Why Did the Russians Fail to Reach the Moon?

Name Institutional Affiliation Course Code/Title Instructor Date Why Did the Russians Fail to Reach the Moon? Introduction Space race remains to be one of the most fascinating historical encounters because it involved well-developed countries in the aeronautic industry. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and the United States of America were the competitors as reach region desired to be the first to land the first person on the moon. It is with the fall of the Soviet Union that much information regarding their space technologies was revealed. Much of the Russians’ work was done in utter secrecy as they sought to keep any important data from proliferating to the Americans and their results such as the launching of the Luna 1 and 2 placed intense pressure on the Americans. On the other hand, it can be argued that the Americans relied upon the intense pressure make substantial progress. The election of President John F. Kennedy provided a twist to this saga. Instead of comparing their progress with the USSR, the Americans were now dedicated to their primary task of landing the first man on the moon. On July 1969, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) accomplished the much-anticipated dream of landing and bringing a person to Earth to the fulfillment of every party including the USSR (NASA.gov np). USSR’s desire to reach the moon was curtailed because of several factors. The subsequent discussion offers much more insight into the political intrigue, poor organization, and lack of sufficient funds, which were the primary factors to the Soviet’s failure to reach the moon. The end of the World War II culminated in the rise of another conflict between the world’s greatest powers: the communist Soviet Union and the capitalist United States. The space arena provided the best ideal that would advance this competition as each nation was in dire need to prove its supremacy in its military firepower, technology, and even beyond, the political-economic system. This issue is evident in the frequent threat of nuclear weapons, the outbreak of war in Southeast Asia and the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 (Holloway 376). However, different from the American system of governance, the USSR political structure was characterized by constant infighting and insurmountable cases of backstabbing. In essence, the Soviets were their own worst enemy implying that there was a significant rise in conflict of interests. It was evident when Kremlin was presented with over thirty different designs that sought its approval. Lack of harmony in this course meant that their efforts were disintegrated rather than the much-needed harmonization of the independent efforts to produce a splendid product. If this was the situation, the Soviets were not only competing with the US but also among themselves. Ultimately, the decision to stick with Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was deemed the most appropriate (Siddiqi 342). Korolev is regarded as the pioneer of space exploration because of the remarkable achievements over the following years. Korolev was mandated to construct a rocket that would make the landing of astronauts on the moon a possibility and despite the much-adorned confidence laid upon him, the political bourgeoisie were reluctant to cre...