May 18 1963
From The Space Library
President Kennedy visited Nashville, Tenn., Muscle Shoals, Ala., and Huntsville, Ala. At Muscle Shoals, in address commemorating 30th anniversary of TVA, he said: "Only a national effort can explore the mysteries of outer space, harvest the products of ocean depths and mobilize the human, natural and material resources of our land. I cite these examples-not to show the growth of federal activity, for it is still small compared to the Nation's-but to show the positive side of Federal-State cooperation of which TVA is an outstanding symbol . . . ." At Redstone Arsenal he spoke briefly before boarding his plane to return to Washington "I know there are lots of people now who say, `Why go any further in space?' When Columbus was halfway through his voyage, the same people said, `Why go on any further?' `What will he possibly find?' `What good will it be?' And they want to stop now. "I believe the United States of America is committed in this decade to be first in space, and the only way we are going to be first in space is to work as hard as we can here and all across the country, and support not only Major Cooper, but all those who come after him." (Wash. Post, 5/19/63, A8; Marshall Star, 5/22/63)
In Saturday Evening Post article former President Eisenhower wrote: "Let us turn to the space exploration program, which I publicly have called downright spongy. Now clearly the strong competitive spirit of the American people has been aroused by the so-called space race. But let us step back for a moment from emotion and be objective. This is what my scientific advisers and I tried to do when we started space work back in 1955 and thereafter enlarged it into a comprehensive program. We didn't and don't want. to be a second-best nation, not in any important field, and certainly not in total accomplishment. But can we best maintain our overall leadership by launching wildly into crash programs on many fronts? This is where we seem to have got out of focus. "Let me make it perfectly clear that we should have an aggressive program of research and exploration, so broadly based that in the long run there will be no question of our space leadership; but we should pursue it in an orderly, step-by-step way to enlarge systematically our knowledge of the scientific, military, and industrial potentials in space. This sort of a program would be a strong, steady push from the known into the unknowns of space science, accumulating along the way the techniques and skills to put our astronauts on the moon, among other developments. The annual cost would not include money for stunts and unnecessary contests. "Most of the scientists who advised me on space matters-all men of great knowledge and integrity-believed in this step-by-step program as most effective for the long pull, pointing out that the things we need to learn in space are almost as endless as space itself. -Proud as we may be of our astronauts and, our Venus probe and other accomplishments in space, this racing to the Moon, unavoidably wasting vast sums and deepening our debt, is the wrong way to go about it, as I see it. Because it has been stated that the country's prestige is at stake in this race, the average citizen may be loath to question the huge sums now being requested. But he should . . . ." (Sat. Eve. Post, 5/18/63, 1519; CR, 5/15/63, 8111)
General Bernard A. Schriever (AFSC), addressing Armed Forces Dinner in Louisville, Ky., said: "I am convinced that we must ... investigate the military potential of space systems. We simply cannot afford to leave the space frontier unguarded. Satellite systems promise to strengthen our present defenses in a number of ways. For example, they show definite potential for improved warning, communications, and navigation systems. "We may also need to develop the ability to defend ourselves against space-borne weapons. The Soviets have threatened many times to use their space technology for military purposes. Until we know for sure that they will not carry out these threats, it is logical to pursue the development of ways to identify, inspect and rendezvous with a non-cooperative object in space . . . ." (Text, AFSC Release 35-R-41)
U.S.S.R. launched improved models of carrier rockets for spacecraft on 7,500 mi. flight into Central Pacific. (NYT, 5/29/63, 3)
USAF Minuteman ICBM launched at Cape Canaveral fell short of intended range but most test objectives were achieved. (DOD Release 722-63)
DOD launched unidentified satellite with Thor-Agena D vehicle. (Pres. Rept. on Space, 1963, 1/27/64)
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