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Why Choose the Moon?

Why Choose the Moon?. Students will examine President Kennedy’s 1961 decision to send a man to the moon. Kennedy asked Congress to dedicate $7 to 9 billion dollars to the space program. He made this request one month after the Soviet Union had sent the first man into space.

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Why Choose the Moon?

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  1. Why Choose the Moon? Students will examine President Kennedy’s 1961 decision to send a man to the moon.

  2. Kennedy asked Congress to dedicate $7 to 9 billion dollars to the space program. • He made this request one month after the Soviet Union had sent the first man into space. • Soviet success=U.S. was falling behind in the arms race and fueled tension between the two. • U.S. needed to reach the moon before the Soviets. Urgent National Needs

  3. July 20, 1961: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Apollo 11

  4. JFK’s Rice University Speech http://youtu.be/ouRbkBAOGEw September 12, 1962 Speech given at Rice University in Houston, Texas where he dedicated NASA’s new Manned Spacecraft Center. In this speech President Kennedy reaffirms the commitment he made to Congress in May of 1961 to send a man to the moon.

  5. As you watch… What does President Kennedy want to do? What is President Kennedy’s tone in this speech? What words or phrases does he emphasize? Why do you think the President is emphasizing this topic at this time? **A text version of the speech is on the “Why Choose the Moon?” sheet.

  6. Why Choose the Moon? Read the historical overview. Was this a decision that all Americans supported?

  7. Draw the following graphic organizers in your notebook. What reasons do Mary Lou Reitler and Myer Feldman give in support of or in opposition to space exploration? What other reasons can you think of that are in support of or in opposition to space exploration? For additional ideas, refer to the handout “Other Things to Consider”.

  8. Discussion Have a class discussion about the pros and cons of space exploration.

  9. http://youtu.be/4jQ9HvtGWok • There is a similar debate about space exploration today. In 2010, President Obama issued a new space policy that has America looking not towards the moon but towards Mars. • When President Obama supported ending NASA’s Constellation program with the goal of sending people back to the moon, Congress declared that the U.S. should still work towards going to the moon. A Bold New Course for NASA

  10. It is May 1961 and you are a member of Congress. Write a statement to your constituents about your position on President Kennedy’s decision to send a man to the moon. In your statement, tell voters if you plan to support or oppose President Kennedy’s request to give more money to NASA and explain your position on space exploration. Use the letters written by Mary Lou Reitler and Myer Feldman, as well as the ideas you brainstormed to support your position. Assessment

  11. When you’re finished with your exit ticket, check out the following simulation for the Apollo 11 flight. • http://www.wechoosethemoon.org/ Simulation

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