The big space race started on May 25, 1961, when President Kennedy delivered his famous speech about how the United States was going to beat The Soviet Union in putting a man on the moon. His speech encouraged the U.S. Congress to appropriate more funding to put a man safely on the moon before the decade was over. As Kennedy stated, “I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals: First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth” (May 25, 1961: JFK's Moon Shot Speech to Congress). On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed safely on the moon making Kennedy’s dreams a reality. News of the Apollo program’s success dominated the 1960s news, and Ride read about the space program’s successes and had thought she wanted to be an astronaut but later abolished the thought because no woman had ever been accepted to the space
The big space race started on May 25, 1961, when President Kennedy delivered his famous speech about how the United States was going to beat The Soviet Union in putting a man on the moon. His speech encouraged the U.S. Congress to appropriate more funding to put a man safely on the moon before the decade was over. As Kennedy stated, “I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals: First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth” (May 25, 1961: JFK's Moon Shot Speech to Congress). On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed safely on the moon making Kennedy’s dreams a reality. News of the Apollo program’s success dominated the 1960s news, and Ride read about the space program’s successes and had thought she wanted to be an astronaut but later abolished the thought because no woman had ever been accepted to the space