Moonshot (1969)

The moonshot scandal began with the “Space Race”, the international race to be the first nation to launch people to the moon. The main competitors in the race were the United States and the Soviet Union. Sputnik, launched by the Soviet Union, was the first man-made satellite in space when it was launched on October 4, 1957. Several unmanned and “manned” (by animals) satellites were launched by both the US and USSR in the following years. Successfully launching Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin into orbit for 108 minutes, the USSR became the first nation to put a man in space. The USSR maintained the upper hand in the race as they launched the first 3-person craft into space. After encountering tragedy during test flights, both the US and the USSR continued toward the ultimate goal: putting a man on the moon. On July 20th, 1969, the US Lunar Module landed on the moon, and the United States became the first nation to leave its mark in the moon. Society was now presented with a new view of itself in the grand scope of the universe. People began to question their significance, and the totally non-objective view of earth from space caused nations to realize the quarrels and concerns were small compared to the world. This new view of life was threatened when the idea of moonshot arose. Controversy concerning the legitimacy of the photos taken on the moon spread around the world. There is debate to this day on the moonshot scandal, and plenty of evidence for both sides of the argument.
Sources-
"The Space Race." ThinkQuest. ThinkQuest. 1 Jun 2009 .
"Apollo 11." The History Place. 1999. The History Place. 1 Jun 2009 .