posted 04-13-2011 12:57 PM               

John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon: Looking Back Fifty Years

A half-century ago, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced before a joint session of Congress his decision to send Americans to the Moon "before this decade is out." Thus began the largest mobilization of financial and human resources to achieve a single purpose in U.S. peacetime history, culminating with the Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969. This program will discuss both the reasons behind JFK's decision to go to the Moon and the actions he took to turn the decision into a successful program and evaluate the scientific and historical legacies of Project Apollo.

Speakers:

• Moderator: Albert H. Teich, Senior Policy Adviser, AAAS

• John M. Logsdon, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University and author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon

• Roger D. Launius, Senior Curator, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and author of After Apollo: The Legacy of the American Moon Landings

• Paul Spudis, Senior Staff Scientist, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX and author of Blogging the Moon

Thursday, April 21, 2011
AAAS Auditorium
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Enter at 12th and H Streets, NW
Washington, DC
Coffee and registration at 4:00
Event Begins at 4:30