On July 20th, 1969, Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface. This act was the crux of what is, without a doubt, the greatest accomplishment in the history of mankind. Armstrong's boot print was the first on the Moon, and the Apollo program marks the only time mankind has ever stepped on another celestial body.
The space race has resulted in unprecedented scientific and technological breakthroughs. Soil and rock samples helped scientists come to a general consensus on the formation of the Moon (generally accepted to be the giant impact hypothesis), which sheds clues to both the past and future of the Earth.
NASA's work has led to countless breakthroughs that impact everyone on a much more practical and personal scale as well. People first point to Tang, Teflon, and Velcro (all of which actually predate the space race), but look right past countless other technologies.
Global Positioning Satellites, enriched baby formula, many medical technologies (CAT scans, MRIs, kidney dialysis, robotic surgery, and more), weather satellites (and the improved forecasting, ...
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