Man on the Moon

When the Soviet Union launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, into space on October 4, 1957, the U.S. found itself with only a fledgling space program.  Alarmed at what it perceived as the Soviet Union’s technological lead in space, Congress urged President Dwight D. Eisenhower to take immediate action and support a larger U.S. space program.  It was only with the collaboration and bipartisanship of members of Congress that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was conceived and then signed into being by President Eisenhower in 1958.  Eleven years later, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon, successfully returning to earth in Apollo 11.  Only with the bipartisan support of presidents and Congress alike has NASA, 30 years later, still been provided with the resources and tools it needs to keep our space dreams alive.