The Moon Landings

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was youthful and handsome and
belonged to a famous, wealthy New England family. In 1961, he was also president of the United States. Citizens admired him, and his leadership spawned a nationwide mood of optimism. In response to Sputnik, there were new initiatives in education and science across the United States. Although Shepard’s flight in the Mercury program was not as impressive as the mission of Yuri Gagarin a few weeks earlier, the U.S. space program was obviously poised for greater achievements.
Kennedy and his government decided the time was right to announce a new project that would rank among the most ambitious in human history. On May 25, 1961, Kennedy stood before Congress and said, “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal . . . of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” Kennedy set a deadline of 1970 to accomplish this enormous feat. With this commitment, an amazing adventure began.