The politics of space: U.S. policy: A drama in “N” acts

From the first hours of man´s entry into space, that activity has been politicized. The political ramifications of Sputnik far outweighed its technical ramifications, for the United States and the Soviet Union saw the conquering of space as a matter of national prestige that could be used to influence world opinion. To the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, James Beggs [p. 90], the politicization of extraordinary feats of technology and human daring in a hostile environment — such as in the race to the moon — is reminiscent of the milieu in which the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and the British explorer Robert Scott set out for the South Pole in 1911 and 1912, respectively. It also parallels aspects of Columbus´s venture across the Atlantic.