APPOLLO 11 MOON LANDING
Why was the Mission Planned? Apollo 11 mission was planned as a result of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first-ever artificial satellite, Sputnik, into Earth’s orbit, causing shock and concern in the US. The Cold War escalated when in 1961, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to go to space. This prompted US President John F. Kennedy to propose a new space program that would put humans on the moon before the end of the decade, a task that seemed impossible given the lack of technology available at the time. Nonetheless, Kennedy provided $7-$9 billion in additional funding to the space program, and after several years of testing, the Apollo 11 mission was launched in 1969, with Neil Armstrong being the first person to step on the moon. Despite the overwhelming evidence supporting the success of the mission, many conspiracy theories have been put forth, claiming that the landing was a hoax. Lead up to Apollo ...