In 1966, NASA and the Soviet space program focused all of their efforts on getting to the Moon first. On July 20th, 1969, Americans succeeded and landed the first astronauts on the lunar surface.
Host | Matthew S Williams
On ITSPmagazine 👉 https://itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/matthew-s-williams
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Episode Notes
In 1966, NASA and the Soviet space program focused all of their efforts on getting to the Moon first. On July 20th, 1969, Americans succeeded and landed the first astronauts on the lunar surface. By reaching the Moon, NASA effectively won the Space Race. But what followed was a new era of cooperation and long-term plans that would eventually lead back to the Moon and onto Mars...
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Resources
The Space Race - National Air and Space Museum: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/space-race
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For more podcast Stories from Space with Matthew S Williams, visit: https://itspmagazine.com/stories-from-space-podcast
The Space Race - Part II | Stories From Space Podcast With Matthew S Williams
Episode 88 - Space Race II
[00:00:00] The authors acknowledge that this podcast was recorded on the
traditional unceded lands of the Lekwungen peoples. We choose to go to the
moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but
because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the
best of our energies and skills.
Because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept, one we are unwilling
to postpone. And one we intend to win, and the others too.
Hello, and welcome back to Stories from Space. I'm your host, Matt Williams.
And today, we're picking up where we left off last time with the Space Race.
Last time, we looked at the inception of the space race, how it was very much
related to the Cold War, which in turn was also related to World War II, and its
immediate [00:01:00] aftermath, where the U.
S. and Soviets both began recruiting German rocket scientists to leverage the
advances they'd made during the war, which was 2 rocket. And as noted, the
Soviets gained an early lead in the space race having launched the first artificial
satellite, Sputnik 1, to space in 1957, and how this led to the creation of NASA
and efforts to not only deploy satellites, but the first human beings into orbit.
And once again, the Soviets had an early lead on that with the flight of Yuri
Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova, the first man and woman, respectively, to
go to space. And how NASA sought to catch up with the launch of the Mercury
7 astronauts as part of the Mercury program. Having demonstrated their ability
to build launch vehicles and spacecraft that could put human beings in orbit,
both sides then turned to the development of [00:02:00] technologies that would
allow for longer duration missions in space, as well as extravehicular activity,
EVA, also known as spacewalks.
And spacecraft rendezvous, all of which would be in preparation for eventual
crewed missions to the moon. And for NASA, this was all about paving the way
for the Apollo program, whereas the Soviets, through their Voskog program,
they managed to accomplish some feats, but otherwise made little progress. So
at this point in the game, NASA was ahead.
Not only had they carried out rendezvous, they had managed to keep a crew of
two Gemini astronauts in space for two weeks. This was the Gemini 7 mission,
piloted by Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. And this was especially importantbecause it demonstrated that astronauts could function in space almost twice as
long as the eight day period [00:03:00] that astronauts would need in order to
reach the moon, conduct surface operations, and return home.
NASA So with the Gemini program complete by 1966, NASA could devote all
of its attention and resources on sending crewed missions to the lunar surface
before the Soviets, which is something that had begun roughly five years earlier.
Interestingly enough, before Gagarin's flight in 1961, President John F.
Kennedy was actually lukewarm on the idea of committing to a moon landing.
As early as March of 1961, about two months before President Kennedy stood
before Congress and announced the inauguration of the Apollo program, Then,
NASA Administrator James Webb submitted a budget requisition that assessed
the costs of achieving a moon landing before 1970.
At the time, Kennedy rejected it as too expensive. By April, that changed
considerably. It was on April 12th that Yuri Gagarin became the first man in
[00:04:00] space. And, as noted in our previous installment, this inspired NASA
and the U. S. government to accelerate their efforts to send astronauts to orbit
and beyond.
And as of April 20th, 1961, Kennedy asked his VP, Lyndon Johnson, to look
into the American space program and explore options. Two major options
emerged. One was for an Earth orbital space station, while the other was a
crewed landing on the moon. Either of these would put the U. S. in a leading
position against the Soviets.
And in addition, Johnson consulted with Werner von Braun, who was director
of the Marshall Space Flight Center at the time, and the architect behind several
of NASA's rockets. And this included the Saturn family of rockets, that would
eventually give way to the Saturn V, which would take the Apollo missions to
the moon.
Braun provided estimates of the U. S. and Soviet rocket lifting capability, and
recommended that the [00:05:00] moon landing option was the far better choice,
and that the U. S. had a good chance of getting there first. On May 25, 1961,
John F. Kennedy inaugurated the program, and he stood before Congress to
deliver a speech titled, Special Message on Urgent National Needs.
