From a podium at Rice University, President John F. Kennedy rallied the nation as he laid out his plan to land a man on the moon before 1970.  

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things,” said JFK September 12, 1962, “not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”  

The public address, which was delivered before a crowd of about 40,000 people, continues to invoke the country’s pioneer spirit 60 years later. The Houston Spaceport, the world’s first truly urban commercial spaceport, celebrated the anniversary of the pivotal speech at Rice University.  

In collaboration with NASA, the university invited the public to participate in the three-day event that focused on human spaceflight and the nation’s desire to return to the Moon. Exhibitions allowed the public to learn more about research, space exploration technology and human spaceflight programs and companies.  
Sixty years after JFK delivered the famous speech, the spirit of space innovation continues to fuel Houston!  
Thank you, Rice University, for making us part of this celebration.  

We had a blast!