Robbie

= Beare US History Research Wiki Journal Prompts = = =

I will be investigating the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union mainly in the 60’s. The race involved pioneering efforts to launch artificial satellites, send men into space and land them on the Moon. Specifically, I will look in depth at motives of both countries, how it affected the world as a whole. After researching I discovered that the Space Race was not just getting to the moon first but also the development of military technology and competition concerning this. However, I think I will stay away from this idea. I would like to target the Soviet’s Sputnik 1 in 1957 as the beginning of the Space Race and incorporate the Apollo 11 in 1969 as the culmination. These are the two most significant events of the Space Race that I will use. Concerning the motivational aspects and influence of the Space Race on the US, I will use a quote from John F. Kennedy’s speech on May 25, 1961, "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." -Why was the Space Race so important to the American people? to JFK? -How did the start/outcome affect the world/US? For the JFK Quote: Stenger, Richard (May 25, 2001). [|"Man on the moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream"]. //CNN//. []. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
 * Journal Entry 1:** Topic and ideas -- What are you investigating? What are the questions that are guiding your investigation.


 * Journal Entry 2:** A comment on your process to date, a brief discussion of your sources, and a listing of sources you are currently working with (correct Turabian format). This should be a significant step forward from your initial bibliography.

I have decided to narrow my searches and focus primarily on Apollo 11 rather than the Sputnik 1. The books and sources I have been reading have altered my aim of this paper. I am going to convey this point; “A feat so unthinkable to the minds of the 50’s became a reality through the patriotic determination and spirit of the United States on July 16, 1969.” So basically, I’ll be looking at the motives and the overall spirit of the US people, world and presidencies in the late 50’s and 60’s, which many of my books touch on. After reading many of my sources I have narrowed them down to this group, which I think focuses more on my pursuits with this paper. __ Bibliography __ "When Man Lands on Moon." //The Science News-Letter// 81, no. 13 (Mar. 31, 1962): 202-3.

Wingo, Walter. "The Scramble into Space." //The Science News-Letter// 84, no. 22 (Nov. 30, 1963): 341-3.

"Why Reach for the Moon?" //The Science News-Letter// 82, no. 6 (Aug. 11, 1962): 90-1. Breuer, William B.,. //Race to the Moon : America's Duel with the Soviets//. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1993. à I was very happy to find these primary sources on JSTOR and they are all from the same “//The Science News-Letter”//. They are right smack in the middle of the birth of the Apollo program and its aims for the Moon. They will give me a great sense of what the tensions, perceptions and motives were at that time.

Chaikin, Andrew, and Tom Hanks. //A Man on the Moon : The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts//. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, 1998.

Hallion, Richard, Tom D. Crouch, and Roger E. Bilstein. //Apollo : Ten Years since Tranquillity Base//. Washington: National Air and Space Museum : Distributed by the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979. à I also am very interested in the book above. Rather than describing the facts and events of Apollo 11, it focuses on, “ the Apollo effort, which symbolized all that was creative and beautiful in the human spirit.”.

Murray, Charles A. and Catherine Bly Cox. //Apollo, the Race to the Moon//. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989.

Nelson, Craig,. //Rocket Men : The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon//. New York: Viking, 2009.

Shepard, Alan B. and Donald K. Slayton. //Moon Shot : The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon//. Atlanta; Kansas City, Mo.: Turner Pub. ; Distributed by Andrews and McMeel, 1994.

Without JFK’s inspiring motivation and strong push to launch the Apollo program, Apollo 11 would not have been possible and an inevitable loss to the Soviets would have occurred, plummeting the morale of the American citizens, in one of the most controversial eras of US history.
 * Journal Entry 3:** What is your Thesis?