Jeff Ikler
Sep 2, 2018 · 1 min read

Abby — I am a student of the Apollo missions, but I was not aware of the photos you showed. Thank you!

I would like to add a point to your interesting article if I may. While the nation’s journey to the moon was possible because of our “scientific and technological prowess,” the underlying motivation to get to the moon and back safely was, I believe, to leave an ideological boot print that symbolized: “We (democracy) made it here before you (Communism) did. Our scientists and engineers are better than yours. Our way of life is better than yours.” The race to the moon in 60s, especially the Apollo 8 mission with its accelerated timeline, was but one battle in the Cold War of competing political ideologies — the U.S. vs the Soviet Union. As you said, the 1960s were a tumultuous time.

Apollo 8 can also be seen as a powerful domestic elixir. In 1968, the nation had experienced the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy, and the anti-Vietnam war protests culminating in the riots during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. By December of that year, the nation needed healing — to feel good about something. Apollo 8 turned out to be good medicine for a couple of reasons.

Jeff Ikler

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