NASA was created due to the
pressure of national defense, which in turn was generated by the tensions of
the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Simply
put, the National Aeronautics and Space Act was a political maneuver and a
power display in order to assure national security, and to demonstrate to the
Soviets and the entire world the strength that lies behind the American spirit.
[1] Tension increased in 1957 when the Russians launched Sputnik 1 to be the
first man-made object to orbit the planet. This event generated a strong and
acerb competition later known as the “space race”. The impact that Sputnik had
on the American civilization was compared to the one of the Pearl
Harbor disaster. Everything that came after the Sputnik event led
to the formation of NASA. [2] Having the Russians starting the space race by
being the first to launch was immediately seen as a catastrophe and failure of
the entire nation. It created a feeling of inferiority and mediocrity, but it
also stirred up ambition and perseverance. Besides this, having the Soviets up
in the air, with reconnaissance capabilities, had thrown the American Administration
into a state of paranoia. Despite the fact that national prestige was at stake,
national security was even more important. With the Cold War involving all
resources, from industry to military, and including space exploration, the
launch of Sputnik represented a defeat. And to make things even worse, the
American space program failed to launch Vanguard live in TV. This is the
environment in which NASA was born. It could have been a panic reaction from
President Eisenhower, but also an obvious desire to not only be a part of space
exploration, but the a leader in the field. This kind of feeling is usually the
foundation of a strong competition, and this is exactly what the space race
turned out to be. It was the beginning of a long series of “firsts” in regard
to space activities. Project Mercury was designed precisely to accomplish such
“firsts”, making beating the Russians in the space race a national priority. In
turn, the competition had a variety of benefits for the industry and the
general public.
During the space race,
defense-related industries, science and research in aviation and space
experienced a significant development, creating a lot of jobs. At that time,
one worker in seven owed his job to the military industry. The 1950s economic
growth and prosperity in the United
States was owed primarily to the fact that
the Cold War brought a state of permanent mobilization, and therefore the
necessity of increasing national security and defense. Federal money covered
most of the research costs, offering corporations like IBM the possibility of
researching the integrated circuits which brought the computer revolution, and
later the high definition television, audio-video players and many other
electronic gadgets. The United
States’ GPD more than doubled during the
1950s, bringing a 25 percent rise in the individual income of the working
Americans. [3] It is therefore fair to say that the Cold War has greatly helped
the U.S.
space industry.
Notes:
[1]
NASA. 2005. "A Brief
History of NASA," NASA
online. Home page on-line.
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/factsheet.htm (accessed March 22,
2012), para. 1.
[2]
Kay, W.D. Defining NASA: The
Historical Debate over the Agency's Mission.
State University
of New York Press, Albany, 2005, 44.
[3]
Henretta, James A, and David Brody. “America: A Concise History, Volume
II: Since 1877.” 4th ed., Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s,
2010, 797.
References
Kay, W.D. Defining NASA: The
Historical Debate over the Agency's Mission.
State University
of New York Press, Albany, 2005.
Henretta, James A, and David Brody.
“America:
A Concise History, Volume II: Since 1877.” 4th ed., Boston:
Bedford/ St. Martin’s,
2010.
NASA. 2005. "A Brief History of
NASA," NASA online. Home
page on-line. http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/factsheet.htm (accessed
March 22, 2012).
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