Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy delivered an address at Rice University to inspire Americans to support NASA's mission to the moon. In what became known as his "We Choose the Moon" speech, Kennedy promised to put an American astronaut on the moon before the end of the 1960s. Anonymous/AP hide caption
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Anonymous/AP
Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy delivered an address at Rice University to inspire Americans to support NASA's mission to the moon. In what became known as his "We Choose the Moon" speech, Kennedy promised to put an American astronaut on the moon before the end of the 1960s.
Anonymous/AP
It's been 60 years since President John F. Kennedy spoke to a crowd of more than 30,000 about America's race to the moon. His "We Choose the Moon" speech became a pivotal moment in the space program, rallying the nation behind a mission that was far from certain.
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard," Kennedy told the crowd at Rice University in Houston. The president promised to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, and seven years later, he delivered, with the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.
Space exploration has come a long way since Kennedy kicked America's space program into overdrive.
The moon was just the beginning
A NASA rover traversing the surface of Mars. NASA hide caption
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NASA
A NASA rover traversing the surface of Mars.
NASA
One of NASA's most incredible achievements may very well be when it landed a rover on Mars, which took place less than 30 years after a man first touched down on the moon.
Scientists have gone back to Mars more than a handful of times since that first Mars rover landing in 1997, using sophisticated robots to explore the red planet and its potential for supporting life.
Space exploration has gone commercial
NASA astronaut Robert Hines climbed into a Tesla before boarding a SpaceX launch in April 2021. Aubrey Gemignani/AP hide caption
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Aubrey Gemignani/AP
NASA astronaut Robert Hines climbed into a Tesla before boarding a SpaceX launch in April 2021.
Aubrey Gemignani/AP
When Kennedy announced that the United States was going to put a man on the moon, the then-Soviet Union and the U.S. were the main players in the space race. But now, there are multiple companies focused on space exploration, including Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Musk aims to send a crewed mission to Mars in 2029, 60 years after the moon landing.
He's not the only billionaire looking to leave the planet. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has Blue Origin, and British business mogul Richard Branson has Virgin Galactic. Earlier this year, Branson's company opened up ticket sales for commercial passenger flights that it says will start in 2022, at a price of $450,000 per reservation.
Space telescopes can capture so much more
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured images of some of the oldest galaxies in the universe this summer. NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI hide caption
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NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured images of some of the oldest galaxies in the universe this summer.
NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
The James Webb Space Telescope relayed images of some of the oldest galaxies in the universe earlier this summer. The $10 billion observatory launched last December on a mission to find the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.
But Webb does more than just taking stellar photos. Scientists are using the telescope to study the atmospheres of other planets and to better understand the fundamentals of dark matter.
NASA is going back to the moon
An illustration of what a base camp on the moon's surface could look like. Astronauts could find themselves living on the moon for up to two months, according to NASA. NASA hide caption
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NASA
An illustration of what a base camp on the moon's surface could look like. Astronauts could find themselves living on the moon for up to two months, according to NASA.
NASA
Fifty years after the last moon landing, NASA announced it's going back. Astronauts will once again touch down on the lunar surface to study rock and ice samples.
Space
NASA eyes late September for its next attempt to launch the Artemis moon mission
The moon missions could serve as a stepping stone to the grand plan of putting a man on Mars by establishing a permanent human presence on the lunar surface through NASA's Artemis program.
The goal is to establish an Artemis Base Camp on the lunar surface, including a rover and lunar cabin, where astronauts may live for as long as two months at a time, according to NASA.
FAQs
Space exploration has gone commercial
What was the impact of President Kennedy's "We Choose to Go to the Moon" speech? ›
His "We Choose the Moon" speech became a pivotal moment in the space program, rallying the nation behind a mission that was far from certain. "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard," Kennedy told the crowd at Rice University in Houston.
How did JFK affect space exploration? ›
The US space program went full throttle in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to claim a leadership role in space and land a man on the Moon before the end of the decade.
What does the space race represent to the American public according to JFK? ›
Kennedy saw the race to the moon as a way to demonstrate American technological power and the benefit of one system over another."
How has space exploration helped us in the past? ›
Space Exploration Advances Scientific Understanding
The universe – with its galaxies, stars, and planets – awaits our full understanding. By venturing into space, scientists can utilize a multitude of instruments – such as probes, satellites, and state-of-the-art telescopes.
What was the overall purpose of Kennedy's speech? ›
The speech's main points were to encourage public service and provide an expansive foreign policy vision for Cold War America. Kennedy began preparing his inaugural address in earnest in the closing weeks of his transition into office, in early January 1961.
What were the outcomes of the space race? ›
In 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the surface of the lunar surface, the United States won the race to the Moon, and for many Americans, the Space Race itself. There were 14 missions in total during the Apollo program, each more sophisticated than the last.
Why was the Space Race so important to the United States? ›
The space race played a significant part in the Cold War as the Americans and Soviets competed to prove their technological and intellectual superiority by becoming the first nation to put a human into space. From beginning to end, the world's attention was captivated by this contest for dominance.
Why do you think the Space Race was a part of Kennedy's programs to combat communism? ›
Again, as in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, the first satellite, the Soviets had beaten the United States in the space race. Kennedy worried that Soviet successes in space might convince the world that communism was better than capitalism.
How did the Space Race affect the American economy? ›
Money spent on space exploration has provided jobs for thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, construction workers, and clerical workers, and stimulated local economies, especially in areas where NASA has had major facilities, among them Cape Canaveral, Florida; Huntsville, Alabama; and Houston, Texas.
Overcoming the challenges of working in space has led to many technological and scientific advances that have provided benefits to society on Earth in areas including health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and environment, information technology, and industrial productivity.
Who was the first woman in space? ›
The first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, blazed a trail for the many female spaceflyers who would follow. Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, was selected from more than 400 applicants to launch on the Vostok 6 mission on June 16, 1963.
What impact did space exploration have on humans? ›
There is scientific concern that extended spaceflight might slow down the body's ability to protect itself against diseases. Radiation can penetrate living tissue and cause both short and long-term damage to the bone marrow stem cells which create the blood and immune systems.
Why was going to the moon so important? ›
Space was the latest theater for battling the Cold War and provided an opportunity for the United States to promote leadership and demonstrate the technological advances of a free and democratic society. In order to do that, the United States needed to reach the Moon before the Soviet Union.
How does Kennedy propose to make the world a better place in his speech? ›
In paragraph eleven of the provided text, Kennedy proposes to make the world a better place by supporting countries trying to escape poverty. This approach is rooted in the geo-political context of the Cold War, where Kennedy aimed to promote democracy and free enterprise as a counter to Communism.
What made JFK a great speaker? ›
President Kennedy believed in the power of words -- both written and spoken -- to win votes, to set goals, to change minds, to move nations. He consistently took care to choose the right words and phrases that would send the right message.
What difficulties in going to the moon does the president present in his speech? ›
The president faces a number of challenges in traveling to the moon, including the technical challenges of building a lunar spacecraft and the risks of sending humans into space. He also recognizes the financial costs of the space program and the need for continued public support.
