The most important lessons from this unit for the assignments were covered in the Sound Barrier and Space Race lessons. Additional examples of technical challenges that engineers had to overcome to be able to land a man on the moon were also discussed in the Rocket technology lesson. Information in the Commercial Flight lesson and the Space Shuttle lesson will be helpful for the questions on the take-home Final.
The Cold War was a primary driver for development of the technology and skills that carried astronauts to the Moon. Advances in aerodynamic designs necessary to break the sound barrier as well as rocket technology coming out of World War II were necessary predecessors for space exploration, but the political, financial, and social impetus for achieving President Kennedy's goal grew out of the Cold War and the need to demonstrate to the world that the United States was superior to the Soviet Union and communism.
There were still many challenges and issues that had to be resolved along the way to the Moon, including the loss of three astronauts in the Apollo 1 mission when haste to catch up to the Soviet Union's space accomplishments led to too many shortcuts in design and development. There were challenges in designing space suits that would protect the astronauts but allow movement in space; issues understanding how micro-gravity affects humans and materials; design struggles with the Saturn V rocket, lunar lander, and capsules; and issues with scrubbing Carbon dioxide from the air for longer flights. Part of the reason the United States has not returned to the Moon rests in the lack of political will to invest in the resources needed for such a venture, but in truth we have still not mastered many of the technological challenges that face any return mission to the Moon or going further to explore Mars.