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Summary

In this passage from his September 1962 address at Rice University, President John F. Kennedy makes the case for committing the United States to a crewed Moon landing before the decade is out. He frames outer space as a frontier still free of the rivalries that divide nations — a fleeting chance for peaceful cooperation — and argues the country should choose the Moon precisely because it is hard: a goal that will “organize and measure” the best of American energy and skill.

Key points

• Space is a frontier still without strife, prejudice, or national conflict — a rare opening for peaceful cooperation that “may never come again.”
• Its hazards threaten everyone, so its exploration deserves the best of all humankind.
• Kennedy pre-empts the skeptic's “Why the Moon?” with analogies to other hard, self-chosen challenges — the highest mountain, flying the Atlantic, Rice playing Texas.
• Difficulty is treated as a virtue: a hard goal forces a nation to marshal and measure its best energies and skills.
• The commitment is deliberate and time-bound (“in this decade”) — a challenge to accept, not postpone, and win.

Timeline

1. 0:00–0:11 Space as a frontier without conflict — Outer space is, “as yet,” free of strife, prejudice, and national conflict, though its hazards are hostile to all.
2. 0:11–0:20 A fleeting chance for cooperation — Conquering space deserves the best of all mankind, and the chance for peaceful cooperation may never come again.
3. 0:20–0:35 Anticipating the skeptics — Kennedy raises “Why the Moon?” and answers with analogies: the highest mountain, the Atlantic flight, Rice vs. Texas.
4. 0:35–0:52 The signature commitment — The repeated declaration builds to “We choose to go to the Moon… in this decade.”
5. 0:52–1:05 Why choose the hard path — The goal is chosen because it is hard, not easy — it will organize and measure the best of the nation's energies and skills.
6. 1:05–1:19 A challenge to win — An effort the country is willing to accept, unwilling to postpone, and intends to win — “and the others, too.”

Notable quotes

• “There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet.”
• “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.”
• “…one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.”

Context & terms

Rice University, Sept. 12, 1962

The setting of the address; the “Rice play Texas” line is a local nod to the university's football rivalry.

“The other things”

The wider space program beyond the landing itself — launch vehicles, science, and infrastructure — that the goal would drive forward.

Peaceful cooperation

Kennedy's framing of space as a shared human endeavour rather than a purely national or military contest.