1. Pioneering Achievement
Race to the Moon
Pioneering Achievement
Aerospace Engineering
© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

2. Moon Racing History Competition (Americans and Russians)
New technology needed to be developed
Accomplishments source of national pride
Moon race required development in stages
Unmanned rocket into Earth’s orbit
Manned rocket into Earth’s orbit
Manned flight to space
Scout the Moon
Land on the Moon

3. Moon Racing History Space age began October 4, 1957
Russian orbited Sputnik I
First artificial satellite
First living being November 3, 1957
Russian orbited Sputnik II
Dog named “Laika” onboard
Sputnik I was the size of a beach ball.

4. Moon Racing History
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created 1958
Civilian-controlled
Military maintained own programs
President Kennedy committed in 1961 to land man on Moon before decade’s end
"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...will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish...." President John F. Kennedy, 1961

5. Space Programs Pioneer IV space probe March 3,1959 Able-Baker Mission
Juno II rocket
Russian Mechta rocket two months earlier
Able-Baker Mission
Two monkeys survived space orbit
Able-Baker mission took its name from the two monkeys, Able, a 3.18 kilogram (7-pound) rhesus monkey, and Baker, a gram (11-ounce) squirrel monkey.

6. Space Program
Russian Yuri Gagarin circled Earth once on April 12, 1961
Mercury Project
Humans in space
Allan Shephard's suborbital flight in May 1961
John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth
NASA developed distinct program names for rockets and the space vehicle itself. For instance Gemini Program was boosted into space using a Titan II Launch vehicle. The Apollo missions were lifted using Saturn rockets.

7. Space Programs Gemini Program
Learning experience to prepare for trips to the Moon
NASA developed distinct program names for rockets and for the space vehicle itself. For instance Gemini Program was boosted into space using a Titan II Launch vehicle. The Apollo missions were lifted using Saturn rockets.

8. Space Programs Ranger and Lunar Orbiter programs (1961-67)
Provided detailed photographs
Scouted a landing site
Surveyor Program ( )
Gathered moon samples

9. Moon Race Risks Excellent safety record despite risks
Fire developed in Apollo command module
Three astronauts died by asphyxiation January 27, 1967
Virgil I. Grissom
Edward H. White II
Roger B. Chaffee

10. Space Programs Apollo program Astronauts to Moon 3 scenarios Direct
Earth orbit rendezvous
Lunar orbit rendezvous (this was chosen)
Used Saturn rockets
The direct scenario required the entire vehicle to land on the Moon and then return to Earth as one unit.
The Earth orbit rendezvous required a Moon landing vehicle to separate from an orbiting vehicle while orbiting the Earth. The lunar vehicle landed on the Moon, then returned to rendezvous with the orbiting vehicle. Both would return to Earth.
Lunar orbit rendezvous required a Moon landing vehicle to separate from an orbiting vehicle while orbiting the Moon. The lunar vehicle landed on the Moon and then returned to rendezvous with the orbiting vehicle. Both would return to Earth. This method was chosen.

11. Moon Race Won Neil Armstrong 1st man on Moon July 20, 1969
America only nation on Moon
Five more flights to the Moon
12 astronauts stepped on Moon
Last Moon landing in 1972
"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, on the Moon, 1969

12. Compact Equipment Equipment must be rugged yet compact
Lunar rover unfolding from lunar lander.

13. Path to the Moon

14. Path to the Moon – Earth

15. Path to the Moon – Land on Moon

16. Path to the Moon – Leave Moon

17. Technology from Programs
Gemini and Apollo made electrical power from hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells
Astronauts used scanning telescope and sextant to take star sights and plot position of spacecraft
Guidance and navigation information transmitted to Earth-based computers to calculate course or velocity changes

18. Post Moon Race Experiments in space Skylab
Apollo-Soyuz (US and Russia)
Space Shuttle

19. Post Moon Race Experiments in space Explore planets
Hubble space telescope
International Space Station (ISS)
Many countries contributing
Explore planets
Mars rover

20. Write a one-page handwritten paper describing how the technology used in the race to the moon has helped us today.

21. References
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (2010). Retrieved from html
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2010). Retrieved from