Jfk Space Race

Kennedy presidential library and museum.
Jfk space race. In 1962 president john f. Jfk and the space race. Space program and committed the nation to the ambitious goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. This decision came in the aftermath of the huge global and domestic reaction to the april 12 1961 soviet launch of the first human to orbit earth yuri gagarin.
In general kennedy felt great pressure to have the united states catch up to and overtake the soviet union in the space race. The space race timeline in a speech before congress on may 25 jfk linked the need for a space program with the political and economic battle between democracy and communism. The speech largely written by kennedy advisor and speechwriter ted sorensen was intended to persuade the american people to support the apollo program the national effort to land a man on the moon. Kennedy about the effort to reach the moon to a large crowd gathered at rice stadium in houston texas on september 12 1962.
In 1961 president john f. A number of political factors affected kennedy s decision and the timing of it. As the american space program known as gemini was pulling ahead of the soviets kennedy gave one of his last speeches on october 22 1963 before the national academy of sciences which was celebrating its 100th anniversary. 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.
We choose to go to the moon officially titled as the address at rice university on the nation s space effort is a speech delivered by united states president john f. Kennedy began a dramatic expansion of the u s. He delivered this speech about space to a large audience at rice university in houston texas on september 12 1962. Involvement in the vietnam war.
Kennedy was assassinated on november 22 1963. He expressed his overall support for the space program and emphasized the overall importance of science to the country. In 1957 the soviet union launched the satellite sputnik and the space race was on. A year earlier a russian had become the first human to orbit the earth.
The soviets triumph jarred the american people and sparked a vigorous response in the federal government to make sure the united states did not fall behind its communist rival. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an american safely to the moon before the end of the decade. On may 25 1961 president john f.