moon landing

— Throughout our discussions and searching inquiries one object figured ever more prominently—the moon. We learned that it was technologically possible to develop a program to reach the moon, and we came to realize that since the Russians did not then have the ability to reach the moon any more than we did, we had at least a fifty-fifty chance of beating them there. Moreover, a moon-landing goal would give a dramatic focus to a space program designed to develop our skills and capacities on a broad technological front.