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Sixty years ago today, May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy appeared before Congress and argued America “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. The goal was achieved, but it is 49 years since the last time any human walked upon the Moon, or indeed any other non-earthly natural body, raising the question of why spaceflight s big dreams have not been realized yet.
The first part of the answer is to recognize that visiting the Moon wasn t an inevitable development, at least in the 20th century. Polling indicated most Americans opposed the idea, despite the president s sky-high approval ratings. Congress was far from convinced to release the funds required to make Kennedy s vision a reality.