During the speech, he said, This nation should commit itself to achieving the
goal before the decade is out. of landing a man on the moon and returning him
safely to earth. He also indicated that this program was necessary for nationalsecurity, and that it would focus the nation's energies on other scientific and
social fields.
He further rallied support with his We Choose to Go to the Moon speech, which
was delivered at Rice University in Houston on September 12, 1962. A clip of
this speech, featured at the beginning of this episode, also outlined the needs for
this program as a means of focusing the nation's energies and achieving
something that many thought was unachievable.
Over the next three years, NASA's budget was [00:06:00] increased almost five
fold, and its workforce expanded to include 34, 000 NASA employees. plus 375
employees from commercial and university contractors. In 1963, after President
Kennedy was murdered, Johnson took the helm and immediately issued
Executive Order 11129, which officially renamed the Cape Canaveral and
Apollo launch facilities in Florida the Kennedy Launch Center.
On the Soviet side, Kennedy's pronouncements were met with silence from
Khrushchev, who refused to publicly confirm or deny that the Soviets were
pursuing a moon race. However, the Soviets did pursue two competing plans for
crewed lunar missions, which they would continue to do in secret throughout
the 1960s.
Meanwhile, NASA planners continued to work towards the moon landing, and
this included the development of the Saturn V, as mentioned, but also the
Apollo spacecraft, a three module spacecraft that would be capable of
[00:07:00] carrying a crew of three. These modules consisted of the Command,
Service, and Lunar module.
Whereas all three modules would fly together as part of the Apollo spacecraft to
the Moon, the Command and Service module would remain in orbit of the
Moon with a single pilot. While the Lunar module took two astronauts to the
surface, this module also consisted of two parts, the lander element and the
ascent element.
After conducting operations on the lunar surface for several days, the two
astronauts would then board the ascent vehicle, launch back into orbit, where
they would rendezvous with the command and service module, transfer back,
and return to Earth. While this was taking place, the Soviets considered two
possible mission profiles for sending crews to the Moon.
The first was developed between March 1962 and May 1963, where Sergei
Korolev, the Soviets lead rocket engineer and spacecraft designer, begandeveloping concepts for a lunar spacecraft that would eventually inform the
[00:08:00] design of the Soyuz. Opposite him, the Separate Design Bureau,
OKB 52, led by Vladimir Cholomy, was developing the LK 1 lunar flyby
spacecraft.
This would be launched by the Proton UR 500 rocket, which is currently under
development. On August 3rd, 1964, the Soviet Communist Party Central
Committee issued Command 655 268. titled, On Work on the Exploration of the
Moon and Mastery of Space. This plan called for circumlunar flights to take
place in 1967, and with landings starting in 1968 to get there ahead of the
Apollo flights.
It was here that both Korolev and Shalomny submitted their proposals.
Korolev's named N1 L3. Pulled for the use of a M 1 super rocket and a more
advanced Soyuz 7K L 3 spacecraft. The spacecraft was also known as the
[00:09:00] Lunar Orbital Module, or LOK, that would carry a crew of two to
lunar orbit, whereas a separate lunar lander, known as the LK, would carry one
cosmonaut to the surface.
The M 1 rocket was the most ambitious Soviet launch vehicle ever attempted. It
consisted of three stages that would launch the vehicle and its payload to Earth
orbit. Meanwhile, a fourth stage would help the spacecraft leave Earth orbit,
while a fifth stage would assist with a lunar landing. While the rocket was
roughly the same height and takeoff mass as the three stage Saturn V, it
exceeded the Saturn V's takeoff thrust by 28%.
45, 400 kilonewtons versus the Saturn 5's 33, 000. However, the N1 had only
about half the payload capability for translunar injection maneuvers as the
Saturn 5, which could deliver 52, 759 kilograms or 116, 314 pounds to the
[00:10:00] moon, whereas the N1 could deliver only 23, 500 kilograms or 52,
000 pounds. Much of this was due to the fact that the Saturn V relied on liquid
hydrogen fuel in its two upper stages, whereas the Soviet space program did not
incorporate liquid hydrogen at all until the 1970s, after the N1 was cancelled.
Meanwhile, Chelomney's program called for a direct ascent lander based on the
LK, known as the LK 700. That would carry a crew of three cosmonauts on a
direct flight to the lunar surface and back. The spacecraft would be launched
with the proposed UR 700 heavy lift vehicle, which was never realized.
Ultimately, the Soviet government rejected Korolev's proposals and decided to
go with Cholomney's project. However, by 1964, Khrushchev's fall from power
led to Cholomney losing most of his support and funding. And by August 1965,work on the LK 1 was suspended and eventually cancelled, and a new proposal
emerged for a [00:11:00] stripped down Soyuz spacecraft, known as Zond,
would carry a two person crew on a circular lunar flight without landing.
