A Time For Greatness
JOHN KENNEDY
Support Space Program
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy in an address to Congress challenged the nation to “commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon.” He asked Congress to find additional funds to support the nation's space program.
john oribts
On February 20, 1962, Astronaut John Glenn aboard the Mercury craft Friendship 7 became the first American to orbit the earth. In a five-hour flight, Glenn orbited the Earth three times and landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean. Both President John Kennedy and the American people celebrated Glenn's space flight. The United States had equaled the Soviet Union in scientific accomplishment.
Kennedy Announces Cuban Missile Crisis
On October 22, 1962, President John Kennedy announced in a nationally televised address that the United States had discovered the Soviet Union was building “offensive missile sites” on the island of Cuba.