The Eagle has landed...

October 4, 1957: Sputnik circles the Earth. It’s the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit, and it’s Soviet. Millions of Americans tune in with their radios and listen in awe to the beeping satellite as it passes overhead. They squint their eyes towards the sky on early mornings and late evenings to catch a glimpse of the silvery ball. Their minds are filled with wonder, fascination, astonishment… and fear. The Soviets are up there – looking at them, plotting against them, more powerful than ever and one step ahead.



Thus begins the Space Race, a time when people stopped believing that the impossible wasn't possible, outer space still thrilled and Cold War paranoia reigned. With the Soviets off to a flying start and plowing through the “firsts,” the American space exploration agency had a hard time catching up. In 1959, the Soviet space program launched the first space probe to hit the Moon. In 1961, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, also Soviet, became the first woman to travel into space.

But the United States would not be deterred. President John F. Kennedy inspired the nation to do the impossible and reach not for the stars, but for the Moon. He boldly declared in his famous 1961 speech that the U.S. would land a man on the moon “before the end of the decade.” 

Against all odds, on July 20th, 1969, before the end of the decade, U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the Moon, and the United States "won" the space race. The feat was only possible thanks to the sacrifice off the American people who had come together around a common purpose. From beginning to end, the nation (and the world to be honest) was captivated by the space frenzy. Thanks to the television, they could stay on pace with the space programs and be a part of each achievement. And right on cue, pop culture followed the trend. Advertisements, sci-fi books, songs, movies, toys, fashion, even furniture… everything was fair game. Little boys yearned of becoming astronauts, the superheroes of the sixties, and adults stuck on Earth daydreamed of outer space.

The unknown had sparked a sense of adventure tinged with dread. David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity”, right alongside “2001: A Space Odyssey,” showed the darker side of the matter. Space was still a big unknown, a dangerous place unwelcoming to life and full of mysteries. Just days before the launch of Apollo 11, the mission that would break the final frontier, Bowie’s song expressed the concerns of the populace.


In something as high stakes as a race to the Moon, how much are we prepared to sacrifice? What's the value of a human life? How much are we willing to loose?

~ Sky Sumino