Synthesis Essay - Wernher Von Braun - 1990 Words

Synthesis Essay – Wernher Von Braun MSgt Jim P. Scott Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy Wernher Von Braun Imagine a world where the Cold War played out much differently, a world where the technocracy of the Soviet Union reigned supreme, a world where the â€Å"Space Race† wasn’t won by the United States, a world where instead of Old Glory and a plaque that reads â€Å"We came in Peace for all Mankind† (NASA, 2017, para. 13) on the Moon, there was the flag of the USSR and a bust of Lenin standing in triumph over the ideals of democracy. What would that world look like? Would the Iron Curtain still stand? Or would it have fallen, just with very different results for freedom in the West? This is a world that could very well exist†¦show more content†¦In response to this latest embarrassment and needing an overwhelming victory President Kennedy’s staff asked what could be done to secure the needed success. In response to this line of questioning the visionary Dr. Von Braun drafted a letter that stated in no uncertain terms that the Soviets had a greater l ift capacity than the USA, and that their rockets were far ahead of the American Redstone (Mercury) rockets in nearly every way, so beating the USSR to most short range goals such as a laboratory in space would be â€Å"hopeless†. However, he then went on to say that with full backing, NASA could possibly beat the Soviets to a much more ambitious goal, a soft landing of men on the Moon before the decade’s end, due to the technical leaps that either side would have to make to reach that goal (Nuefeld, 2007). According to the Change Management lesson, â€Å"Leaders who display dispositional flexibility operate from a place of optimism grounded in realism and openness. They can acknowledge a bad situation while simultaneously visualizing a better future†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education [BCEE], 2017, p.7). This trait was displayed when Dr. Von Braun frankly acknowledged that due to the USSR’s space program being much more advanced that that of the United States short term wins were unlikely. He then went on to point out that by leveraging the superior