It has been 53 years since that first step, one small step for Neil Armstrong and one big step for humanity. What happened before the trip to the Moon, which is the springboard in the space adventure of mankind? Who proved that the moon has actually been visited, and when? Why couldn’t we be without the moon? Why weren’t humans sent to the Moon after 1972?
From Earth to the Moon…
The novel by French writer Jules Verne, who started the science-fiction genre in literature by being published in 1865.
‘Journey to the Moon’…
1902 French film that started the science-fiction genre in cinema.
’12 Men to the Moon’…
1960 Hollywood moviea.
Neil Armstrong said 104 years after ‘Journey to the Moon’, 67 years after ‘Journey to the Moon’ and 9 years after ’12 Men to the Moon’;
‘One small step for me, one giant leap for humanity’
Although ‘Journey to the Moon’ started the science-fiction genre in literature in the years it was written, its main mission was to inspire and motivate human beings to be able to get out of the blue sphere in which they live.
On July 20, 1969, the greatest discovery of 70,000 years of modern human history was made. Information such as the age of the Moon, the only satellite of the world, and how it was formed, is updated almost every day. Technological developments enable us to obtain new information about the Moon and space every day.
The information we have about the moon, maybe in a few months will be wrong or incomplete. However, what is not wrong and incomplete is; Landing on the Moon has opened up an endless horizon for human exploration of space.
While Jules Verne’s novel ‘Journey to the Moon’ inspired and motivated mankind to go to the Moon, the driving force was the cold war that started in 1947 between the Soviet Union and the USA.
At that time, the two superpowers of the world began a fierce competition to go into space and increase their dominance over the world. Scientists also took advantage of this situation.
Both countries rained funds and opportunities for space programs.
Our goal is; Moon – John F. Kennedy…
John F. Kennedy, who became the US president in 1961, announced that he would give importance to space studies with his ‘We Chose To Go To The Moon’ speech during the election campaign.
According to many, the reason he won the election was John F. Kennedy’s promises to conquer space. Because, with Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin’s tour around the world, the Americans were experiencing the demoralization of being behind in the space race.
John F. Kennedy, “I think our nation should dedicate themselves to the goal of landing a human on the Moon before the end of this decade and bringing him back to Earth safely,” said the Apollo project, and first a tour was made around the Moon. After the tours around the Moon, the USA pressed the button for the manned landing.
On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11, launched by Saturn V from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, set off for the Moon by Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins.
On July 20, 1969, at 20:18, the Eagle module landed on the Moon’s surface in the ‘Sea of Silence’ on its earth-facing side.
Neil Armstrong: Commander.
Michael Collins: Command Module Pilot.
Edwin Aldrin: Lunar Module Pilot.
Leaving the Eagle module at 01:56 on July 21, Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, saying, ‘One small step for me, one giant leap for humanity’.
And then Edwin Aldrin…
Michael Collins waited in lunar orbit for rendezvous with the Eagle module on its return.
Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin spent 21.5 hours on the Moon, 2.5 hours on the surface. Mankind had set foot on the Moon, but would he be able to make 3 astronaut returns and set foot on Earth again?
Eight days after the launch of Apollo 11, 3 astronauts managed to return to Earth safely. And those moments could not be seen by John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Just like himself, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, who played an important role in the exploration of space…
The processing power of your phones, which you do not drop all day long, is more than that of Apollo 11, which took 3 astronauts to the Moon.
Neil Armstrong left a medal on the Moon surface in the name of Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin.
3 astronauts remained in quarantine for 21 days on their return, as they may have brought microorganisms to Earth.
WHY DID NOT THE MOON AGAIN AFTER 1972?
Now the goal has been achieved, and the moon has been set foot.
All materials that could be collected in the name of science were collected.
Although not very comprehensive, researches on the Moon did not find materials that would be useful to human beings, especially energy sources. It was more functional and cheaper to set up a space station in Earth orbit than to go to the Moon.
No woman has ever set foot on the Moon.
Have we really go to the Moon?
From time to time there were rumors that there was no trip to the Moon. Allegedly, US astronauts have never set foot on the Moon. Depressed because of falling behind the Soviet Union in the space race, the USA deceived the whole world by making a movie about landing on the Moon in a studio.
According to some, the Moon rocks NASA showed were meteorites that fell to Earth. Many scientists have studied those stones.
Someone did not come out and say, ‘Brother, there is a fraud.’
The so-called CIA had threatened those scientists. You see, conspiracy theory on conspiracy theory.
In 2013, China proved that US astronauts set foot on the Moon.
China sent a spacecraft called Chang’e -3 to the Moon. The traces left by the astronauts who went to the Moon were found in the photographs taken.
While China is the second country to send an unmanned vehicle to the Moon, it put an end to the rumors about whether the USA is going to the Moon.
Pow much money does it need to go to the Moon?
400,000 people worked for the 17 Apollo missions, including 6 flights where 12 astronauts set foot on the Moon.
The population of the USA at that time was 200 million. One in every 500 Americans has worked on the Moon journey as part of the Apollo mission.
The total money spent at that time was $25 billion.
Today, NASA’s cost of sending a man to the Moon is $120 billion.
US Army Annual Budget: $600 billion
US Investment in Nuclear Weapons: $1.7 trillion
Considering the amount of money the USA has allocated for weapons, $120 billion is a very small figure.
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