1962-09-12
• Sep 1962
• 19m
• 31 views

John F. Kennedy’s speech at Rice University on September 12, 1962, famously known as the "We choose to go to the Moon" address, was delivered before about 35,000 to 40,000 people in Houston, Texas. In 1962, John F. Kennedy delivered the "We choose to go to the Moon" address at Rice University, aiming to rally public support for the U.S. space program, particularly Kennedy's ambitious goal to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. The speech framed space as a new frontier and urged the nation to lead in its exploration, emphasizing that space science has no conscience and its role depends on humanity's choices. Kennedy's famous quote about the Moon mission states that "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; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win." Kennedy invoked the pioneer spirit, comparing the Moon mission to climbing the highest mountain or flying across the Atlantic. He described the enormous technical challenge of sending a giant rocket 240,000 miles away to the Moon, re-entering Earth's atmosphere at tremendous speeds, and surviving extreme heat. He expressed a hope that space exploration could be an opportunity for peaceful cooperation, not conflict, and warned against the militarization of space.