60th anniversary of JFK's 1961 speech to land Americans on the moon is in the spotlight as NASA gets set to return to the lunar surface in 2024 President John F. Kennedy spoke at a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961 to address the nation He spoke about the Cold War and how the US planned to win, but he also discusses landing men on the moon Kennedy urged Congress to accelerate America's space program, linking it to a battle between democracy and communism, as the Soviets had already sent an astronaut into orbit - the US had not yet done so