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Elegant Connections in Physics
man astronaut in a 15-minute suborbital
flight aboard his Mercury capsule
named Freedom 7. Three weeks later, on
May 25, 1961, in view of recent events
on the ground and in space, President
Kennedy addressed a joint session of the
United States Congress in a speech on
“Urgent National Needs.”
Kennedy began by describing the
Cold War as “a battle for minds and
souls as well as lives and territory.” In a
paragraph distributed to the listening
Congress but not read from the podium,
Kennedy described how the “adversaries
of freedom” were attempting to “make
the most of their scientific successes,
their economic progress, and their pose
as a foe of colonialism and friend of popular
revolution.” The President’s speech
offered nine proposals, which he said
“arise from the host of special opportunities
and dangers which have become
increasingly clear in recent months.”
The bulk of Kennedy’s speech
articulated initiatives for “economic and
social progress” at home and abroad;
partnerships for defense with NATO
and other allies; reinforcements of
military and intelligence shields; civil
defense improvements; and disarmament.
Kennedy’s final proposal was
unprecedented:
“Finally, if we are to win the battle
that is now going on around the world
between freedom and tyranny, the
dramatic achievements in space which
occurred in recent weeks should have
made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik
in 1957, the impact of this adventure on
the minds of men everywhere, who are
attempting to make a determination of
which road they should take. Since early
in my term, our efforts in space have
been under review. . . . Now it is time
to take longer strides—time for a great
new American enterprise—time for this
nation to take a clearly leading role in
space achievement, which in many ways
may hold the key to our future on Earth.
“Recognizing the head start obtained
by the Soviets with their large rocket
engines, . . . we nevertheless are required
to make new efforts on our own. . . . But
this is not merely a race. Space is open
to us now; and our eagerness to share its
meaning is not governed by the efforts
of others. . . . I therefore ask the Congress
. . . to provide the funds which are
needed to meet the following national
goals:
“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. No single space project
of this period will be more impressive
to mankind, or more important for the
long-range exploration of space; and
none will be so difficult or expensive
to accomplish. . . . But in a very real
sense, it will not be one man going to
the moon—if we make this judgment
affirmatively, it will be an entire nation.
For all of us must work to put him
there. . . .”
With congressional approval soon following,
NASA instantly had a long-term
mission that was focused, urgent, and
important. The 1960s was an exciting
decade for looking up. . . .
Television sets were frequently rolled
into classrooms. The images still persist of
the smiling astronauts striding confidently
toward the rocket; the roar of the launch;
the spectacular photos from orbit showing
the black capsule with its white-and-gold
service module floating above the beautiful
white-and-blue Earth below; the space
walks; the gold wash on the faceplate of
the astronaut’s helmet; the fiery re-entries;
the capsule suspended from red and white
parachutes splashing down; the Navy frogmen
jumping from the hovering helicopter
to the bobbing capsule; the joyous reunions
on the recovery ship as the astronauts
emerge still smiling and waving. . . . These
images became part of our lives, and we
RIGHT
Edward White during the first “space walk,”
Gemini 4. June 3, 1965. NASA photo.
BELOW
John Glenn aboard Friendship 7, February 20, 1962.
NASA photo.
20 Radiations Fall 2011