"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth."
President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961
The words were inspiring but many a qualified scientist, even as he heard them, was moved to a vague unease. How could so rigid a time limit be set for so awesome a task? Still, the Russians had just put a man in orbit, and the disaster at the Bay of Pigs was embarrassingly fresh. A confident U.S. gesture seemed demanded by U.S. pride....
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
