NASA Highlights 50th Anniversary of Kennedy 'Moon Speech' and Looks Ahead

Allard Beutel

Headquarters, Washington                

202-358-2191

allard.beutel@nasa.gov

WASHINGTON -- NASA is offering a variety of special features to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's address at Rice University in Houston on Sept. 12, 1962. In that famous speech, Kennedy proclaimed, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade," which set the United States on a course of space exploration that we continue to build on today.

On Wednesday, NASA Television will air in its entirety a high-quality version of the address at 11:15 a.m. EDT, the same time President Kennedy gave the speech 50 years ago.

NASA's website will have a special blog from NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and an online feature that highlights the speech and provides information about NASA's current and future exploration programs.

NASA.gov and NASA TV will show a message about the speech from NASA astronaut Suni Williams on board the International Space Station. Williams will become commander of the orbiting laboratory this weekend.

At 3 p.m., NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers will hold a Google+ Hangout to talk about NASA's rich history of innovation and ingenuity, and discuss NASA's future goals for scientific discovery and human spaceflight. To join the event, visit http://plus.google.com/+NASA.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For all the special features about the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's "moon speech" and a look ahead at NASA's space exploration in the coming decades, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

- end -