The Space Race in Wolfes Writings - Essay Example

The Space Race in Wolfe’s Writings [Name of Author] Tom Wolfe’s account of the Mercury Space Program would have the impression that the selection of astronauts was based not only on physical fitness and experience but also on their popularity. I was originally trying to create a causal argument that because the astronauts were popular, they were chosen instead of their ability. However, I said to myself, there is a bigger picture surrounding the issue and this is what I would like to discover. In my quest for the bigger picture, I came to remember that there was a subject of mine where the Cold War between the United States and the USSR was discussed. I remembered reading that the two nations were rivals not only in armaments and sphere of influence but also in reaching and dominating the space. I then came up with the question: ‘Can I find a direct relationship between the Cold War and the space race in Wolf’s texts?’ Although there was little mention of the Soviets, there was enough text that showed implicitly the relationship of the Cold War and the Space Race. In this composition, I tried to show that the launching of Sputnik and the manned spacecraft of the Soviets provide the momentum to the space program of the United States. It forced them to withhold their cost concerns and pour large amounts of money to hasten the development of technology that would enable them to gain an edge over the Soviets. The advances made by the Soviets made the US fear of its security and made them very eager to find ways and means to maintain their perceived superiority. The space race issue is the subject of a lengthy discussion because of its socio-political dimensions with many ideas surrounding it. Thus, I feel that the essay I made was very limited because it is relatively short as compared to the voluminous papers on the topic. Also, the discussion was also very limited because only the American perspective was discussed without much concern on the way the Soviets viewed the issue. It would have been more complete if the Soviet’s point of view was included. In Tom Wolfe’s book The Right Stuff, we are made aware of the lives of astronauts particularly of the Mercury Seven group and Chuck Yeager. This composition features dramatic re-enactments of the Mercury program and details some events from the private lives of the astronauts, who faced the dual responsibility of making the risky mission and performing as public role models and luminaries. While the book is mainly concerned with the details of how political and public opinion shaped the choice for astronauts, the bigger picture depicts the idea that the United States rapidly developed its space program due to the pressure brought by the launching of Sputnik and manned spacecrafts by the Soviets. The two superpowers would go head to head in the race to achieve superiority in space and win the Cold War. According to Microsoft’s Encarta, the Cold War refers to the post World War II ideological struggle the United States (US) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) with both sides having their allies. The world watch as the two world superpower waged their intense rivalry in the geopolitical scene but this conflict was unique in that it did not involve open warfare. The US was bent on containing the spread of Communism by the USSR which was in direct conflict with their idea of free enterprise and capitalism. The rivalry would last until the later part of the 1980’s when the USSR disintegrated. The Cold War sparked the race to space because the two superpowers wanted to show the world their technological prowess and the adequacy of the system which they represented. Efforts to reach the space were the result of the intercontinental ballistic missiles developed by both sides. The space race was initiated by the October 4, 1957 launching of the artificial satellite called Sputnik (fellow traveler) by the Soviets (a term used to denote USSR inhabitants). Sputnik is relatively simple in today’s standard as it was only made of a 58-cm (23-in) aluminum sphere containing a pair of radio transmitters. Nevertheless, the social and political effects were astounding especially in the US. It sparked fears in the hearts of Americans as it showed that their Soviet counterparts were much advance than them. Indeed, as Tom Wolfe would relate, the primary impact of Sputnik was political—in the United States Sputnik triggered nationwide concern about Soviet technological prowess. Wolfe adeptly described the feelings in that period when he wrote: "The panic reached far beyond the relatively sane concern for tactical weaponry, however. Sputnik 1 took on a magical dimension. . . . It seemed to dredge up primordial superstitions about the influence of heavenly bodies. . . . Nothing less than control of the heavens was at stake. It was Armageddon, the final and decisive battle of the forces of good and evil. . . . The New York Times, in an editorial, said the United States was now in a 'Race for survival.' The panic became more apocalyptic. Nothing short of doom awaited the loser, now that the battle had begun." Due to the Sputnik launch, the U.S. became very active in developing its own space program. By December 6, 1957, the U.S. already attempted to launch a satellite called the Vanguard only to fail disastrously. The U.S. would not give up and tried again in January 31, 1958, where they launched the satellite Explorer 1 – only three months after the launching of the Sputnik. It would not be the end of the rivalry of the two in what would be called as the race to space. Again, the Soviets achieved the milestone of having the first human in space on April 12, 1961 when a 27-year-old pilot named Yuri Gagarin made a single orbit of Earth in a spacecraft called Vostok (East). The spacecraft made use of the R-7 booster which was the same kind of rocket used by the Sputnik project. The effect on the U.S. populace was even greater as they became disappointed and shamed. In less than one month after the piloted spacecraft of the Soviets was launched, the U.S. launched the Mercury containing Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961. The general American mood was enthusiastic but behind this was a feeling of inadequacy as the country looked like it was just trying to catch up. To address this issue, President Kennedy told Congress, “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.” In effect, the flight of Gagarin into space intensified further U.S. efforts. The launching of the Sputnik and piloted spacecraft also provided the setting wherein costs did not matter as long as one gained an edge over the other. Developing space technology was no easy enterprise as the cost it required was huge. Scientists, engineers and technicians were hired. Expensive testing added further to the cost. Nonetheless, the ability to carry out a vigorous space program was seen by many political analyst to be a measure of a nation’s economic vitality. The US and the USSR were very eager to spread their sphere of influence and being able to fund space projects would show the world of their superiority not only technologically but also economically. This would be very good materials for propaganda and in influencing other nations to accept alliances. Thus the two nations were willing to shell out the enormous expense. The launching of the Sputnik and the manned spacecraft made US more than willing to spend taxpayer’s money to develop their space programs. As a direct result of the advances made by the Soviets in space technology especially in being able to achieve piloted spacecraft, the United States hastened the development of its own space technology. In retrospect, the space race can be said not to have been primarily inspired by scientific exploration by was fuelled and sparked by the Cold War geopolitics. It started with the launching of the Sputnik and pushed further with Gagarin’s flight. The two superpowers bid for dominance and containment of the other resulted to one of the most remarkable achievement in human history. Bibliography: Wolfe, Tom (1979). The Right Stuff. US: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. Read More