The Apollo Program - Research Paper Example

Subsequent to the takeoff of Sputnik II wherein Laika, the first animal to orbit the Earth, was on board, then President Eisenhower informed the country that he was making ‘Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology,’ a new position in the government. This would play a big role in the formation of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the administration that would send the first men to the Moon in 1969. President Eisenhower took the first step to strengthen the objective of launching men to the Moon. John F. Kennedy who took the place of presidency after Eisenhower thrust those objectives even further.

It took only several months for Kennedy to convene a special session of Congress to deliver his speech in which he necessitated America to launch the first moon landing in history by the decade’s end. After a couple of years, in 1967, the United States of America has just planned Project Apollo also known as the Apollo program and Apollo I would be its very first mission. By January, tests was started to be able to know how the craft would operate and function on its interior power, and just as with the other tests that were conducted on previous crafts, numerous problems and complications came to view.

However, in spite of all the problems that came out, the test was still pushed through that same day. By night, only eleven minutes into the start of the mission, an ignition occurred within the walls of the craft cabin and all the astronauts that were on board the craft yelled for help and assistance. Unfortunately, everything was too late. The rest had already evacuated, leaving the astronauts inside, trapped. After the incident, NASA discovered that the men were al severely burnt but had died by inhaling toxic fumes caused by the burning of artificial materials inside.

In a matter of eight seconds, three heroes died. Indeed, all were shock at the terrible tragedy that ensued. “With the first manned, earth-orbit Apollo flight scheduled for mid-February, all seemed on target to make Kennedy’s vision a reality. But one evening late in January, that soaring optimism suddenly, terribly feel to Earth.” (Chaikin 11) The rebuilding of Apollo immediately followed. Apollos 4, 5 and 6 were launched earlier testing the launching capabilities of an unmanned mission.

However, after almost a year since the combustion of Apollo I, NASA was prepared to restart all over again and try once more. This time, Schirra headed Apollo 7. He nicknamed this craft "Wally’s Ship" to make it known to all that he was in charge and that all courses of action taken are all approved by him. According to NASA, on October 11, 1967, the craft was launched and everything went smooth, almost perfect except for a slight insignificant delay. Apollo 7 was able to orbit around the Earth for an hour and a half.

Schirra told Mission Control that was located in Houston, Texas, that the entire crew was “having a ball.” This mission indeed had put the Apollo program back on its feet after the tragedy that broke the hearts of the people from Apollo I. Apollo 7 came back to Earth successfully after almost two weeks. This mission was able to complete every single goal they had and it was known to be a national success. As the United States was celebrating its accomplishment that helped them recover from Apollo I, the Russians, who were gathering funds for a