Page 22 - Space Centers News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Orbit. >> we were behind. we were lagging. >> reporter: america scrambled to catch up. less than one month later on may 5th, alan shepard one of the mercury seven became the first american in space. just over three months into his presidency, john f. kennedy like millions of other americans across the country was glued to his television. >> alan shepard became an instant hero that this country needed. but a cosmonaut circled the earth a month before. >> reporter: they sought out advice from nasa's top engineers. one was famed rocket scientist von braun. >> president kennedy here with missile e...

Television. c >> allen shepherd became an instant hero this country needed. but the fact is he circled the earth a month before and allen came up and went down 16 minutes. >> yfk's sights on beating the the -- jfk wanted to beat out the soviets. he sought out scientist. >> president kennedy here with missal expert van bron started a tour of u.s. space centers. >> i read a letter from van bron that he wrote to kennedy when he said, how can we beat the russians? the letter said we can't beat them anywhere except be the first on the moon. that's what we committed to. >> may 25th, 1961 the preside...

Earth was circled a month before and alan want up-and-down in 16 minutes. john f. kennedy wanted to bet the soviets and sought advice from the top engineers, one was a famed rocket scientist. >> in alabama, president kennedy with missile expert begin as two day to you of the space centers. >> i read a letter from von brawn and he said, how can we beat the russians and the letter said, we can't beat them anywhere except to be the first on the moon. so, that is what we committed to. >> may 25, 1916, the president made a dramatic announce president before a joint session of congress. >> i believe...

>> huntsville alabama president kennedy begins a two-day tour of u.s. space centers. >> i read a letter from warner von brawn he wrote to kennedy when he said how can we beat the russians, his letter basically said we can't beat them anywh e anywheres except to be the first on the moon. >> the president made a dramatic announcement before joint session of the congression. >> i believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and bring him safely to the earth. >> we went to the moon to stick a flag on the moon before the russi...

>> huntsville alabama president kennedy begins a two-day tour of u.s. space centers. >> i read a letter from warner von brawn he wrote to kennedy when he said how can we beat the russians, his letter basically said we can't beat them anywh e anywheres except to be the first on the moon. >> the president made a dramatic announcement before joint session of the congression. >> i believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and bring him safely to the earth. >> we went to the moon to stick a flag on the moon before the russi...