John F. Kennedy and the Apollo Space Program

1012 Words3 Pages

Where would our country be today if Neil Armstrong never took that trip to space and walked on the moon? President John F. Kennedy's announcement on May 25, 1961 that his goal was to send an American safely to the moon and back to earth before the end of the decade possessed his qualities as a visionary leader. First we will discuss who John F. Kennedy was, why he was an effective visionary leader and identify the key team players in the Apollo Space Program who put the first man on the moon. C. brief overview with 3 points D. Transition into first point President John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States. His term lasted from January 20, 1961 until he was assassinated November 22, 1963. He was a student at Harvard college and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs. President Kennedy served in the Navy for four years as a commander on Motor Torpedo boats PT-109 and PT-59 during World War II. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts where he returned and served as Congress from 1947 to 1953 and was a part of the Democrat party. Next, he served as Senate from 1953 to 1960 which lead him to being elected as the youngest President at age 43 and the only President who received the Pulitzer Prize (achievements in musical composition, newspaper, literature and online journalism). World historical events he was a part of while serving as President include Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam War, African American Civil Rights Movement, Berlin Wall and the Space Race (Project Apollo moon landing ) which will we further discuss next. President's Kennedy's determination to stay ahead of the Soviet Union in the Space Race made him an effective visio... ... middle of paper ... ...ge of designing a set of flights that could meet it while minimizing risk to human life, cost, and demands on technology and astronaut skill the Wikipedia explained (source A). There were four possible mission modes considered during the planning. President Kennedy is the creator in this process because he provided the idea and goal. Vice President Johnson would be the team leader to ensure that the idea flows through the process and reach the executors for completion of the project. Dr. Mueller would be the advancer in this process because we seen how he used his past experience with the Air Force to identify a need for technical managers. The concepts of the idea would go to the technical managers who would play the refiner role because based on their skills they can test the idea. Last but not least Webb would execute the plan as the NASA administrator.

Open Document