Kennedy's Moon Landing Speech to Congress

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy addressed a Joint Session of Congress with a Special Message on Urgent National Needs, proposing that the United States commit to landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. The speech followed Yuri Gagarin's orbital flight on April 12 and Alan Shepard's suborbital flight on May 5. Kennedy requested an additional $7 to $9 billion over five years for NASA. Congress responded by approving an 89 percent budget increase, enabling the Apollo program.