Leadership

JFK 60 Years Later: ‘We choose to go to the moon’ (Part 3)

35th U.S. President laid the foundation for the success of the Apollo space program and the moon landing

On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. This Wednesday marks 60 years since the beloved president was viciously murdered, which shocked the nation and the world.

Therefore, as Americans prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, we should also be thankful for the life and legacy of President Kennedy.

JFK was the youngest American president ever elected, as well as the youngest to die in office. That’s why, during this Thanksgiving holiday, we should pause and thank one of the greatest presidents ever.

JFK made America and the world better by exemplifying unique leadership traits that brought out the best in ordinary citizens and rallied the nation.

President Kennedy leveraged his unique leadership abilities in the following areas to vault the nation to new heights in space exploration:

Formulating and effectively communicating a bold vision,

Fostering innovative thinking and new technology,

Taking risks to advance a cause greater than oneself,

Following one’s moral compass despite public opinion and

Advancing equal opportunity in the workplace and beyond.

One of JFK’s crowning achievements was strategically positioning NASA for critically important success via the Apollo 11 manned moon mission, which touched down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969.

JFK’s effective leadership cemented America’s preeminence in space by beating the Soviet Union in the “space race” of the 1960s.

Beating the Soviets

When JFK articulated his plans for a manned moon landing, the former Soviet Union (USSR) was already winning the space race.

The communist-led USSR had successfully put the first cosmonaut into low Earth orbit, leaving America to play catch-up against the odds. Still, JFK led the nation to do what was once thought impossible at the time.

President Kennedy persevered in persuading Congress to boost NASA’s budget to the historic levels necessary to achieve the nation’s grand goals in space.

NASA’s new funding allowed the budding space agency to assemble a top-notch team of scientists, engineers, designers, contractors, and others numbering 400,000 strong. Thus, the space program was also a jobs program and a cutting-edge science and technology program.

This national mobilization of hearts, minds, and manpower — the likes of which were unseen since World War II — directly led America to prevail over the Soviets when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the lunar surface and uttered the timeless words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

And indeed, it was a huge challenge to overcome. That’s because, as the modern saying goes, “Space is hard.”

Ask Elon Musk, who owns Space X; Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin; Richard Branson, who owns Virgin Galactic; or any other 21st-century space entrepreneur seeking to scale up spaceflight for commercial purposes.

The commercial appeal of space tourism is reported to include space leisure in low Earth orbit, visits to the International Space Station, and so-called space vacations, among other goals of the aerospace industry.

According to Future Market Insights, “The space tourism industry is still in its early stages, but it can expand into a multi-billion-dollar industry in the years to come. As technology advances and costs come down, space travel is expected to become more accessible to the general public. This could lead to a new era of space exploration and discovery.”

JFK understood the historical significance of America leading the world in space science, exploration, research and technology as a global superpower.

A Famous Challenge

John M. Logsdon is a space historian, professor, researcher, and author. He was the founder and former director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University and a former member of the NASA Advisory Council.

Logsdon sits on the board of directors of the Planetary Society and is an expert on space policy. He wrote the following about JFK in Ten Presidents and NASA, which is worth reiterating:

• “President Kennedy gave the infant agency its early focus with his famous challenge to land astronauts on the moon by the decade's end.”
• “Kennedy in 1961 had set the United States on a course to enter, and win, a race to the moon.”
• “On May 25, 1961, Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress to announce his decision to go to the moon. He backed up this decision with remarkable financial commitments.”

“In the immediate aftermath of his speech, NASA’s budget was increased by 89 percent, and by another 101 percent the following year.” — John M. Logsdon, space historian

Moon Speech

As we thank President Kennedy during Thanksgiving, let’s recall his memorable “Moon Speech” at Rice University in Houston on September 12, 1962.

That’s when JFK issued a clarion call for the USA to “become the world’s leading space-faring nation.”

“We choose to go the moon this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” JFK illustriously remarked. “This country was conquered by those who moved forward — and so will space.”

“I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.”

“To be sure, we are behind and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.”

“This year’s space budget is three times what it was in January 1961, and it is greater than the space budget of the previous eight years combined,” said JFK during the seminal speech.

JFK called the moon mission “the most hazardous, dangerous, and greatest adventure upon which man has ever embarked.” He said it was “part of a great national effort.”

The “Moon Speech” by President Kennedy is the type of unifying “great national effort” America needs today if we aspire to future greatness in space exploration.

Final Thoughts

Today, NASA remains the crown jewel of public sector space innovation with big plans ahead, like landing the first women (plus male astronauts) on the moon no earlier than November 2024 as part of the Artemis 2 mission.

NASA has also announced plans to build a lunar base, which will, among other things, serve as a springboard to potentially land the first astronauts on Mars. NASA is closely coordinating with the aerospace industry per a public-private sector partnership.

The Apollo moon landing reminds us why JFK remains one of American history's most beloved and popular presidents. His extraordinary legacy of leadership in space exploration positively shaped our national interests in unparalleled ways.

In short, America needs another President Kennedy in the 2020s to emulate his trailblazing leadership from the 1960s.

JFK blazed a singular path for the nation to overcome seemingly impossible odds in space exploration — for the betterment of the American people and the world.

And for that, we should all be thankful.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: The final installment of this series (Part 4), coming soon, will shine a spotlight on JFK’s leadership efforts in the area of civil rights.