An American on the moon within the next decade

There has never been a more exciting time in the history of the American Space Age. As a kid, I was always so in awe of the moon. I would often stare off into the night sky, dreaming about what was on the surface of that glowing object far far away. It's crazy to think that President Kennedy's speech guarantees my childhood wonders will be answered so soon.

Even though Alan Shepard's trip to space was monumental, everyone at NASA and the federal government have felt the pressure of being behind the Soviets. Not only did they get someone to space first, they did a full orbital flight while we only had a suborbital flight. This public declaration of commitment to the moon is something that has not only raised morale amongst NASA scientists, but also sent a strong message to the competing Soviet developments. However, as excited as I am at the prospect of this extreme feat, I do hope that this is a tangible goal, and not the President making an impossible goal in response to the pressure of the current state of the Cold War.