Unfortunately, in 1967, both NASA and the Soviet space program suffered a
terrible tragedy, which set back their programs. For NASA, this took place on
January 27th, 1967, in what has come to be known as the Apollo 1 accident.
During a dress rehearsal test at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Launch
Complex 34, Commander Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot
Robert B.
Chaffee were killed when the Apollo 1 command module suddenly caught fire.
These astronauts were all veterans who cut their teeth in the Mercury and
Gemini programs. The name Apollo 1, which had been chosen by the crew, was
made official by NASA in honor of their deaths. For the Soviets, tragedy struck
on April 24, 1967.
When the Soyuz 1 spacecraft, piloted [00:12:00] by Vladimir Kamarov,
suffered in flight failures, leading to the first in flight spaceflight fatality. This
planned 3D test would consist of the first Soviet docking maneuver with an
unpiloted Soyuz 2 spacecraft. As soon as the mission launched to space, many
problems began to emerge.
This included one of the two solar panels on the spacecraft, which failed to
deploy, leaving it with insufficient electrical power. Then, the automatic attitude
control system failed, which caused the craft to fall into a spiral. Kamarov
managed to regain control manually, and flight controllers aborted the mission.
Kamarov was ordered to make an emergency re entry. However, there was a
fault in the landing parachute system. While the reserve chute deployed, it
became tangled with the drogue chute, and Soyuz 1 spacecraft impacted on the
ground and exploded. In addition to the loss of Vladimir Kamarov's life, this
accident imposed an 18 month delay before the Soviets could [00:13:00] resume
piloted Soviet flights.
Both Apollo and the Soyuz program managed to recover, however, as engineers
addressed the faults in both the Apollo command module and Soyuz spacecraft.
NASA then proceeded with unpiloted test launches of the Saturn V, consisting
of Apollo 4 and 6, which launched on November 9, 1967 and April 4, 1968,
respectively.In between, the Apollo 5 mission saw the first flight of an uncrewed Apollo
lunar module on January 22, 1968. These missions validated both the launch
vehicle and the lunar module's capability of carrying three astronauts into lunar
orbit. Next came the Apollo 7 mission on October 11, 1968, which sent a lunar
module on an 11 day mission around the moon.
The mission was a total success and allowed NASA to move ahead with its
planned lunar mission schedule, which led to the Apollo mission launching on
December 21, [00:14:00] 1968. The mission saw Frank Borman, James Lovell,
and William Anders conduct the first flight of a Saturn V and Apollo spacecraft
with crew, and they became the first mission to leave low Earth orbit and travel
to another celestial body.
During the same time, the Soviet Lunar Program managed to make some
progress. However, Their efforts were hampered by the death of Korolev in
January 1966. While the Soviets managed to fix the paratroop and control
systems with their Soyuz spacecraft, the next piloted mission of the Soyuz 3,
which launched on October 26, 1968, failed to complete Kamarov's goal.
of rendezvousing and docking with an unpiloted Soyuz 2. This docking
maneuver was not realized until January 1969, which was achieved by the
Soyuz 4 and 5 missions. This constituted the first ever docking of two
spacecraft, and the first transfer of crew from one spacecraft to the other.
However, the Soviet Zond spacecraft was not ready in time for piloted
circumlunar [00:15:00] flights, which were hoped to take place in 1968.
Six automated test launches were conducted, but all were unsuccessful. By
March of 1968, mission successfully launched and conducted an uncrewed
circumlunar flight. Unfortunately, problems with the spacecraft during re entry
led ground controllers to detonate it while it was 15 kilometers or 9. 3 miles
above the surface over the Gulf of Guinea.
The N1 rocket also suffered catastrophic failures that led to its cancellation.
Both took place in 1969, the worst of which took place on July 3rd, when the
N1 rocket exploded on the launch pad, destroying itself and the facility. This
was a setback from which the Soviet Lunar Program would not recover, and
mission planners began to set their sights on other long term goals instead.
NASA continued to push ahead, and by March of 1969, the Apollo 9 mission
conducted the first successful flight test of the Lunar Module in low Earth orbit.
[00:16:00] Apollo 10, the dress rehearsal for the moon landing, was then flown
from May 18th to the 26th. Once the spacecraft reached lunar orbit, astronautJohn Young remained in the command and service module, while astronauts
Thomas Stafford and Gene Cernan, Flew the Apollo Lunar Module to within
14.
