Monday marks the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's speech at Rice University where he pledged to land a man on the moon by 1970. Kennedy made the speech September 12, 1962.
"We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds," he said.
Later in the speech, Kennedy said, "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 which we intend to win, and the others, too."
At the event Tuesday, NASA leaders and members of Congress from Texas talked about plans for the Artemis I mission. Artemis I had originally been scheduled to launch September 3 but has now been delayed until September 23.
The first mission will be unmanned, but NASA leaders say later flights will bring Americans back to the moon.
"With inspiration and innovation, no herculean effort is too large," says NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "No moon shot is beyond our reach."
Associate Administrator Bob Cabana flew four space shuttle missions. He says a return to the moon will allow humans to learn more about the formation of Earth and how people can survive long-term away from the planet.
"We are going to explore the unknown," he says. "Our goals are ambitious. It's not easy, but we can accomplish hard things. We dare mighty things."
NASA plans to build a base camp on the moon to allow robots and astronauts to explore and conduct science experiments. Ultimately, NASA hopes to use those missions to launch a manned mission to Mars.
"The space program galvanized the historic effort we are now the stewards of," Nelson says. "We must never stop daring to take the next moon shot."
"The prospect of achieving these goals wouldn't be a reality without the tremendous work of all of you here in Houston," says Senator Ted Cruz. "Houston and Texas have been the hub of human spaceflight for the past 60 years and will continue to be for at least 60 to come with the help of the next generation of innovators like the Rice Owls and Houston ISD students."
NASA says repairs of a hydrogen fuel leak on Artemis I are complete. The agency plans a fueling test this Saturday and a launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida September 23.
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