FailureIsNotAnOptionEssay (1) - Dunbar 1 Jillian Dunbar...

Dunbar 1
Jillian Dunbar
Ramsey
DC US History
02 May 2017
America’s Reaction to the Launching of Sputnik
The book, “Failure Is Not An Option” by Gene Kranz is a story from an insider’s point of
view about the first manned space missions in American History. Kranz vividly describes his
experiences in the midst of adversity and high-stress situations during Project Mercury, Apollo
11, and Apollo 13. Many books and films have been created to depict the first exciting missions
of the American space program, but none of them have included the specific details that Kranz
first-hand experienced. Gene Kranz joined NASA in 1960 and was assistant flight director for
Project Mercury. He continued as flight director for the Apollo 11 lunar landing and played a
major role in leading the Apollo 13 teams. Aside from explaining the first American space
missions, Gene Kranz goes into the Soviet Union’s launching of Sputnik, and the reactions that
America had on it. The Space Race was a huge deal between Russia and the United States. The