The Space Race brought the people of this country together, as one. And I believe that we need to find more reasons to be on the same team again.

I must say that this anniversary is truly a reminder that we were once the best. We were the innovators, the leaders, the frontrunners in education, science, and countless other areas. And it reminds us that we can become the best again. America has fallen behind, but this is not because we are not capable or good enough, but because we no longer give the same importance to these issues. We need to do better! We need to start giving importance to the things that will make us the best again. And that is through the improvement and advancement in our education and the increase in concern for our future.

We have done so much to be proud of. And for some reason, we stopped. We stopped being proud. We stopped pushing. We stopped striving to be the best. We’re complacent and satisfied. We fail to recognize that just because we have stopped, it does not mean that the rest of the world has done the same.

This anniversary let us remember that we have every capability and opportunity to become the best again. We are America. The Space Race was just a glimpse into how great we can be when we push beyond our boundaries and reach towards our greatest potential.

As President Kennedy stated in his "Urgent National Needs" speech on May 25, 1961, "…it will not be one man going to the Moon… it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there." In this same way, we must all strive towards the same goal. We should all work together, unite, and realize that what makes America great again is its ability to come together, support one another, and achieve its goals.

This 50th anniversary, let us take a giant leap in the right direction. We are America. The country that has proved its worth and capability time and time again. We are America. The country that’s spearheaded discovery and creation with the understanding that leading the way into the future is much better than sitting back and watching it happen. We are America. We produced the first man on the moon. And our discoveries will not end there.

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