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.
With the advice of the Vice President, who is Chairman
of the National Space Council, we have examined where we
are strong and where we are not, where we may succeed
and where we may not. 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.
I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary.
But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the
national decisions or marshaled the national resources required
for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals
on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources
and our time so as to insure their fulfillment.
I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases
I have earlier requested for space activities, to provide the funds
which are needed to meet the following national goals:
First, 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;
and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.
