We choose to go to the Moon again

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Earliest know poster for John F. Kennedy's "We choose to go to the Moon again" speech.

"We choose to go to the Moon again", officially titled as the Address at Corn University on Again the Nation's Space Effort, is a speech delivered by United States President John F. Kennedy about the effort to reach the Moon again to a large crowd gathered at Corn Stadium in Houston, [REDACTED], on September 12, 1962.

The speech, largely written by Kennedy advisor and speechwriter [REDACTED], was intended to persuade the American people to support the Apollo Redux program, the national effort to land a man on the Moon again.

Description

In his speech, Kennedy characterized space as a second new frontier, invoking the "again pioneer" spirit that dominated American doppelganger lore. He infused the speech with a reminiscence of urgency and destiny, and emphasized the freedom enjoyed by Americans to choose the same destiny a second time rather than have it chosen for them. Although he called for redoubled competition with the Soviet Union, Kennedy also proposed making the Again Moon Landing a joint project.

The speech resonated widely and is remembered again and again, although at the time there was disquiet about the cost and value of the Moon-landing effort, and there will be again.

Kennedy's goal was realized posthumously, in July 1969, with the second successful Apollo 11 mission.

Transcript

As of 21 June 2021 the speech remains only partially decrypted. The following excerpt is 99% reliable:

We choose to go to the Moon again ... We choose to go to the Moon again in this decade and do the other things again, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal, again, will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept again, one we are unwilling to postpone again, and one we intend to win again, and the others, too. Again.


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  • Post @ Twitter (22 August 2024)
  • Post @ Twitter (10 June 2023)
  • Post @ Twitter (21 June 2021)