4 kilometers or about 8. 95 miles from the lunar surface. It was at this point
where the Lunar Module would begin its powered descent to the lunar surface.
With this mission complete and the Lunar Module validated for landing crews
on the surface, the next step was to attempt the landing. This began on July
16th, 1969, as the Apollo 11 mission launched.
Once in orbit, astronaut and pilot Michael Collins remained in the command
and service module, while astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edward Buzz Aldrin
boarded the lunar module for the descent. Armstrong and Aldrin landed
successfully on July 20th, [00:17:00] becoming the first astronauts to land on
the moon, and Armstrong becoming the first man to walk on the moon.
The event, which was live broadcast, and watched by millions of people around
the world, witnessed Armstrong issuing the following historic words.
I'm going to step off the land now.
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. The lander element
of the lunar module, which was left behind, also featured a commemorative
plaque with the inscription, Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon
the moon, July 1969 A. D. We came in peace for all mankind. Upon their return
to Earth, the astronauts conducted a global tour, in which they were [00:18:00]
welcomed and celebrated in every country they visited, including the Soviet
Union.
This is similar to the reception Yuri Gagarin perceived when he conducted a
similar tour after becoming the first man to go to space. This once again
demonstrated that, through their respective space programs, the United States
and Soviet Union could find common ground. Even though they were locked in
a state of competition, their achievements were celebrated on both sides.
It went on to inspire generation after generation to come. It was also in keeping
with the spirit of the Outer Space Treaty, otherwise known as the Treaty on
Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of
Outer Space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies. The treaty
established that the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for
the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all
mankind.The treaty also forbid weapons testing in orbit and stationing any military assets
or [00:19:00] facilities on the moon and beyond. This treaty was signed in
January 27, 1967. and remains in force to this day. This was echoed by the lunar
plaques that adorned all the Apollo lunar modules. And the words, for all
mankind, have become synonymous with space exploration and have enduring
meaning to this day.
The Apollo program would continue and five more successful landings would
be carried out between late 1969 and 1972. This consisted of the Apollo 12, 14,
15, 16, and 17 The one exception being Apollo 13, which in April 1970,
suffered a failure with its oxygen tank in the service module, two days after it
launched.
This disabled the electrical and life support systems, and the crew was forced to
make a circumlunar flight, and then return home. Fortunately, the crew,
consisting of James L. Lovell, John L. Swigert, [00:20:00] and Fred W. Hayes,
managed to make it home safe and sound. Like the Apollo 11 mission, all those
that made it to the lunar surface conducted scientific experiments and retrieved
samples of lunar rock, which they returned to Earth for analysis.
Ongoing research of these rock samples have revolutionized our understanding
of the Earth Moon system, and led to the widely held view that the Earth and
Moon formed together after a massive impact struck Earth roughly 4. 5 billion
years ago. In addition, samples of lunar rock also reveal traces of water.
At the time this was dismissed as evidence of contamination, however, these
findings would be validated by multiple missions shortly after the turn of the
century. The realization that there are deposits of lunar water on the moon is
also intrinsic to future plans to explore around the moon's South Pole Aitken
basin and construct permanent habitats there.
By landing on the moon, the [00:21:00] United States had effectively won the
space race and demonstrated their technological advantage over the Soviets.
However, this achievement would also signal a new spirit of cooperation. The
seeds of which were planted in the post Apollo era, and would eventually lead
to the creation of the International Space Station.
A good example was achieved in 1975 with the joint Apollo Soyuz program.
Which saw three U. S. astronauts aboard an Apollo spacecraft dock in orbit with
a Soviet made Soyuz vehicle. The commanders of the two craft then
rendezvoused and performed the iconic handshake in space. This came to
symbolize the gradual improvement of U.S. and Soviet relations in the Cold War era. And with the space race now
complete, both NASA and the Soviets began to shift their focus onto
technologies and systems that would allow for even longer durations in space,
particularly in orbit. Whereas the space race had [00:22:00] all been about
getting there first, the focus now was staying there.
To this end, both NASA and the Soviets began developing technologies that
would eventually lead to the Space Shuttle Program and the Buran Shuttle, as
well as the Salyut. Skylab, Mir, and International Space Stations. In addition,
the achievements made during the space race, particularly with the Apollo
program, would go on to inspire NASA to begin planning its next great leap,
which began shortly after the turn of the century.
These include the long awaited plans to return to the Moon, to stay this time,
and to send the first crewed missions to Mars. Two subjects that were covered
very early in the series, and I invite listeners to go check those out if you haven't
already. And if you have, consider checking them out again as a refresher.
In the meantime, thank you for listening. I'm Matt Williams, and this has been
Stories [00:23:00] from Space.