JFK’s bold space speech at Rice resonates today
More than half a century ago, President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 speech at Rice University rocketed Texas and the city of Houston to the center of human space exploration. Texans eagerly accepted that mantle of leadership and through their fortitude and fearlessness have proven irreplaceable to our rapidly accumulating technological and scientific prowess. America will rely on this same determination and expertise as we launch a new era of daring exploration and discovery in the 21st century.
This year’s 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11’s historic moon landing would be incomplete without recognizing President Kennedy’s bold vision. His speech and Texans’ enthusiastic response to the moonshot challenge enabled our nation to accomplish what was previously thought impossible.
On that sweltering September day, 57 years ago, Kennedy reminded Americans that technological triumphs throughout human history happen only by confronting the most daunting challenges.
The “breathtaking pace” of innovation in the 20th century was always commanded by those with “answerable courage” to tackle the most difficult problems.
So, why go to the moon? Simple, Kennedy answered unequivocally, “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.”
Fittingly, Kennedy’s Sept. 12 speech was delivered during Rice University’s freshman orientation day. Nearly all of the approximately 40,000 people in the audience were college students or Texas school children bused in from the surrounding region.
Dedicated young Texans
As a Rice University alumnus , I am very familiar with the academic dedication and unrelenting determination of young Texans. In speaking to America’s youth, Kennedy not only inspired scientists of the day but also future engineers, astronauts, researchers, mission control chiefs, operators and every other conceivable profession necessary to slip the bonds of gravity.
Kennedy’s confidence that America could land men on our closest cosmic neighbor is remarkable, and it proved prophetic.
Lunar rendezvous are extremely difficult, even today, yet we landed Apollo astronauts on the moon not once, but six times, and in no small part because of highly qualified Texans.
Over the last five decades, billions of federal, state and private funds have made Texas into a scientific and engineering community second to none.
To date, more than 10,000 Johnson Space Center civil servants and contractors work in Texas, with more than $2 billion spent on contracts and salaries during the 2018 fiscal year. Additionally, the International Space Station, humanity’s largest space endeavor, is managed at Johnson. It is a pleasure to work with committed congressional leaders — from Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas to Rep. Brian Babin of Woodville to Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz — who are so passionate about space.
NASA knows it can always rely on Texas!
The deliberate and daring leadership of the 1960s taught us that we must courageously challenge the limits of our understanding.
Like Kennedy, President Donald Trump understands that for the United States to continue to be a leader among nations, we must spearhead humanity’s scientific and technological advancement by taking on the toughest challenges.
NASA is fervently executing President Trump’s directive to return to the moon — and remain there — and then take humanity’s next giant leap to Mars.
The Artemis program — named after the twin sister of Apollo, the Greek goddess of the moon — will send the first woman and the next man to the moon by 2024. Texans’ vast experience and significant role in America’s space supremacy will again be pivotal in accomplishing this goal.
A huge challenge ahead
This 21st century lunar landing will be very different and more challenging than anything we have done in the past. In collaboration with commercial and international partners, we will construct a self-sufficient life-supporting architecture at the moon by 2028 so we can learn how to live on another world. This ambitious, new era of deep space exploration is increasing Johnson’s responsibilities more than ever before.
Johnson is managing the development of the Orion space capsule that will once again send American astronauts into deep space.
Additionally, NASA will rely on Texans’ human spaceflight expertise to develop a new lunar orbiting outpost called, Gateway. This platform will give us access to all parts of the moon and its resources. What we learn from Gateway will directly assist our future human missions to Mars.
Over five decades ago at Rice Stadium, Kennedy acknowledged the difficulty rising generations of young Americans would encounter in accomplishing the Apollo program’s goal. But, he believed the challenge would bring out our best. I am confident that as the Artemis generation likewise continues to push on the boundaries of our scientific knowledge, we will broaden our technological horizons to benefit all of humanity in ways we cannot yet imagine.