Apollo Program (Civ4)/Civilopedia

The Apollo Program was an ambitious project to put a man on the moon. The program was conceived of in the late 1950s by United State officials who were appalled at the Soviet Union's lead in the space race. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy stated before a joint session of Congress, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." 
There is some speculation about whether President Kennedy himself actually believed in the project; some say that he had serious questions about the cost and scientific feasibility, and that his proposal was mostly a public relations gimmick to raise America's spirits in the face of the perceived Soviet space threat. But America's imagination was fired by the project, and work proceeded with speed. 
The Apollo Program's managers had to overcome an incredible number of daunting scientific and engineering challenges to succeed. The journey involved many separate phases: ascent from Earth, travel from the Earth to the Moon, descent to the Moon and return to Lunar orbit, followed by the journey back to Earth, and then down to Earth's surface. This required a vehicle with many different capabilities that remained light enough to be put into orbit by the rockets available at the time. (The problem was akin to trying to create a combination submarine, all-terrain vehicle and airplane that could be towed by a Volkswagen Beetle.) 
That the Apollo Program succeeded and a man walked on the moon in 1969 is an incredible testament to the ingenuity, courage and persistence shown by the dedicated men and women involved.