Apollo Space Program

America constantly seeks to be the global leader in every field on Earth, and following the Mercury and Apollo space programs it is was clear that America was at the forefront of that which was outside of Earth as well. Apart from more prestige and scientific knowledge through America’s triumph in the space race, a deeper connection between the individual and the grandeur of the cosmos become evident. Astronauts and spectators of the Mercury and Apollo missions gained a new perspective of their place in the universe and ideas as to what mankind’s new achievement meant to them. An analysis of the Mercury and Apollo space Programs reveals two limiting factors to the extent of spiritual transformation and religious implications the programs evoked: the medium from which space is enjoyed, and the beholder’s presuppositions toward space. America and Russia opened up his new space frontier through their competition in a heated cold war. The Space race was firmly backed by John F. Kennedy once he took over the presidency and realized that success in space had a direct relationship with the American image. Author John Logston writes how Kennedy was told that the resulting prestige from winning a race to the moon would give the U.S. “a major victory in the battle along the fluid front of the cold war.” Similarly Deborah Cadbury writes that “above all, the space race became an open contest between capitalism and communism… national security and stability were at stake.” Clearly the challenge to outsmart the other side with superior technology and planning was one that could not be ignored for fear of losing the title of world super power. The race was set, and the rewards gained by America’s and Russia’s success in space was not exclusive to those countries, but for those persons whose beliefs were refined and transformed through the events. Individuals were affected by the discoveries and experiences of the Mercury and Apollo missions. Wernher Von Braun, the inventor of the Saturn V rocket for the U.S. and the V-2 Rocket for Germany, viewed space flight as a millennial “new beginning” for mankind, and as the second and final phase of his divinely ordained destiny. He was deeply invested in the space program and found that space served to reinforce his Christian faith, through more knowledge about creation which allows a closer relationship with the creator. Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in his craft Friendship-7, described himself as a Presbyterian who took his religion seriously. This American hero also experienced an affirmation of his faith as he orbited Earth and presumably put his faith in God, his protector. Author Kendrick Oliver confirms this trend of space’s ability to have a metaphysical affect as he writes, “The capacity of manned spaceflight to recharge the mind with new, programmed …show more content…
The windows on the Mercury capsules that were there for the astronaut to view the earth, the sun, and the stars were heavy and dense and canceled much of the light from stars. However astronauts were further constrained by the medium through which they enjoyed space, formally called Heaven, even outside of their space crafts and on spacewalks. An astronaut’s visor can occasionally mist up and render him nearly blind, and the weight of his pressure suit opposes a desire to lean back, arc his neck and gaze at the beauty of Earth high in the lunar sky. The astronauts were restricted by these barriers which resulted in a loss of detail from viewing space and a loss in their sense of …show more content…
Medium influences the message behind what it transmits and in this case it affected the meaning behind the space frontier by dwarfing it’s potential for a spiritual impact by diminishing the detail and wonderment of space. If the at-home viewers could have been in space themselves, they would be more profoundly affected by its depth and magnitude. Likewise, if the astronauts who were in space had no physical barriers to their senses or time constraints to their presence in space, it would have been a more spiritual and sacred occasion. If observers were unrestricted by such mediums and could view space and planet earth in its unaltered and fullest form than the metaphysical and spiritual would be easier to relate to space and such connections could be redefined or