ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

n 10/5/2012 12:31 PM, Steve Fentress wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
> institutions.
> ***************************************************************************** 
>
>
> This tape was released by the Kennedy library years ago. JFK is in a
> mid-year budget meeting with NASA Administrator James Webb. Kennedy 
> argues
> that the purpose of the space program should be to beat the Soviets to 
> the
> moon. Webb argues that it's a way for the country to set itself a hard 
> job
> that will improve the whole industrial and educational system, even if 
> the
> moon landing turns out not to be possible. I used the tape as the 
> starting
> point for an article about Webb that won first prize in the Griffith
> Observer science writing contest and was published in that magazine in
> July 2009.
>
> Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
> writes:
>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/10/jfk-not-that-interested-in-space-secret.html 
>>
> Steve Fentress, Director
> Strasenburgh Planetarium
Thanks Steve for adding some clarification to a basically sensationalist 
article.

We know that the reasons for going to the Moon in our government were 
based in the Cold War.
However, one should not minimize the contribution of Kennedy in taking 
the chances and proposing
something bold.   As Jack Horkheimer wrote many years ago in his great 
planetarium show: "Long Journey
of a Young God,"   the Apollo program could be compared to the legend of 
Camelot.   We now know that
the knights were not so noble and the ladies not so pure, but it was the 
inspiration and what it taught us
in ideals that are important.      Going to the Moon had all the flaws 
we can imagine.  Yet from it we gained
immense understanding of what we could do if we put our minds to it.    
I doubt we have the will or the ability
to move so far or so fast today in space.   But Apollo still stands as a 
great achievement for all humanity.


-- 
Clear DARK Skies


Jack Dunn - at home account

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]