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A Simple Method For Rapid Determination of Vehicle Requirements For Planetary Missions -- We Choose To Go To The Moon
Fine promotional graphic, published by General Tire Aerojet-General Corporation.
Issued shortly after President John F. Kennedy's famed speech, this promotional graphic captures the mood of the United States in the wake of Russia becoming the first country to put a man in space.
"We choose to go to the Moon" is the famous tagline from Kennedy's speech about the effort to reach the Moon delivered by United States President John F. Kennedy to a large crowd gathered at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas on September 12, 1962. The speech was intended to persuade the American people to support the Apollo program, the national effort to land a man on the Moon. Kennedy characterized space as a new frontier, invoking the pioneer spirit that dominated American folklore. He infused the speech with a sense of urgency and destiny, and emphasized the freedom enjoyed by Americans to choose their destiny rather than have it chosen for them.
The speech resonated widely and is still remembered, although at the time there was disquiet about the cost and value of the Moon-landing effort. Kennedy's goal was realized in July 1969, with the successful Apollo 11 mission.
As noted on the poster:
. . . It is clear that nuclear, electric or other high-specific impulse propulsion devices will be required for manned planetary operations to become practicable.
In an era where the space race has been re-kindled, this is an interesting and historically informative graphic.
![[Sphaera Mundi. Gerardus Cremonensis, Theorica planetarum] Iohannis de sacrobusto anglici uiri clarissimi Spera mundi feliciter incipit [with:] Gerardi cremonensis uiri clarissimi Theorica planetaru feliciter incipit](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/82598.jpg)
![Globi Coelestis In Tabulas Planas Redacti Pars II . . . [Pegasus, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces Cetus, Aries, Andromeda, Equuleus]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/71151.jpg)