Future of NASA through eyes of administrator Griffin

William Atkins
Wednesday, 28 February 2007 20:11

Science - Space

His entire speech entitled “Highlights of NASA’s FY 2008 Budget Request and the Year Ahead” appears at: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/168938main_National_Space_Club_7_Feb_07.pdf.

In concluding his talk, Griffin quoted a man, now resting at Arlington Cemetery, who spoke of the reason why humans explore space and, for that matter, do anything that is difficult and often times dangerous.

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

–John F. Kennedy

The speech given by President Kennedy on September 12, 1962, at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas, is called The Moon Speech. It can be viewed at: http://www1.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/ricetalk.htm.