Which president set the goal of sending americans to the moon?

History · High School · Tue Nov 03 2020

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The president who set the goal of sending Americans to the moon was President John F. Kennedy. On May 25, 1961, he addressed a joint session of the United States Congress and announced his bold ambition for the nation to send an American astronaut to the moon before the end of the decade. This ambitious goal was part of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This initiative led to the Apollo program, which achieved its goal with the Apollo 11 mission when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.

Extra: The space race was a symbol of technological and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Soviet Union had taken an early lead in space exploration by launching the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, and sending the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space in 1961. JFK's moon landing goal was a strategic move to showcase American prowess and ingenuity. The Apollo program was a series of space missions undertaken by NASA, the U.S. space agency, and it involved tremendous efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The success of the Apollo 11 mission was a significant achievement in human history and it allowed the United States to claim victory in the space race, inspiring generations of scientific and technological advancements. The phrase "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," declared by Neil Armstrong when he set foot on the lunar surface, became iconic, symbolising humanity's spirit of exploration and discovery.