Houston Chronicle By Jim Bridenstine Sep. 18, 2019
More than half a century ago, President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 speech at Rice University rocketed Texas and the city of Houston to the center of human space exploration. Texans eagerly accepted that mantle of leadership and through their fortitude and fearlessness have proven irreplaceable to our rapidly accumulating technological and scientific prowess. America will rely on this same determination and expertise as we launch a new era of daring exploration and discovery in the 21st century.
This year’s 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11’s historic moon landing would be incomplete without recognizing President Kennedy’s bold vision. His speech and Texans’ enthusiastic response to the moonshot challenge enabled our nation to accomplish what was previously thought impossible.
On that sweltering September day, 57 years ago, Kennedy reminded Americans that technological triumphs throughout human history happen only by confronting the most daunting challenges. The “breathtaking pace†of innovation in the 20th century was always commanded by those with “answerable courage†to tackle the most difficult problems.
So, why go to the moon? Simple, Kennedy answered unequivocally, “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.â€
Fittingly, Kennedy’s Sept. 12 speech was delivered during Rice University’s freshman orientation day. Nearly all of the approximately 40,000 people in the audience were college students or Texas school children bused in from the surrounding region. As a Rice University alumnus, I am very familiar with the academic dedication and unrelenting determination of young Texans. In speaking to America’s youth, Kennedy not only inspired scientists of the day but also future engineers, astronauts, researchers, mission control chiefs, operators and every other conceivable profession necessary to slip the bonds of gravity.
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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/JFK-started-it-Texans-have-make-it-happen-14447776.php
