John F. Kennedy moon landing speech 65th anniversary

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‘I believe this nation should commit itself to the goal … ‘

On today’s date in 1961, the 35th U.S. president John F. Kennedy delivered a stirring speech before a joint session of Congress. In it, he declared his intention to focus U.S. efforts on landing humans on the moon within a decade. His words ignited the work of a decade and ultimately achieved the dream of a moon landing, via the Apollo missions. Among other things, he said:

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 the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space. None will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.

We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft … to develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until certain which is superior [and we propose] additional funds for other engine development and for unmanned explorations. Those explorations are particularly important for one purpose which this nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight.

You can hear an audio version and read a transcript of that entire speech here.

1st moon landing in 1969

The first human footsteps on the moon were taken during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. That historic flight had launched from the Kennedy Space Center, just off the coast of Florida, on July 16, 1969. Three NASA astronauts were aboard: Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins.

While in flight, the crew of Apollo 11 made two televised broadcasts from the interior of the ship. They made a third transmission as they drew closer to the moon, as they showed the lunar surface to a waiting world.

Mission planners had studied the surface of the moon for two years, searching for the best and safest place for the lunar module to land. That module was nicknamed Eagle. Planners had used the most detailed, high-resolution photographs available at the time, taken by crafts employed in the Lunar Orbiter and Surveyor programs. They’d considered craters, boulders, cliffs, hills and other lunar obstacles. Finally, they narrowed the candidate list from 30 sites to one: the ancient lunar lava plain known as the Sea of Tranquility.

After the three astronauts reached lunar orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the Eagle. They separated from the Command Service Module (Columbia). 

While Collins piloted Columbia in orbit around the moon, the Eagle touched down in the Sea of Tranquility. It was 4:17 p.m. EDT on July 20, 1969. And that’s when Armstrong notified the world with the historic words:

Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

The Apollo missions

Six Apollo missions went to the moon: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Apollo 7 and 9 preceded Apollo 11 and orbited Earth as a test of the lunar modules. Then, Apollo 8 and 10 tested technical components while orbiting the moon and returned quality photos of the lunar surface.

In 1970 Apollo 13 didn’t land, due to a dramatic malfunction that risked the lives of the crew. This mission was made famous for a new generation in the 1995 space docudrama Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard. And even Apollo 13, disabled as it was, returned photographs.

The Apollo missions returned a wealth of data about the moon, and 842 pounds (382 kg) of rocks. Also, the astronauts performed experiments on lunar soil mechanics, meteoroids, seismic activity, heat flow, lunar ranging, magnetic fields and solar wind experiments.

The Apollo missions, first declared as a goal in John F. Kennedy’s May 25, 1961, speech, are now the stuff of legend. Man’s first step on the moon soon led to giant leaps in technology on Earth and modern life continues to reap its rewards. For example, new technologies were developed, including breathing apparatuses, fabric structures, communications and protective coatings.

When will we have another moon landing?

The Apollo program, which first took humans to the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s, has long awaited a successor. Enter NASA’s Artemis program.

Artemis 1 was an uncrewed test mission that circled the moon and returned. It completed its mission on December 11, 2022.

Artemis 2 sent four astronauts to orbit the moon and returned them safely to Earth in April 2026.

Artemis 3 is scheduled for 2027. It’ll focus on testing integrated systems and operational capabilities in Earth orbit.

Artemis 4 will be the first mission to return humans to the lunar surface in more than 50 years.

Read more: Moon base and Mars! NASA makes exciting announcements

Why Artemis? Why not land on the moon again with Apollo technology?

Two month ago, EarthSky released the interview below with veteran space journalist Eric Berger of Ars Technica, about the Artemis 2 mission. In it, Eric explained the peak-risk moments of the 10-day mission, from launch to lunar flyby and reentry back at Earth. It was a fabulous insider’s view of the Artemis 2 mission and the whole program. And, in the comments to this video, a couple of people asked, “Why did we have to develop new technology for Artemis 2, if we went to the moon 50 years ago?

It’s a good question. Why aren’t we using Apollo era technology to go back to the moon?

And here’s one part of the answer. Eric Berger said at one point in the interview below that Apollo missions had a 15 to 20% potential failure rate. Apollo 13 was an example of an Apollo mission that nearly failed. Now, in more recent years, NASA has tried to make travel to the moon safer.

Here’s another part of it. When we went to the moon the first time, we weren’t going there to stay. This time, we are hoping not just to land on the moon … but to have the capability to establish a base on the moon.

Another great comment came from @Stellaaahhh on YouTube who wrote:

From my visit to Chabot Space Center and Planetarium in Oakland, California, I understand that it’s impossible to replicate tech from the 60s. That’s because the materials and parts are obsolete … Try finding parts at Pick n Pull for a Honda CRX made in 1989. You’ll come across the same issue.

Interested in travel to the moon? Watch Eric Berger’s great explanation of some of the dangers, below:

There’s also Starship

SpaceX plans to send its Starship spacecraft to the moon to prove it can provide support for NASA’s Artemis missions. While there are no dates planned yet for its first moon mission, it’ll be an uncrewed mission to prove the vehicle’s ability to leave Earth. Starship did successfully launch on April 20, 2023, but experienced a RUD – rapid unscheduled disassembly, or disintegration – once it started tumbling after liftoff. As of May 2026, it has launched 11 times. And its super heavy booster has been successfully caught by the chopstick arms on the launch tower three times.

Read more: Historic Starship launch, success. Explosive finale!

Bottom line: On May 25, 1961, U.S. president John F. Kennedy gave a stirring speech to a joint session of Congress. In it, he declared his intention to lead the country to a moon landing by the end of the decade.

Via NASA