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Kennedy's Moon Challenge

These scans are of documents collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Kennedy's remarks at the Rice University Stadium in Houston, TX, concerning the nation's efforts in space exploration.

In this Sept. 12, 1962 speech, Kennedy discussed the necessity for the U.S. to become an international leader in space exploration, and famously states, "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."

Below is a reading copy of the speech with several handwritten notations by the Kennedy.

(Source: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

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