The Apollo space program was first a crash effort to catch up with the Soviet Union’s remarkable success in space. It was a second a statement that free people and capitalism can produce better than communism. Given the political reasons for going, Neil Armstrong’s mission was to plant the American flag on the moon. Science was second.
Exactly right, I remember.
In 1961 JFK stated we’d land on the moon within the decade and we did.
We were determined to outdo the Soviets even though some were skeptical.
Planting the flag on the moon was a BIG deal!