The Race to Control Space

“We have vowed that we shall see space filled not with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding"
-President Kennedy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, September 12, 1962

President Kennedy was eager for the United  States to lead the way in exploring space.  The Soviet Union was ahead of the United States, having launched the first satellite Sputnik in 1957 and the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin to orbit around the earth in 1961.

President Kennedy said, “No nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space.” In 1961 Kennedy asked Congress to approve more than twenty two billion dollars for Project Apollo, which had the goal of landing an American man on the moon before the end of the decade.

First, go to this website at the JFK Museum. Read the introduction and the JFK and Space material. 


Read the telegram and the two memos and answer the SIX questions that follow:

Telegram A.
On April 12, 1961 cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin from the Soviet Union orbited around the 
earth in 108 minutes. The same day President Kennedy wrote a telegram to Premier Nikita 
Khrushchev congratulating the Soviets on the first successful manned flight.

Memo B.
A few days later President Kennedy wrote a memo on April 20, 1961 to Vice President 
Lyndon B. Johnson, who was the chairman of the Space Council.

Memo C.
Eight days later, Vice President Johnson responded to President Kennedy’s memo.


1. In the telegram to Premier Nikita Khrushchev, how does President Kennedy say he would like the United States and the Soviet Union to work on exploring outer space?      
  President Kennedy states that he hope the USA and USSR will work together to explore space.  He says that he wants this so that knowledge can be gained for all humans by stating that "it is [his] sincere desire that in the continuing quest for knowledge of out space [these] nations can work together to obtain the greatest benefit to mankind". Clearly he wanted the countries to work together to benefit humanity.



2. In the memo to Vice President Lyndon Johnson, what is President Kennedy's main objective?        
  In the memo to Vice President Lyndon Johnson, President Kennedy;s main objective to to beat the USSR in space exploration.  This si clear by the way he demands that all efforts be made to improve programs.  He also asks about any programs that could beat the Soviet's and his main message is about the probability of the USA winning the Space Race. In this memo, it is clear that Kennedy would rather beat the USSR than work with them.



3. What is the main difference between what President Kennedy says in the telegram and what he says in the memo in terms of how the Americans and the Soviets should explore
outer space?        
  The main difference is the way President Kennedy views space exploration. In the telegram, he sees it as something from which knowledge that could benefit all humans could come from.  Therefore, the USSR and USA should work together to help humanity.  In the memo, it is clear that he believes space exploration is more about the competition between the USSR and USA and that the USA needs to be farther ahead in their space developments.  The difference is mainly that in the telegram it is a group effort and in the memo it is more individual.


   
4. Why do you think President Kennedy appears to be giving two conflicting statements?      
  President Kennedy appears to be giving two conflicting statements because he want the USA to win the Space Race.  The telegram is trying to make the USSR stop trying to win by trying to make them feel that it is not a competition and the USA just wants what best for humanity.  This would hopefully make the USSR slow down because there is not race.  The memo states that there is a race and the USA wants to win because it is a memo to someone in charge of the Space part of the government, Lyndon.  There is no reason to hide the his true intentions.  Also, the president urging the USA to win the race would hopefully increase efforts.  The fact that President Kennedy really wanted to win the Space Race is why the two statements are conflicting.



5. How does Vice President Johnson connect the space race with the Cold War in his April 28th memo to President Kennedy?       
  Vice President John connects the space race with the Cold War in the memo by talking about leadership.  He states that the other countries, such as the ones in Eastern Europe, will side with the country that is looking more powerful.  Since Stalin has been winning the space race, the other countries might look up to him, which would be spreading Communism and be the exact opposite of the goal of the Cold War, since the goal of the USA in the Cold War is to contain Communism.  Also, Johnson ties in the arms race by mentioning the importance of technology in both space exploration and appearing stronger than the USSR.  That is how Johnson connects the space race with the Cold War.


6. What are Vice President Johnson’s suggestions for the President?      
  Vice President Johnson suggests ways that the USA could beat the USSR and how this could be done.  If the USA worked hard enough, they could put a man on the moon first as well as develop space meteorology devices, communication satellites, and navigation tools.  Also, the government could give NASA a total of five hundred million dollars.  This money could help work be done faster by having people working all of the time, but the current funds did not allow this, so more money could be given.  Another suggestion is to speed up the work on solid, liquid, and nuclear boosters.  The main suggestion is that the USA needs to fund the programs because, without the money, the USA will not be working hard enough to beat the USSR.