On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked Congress for funding for an accelerated space program, with the goal of placing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Following Project Mercury (1958-1963) and Project Gemini (1961-1966), the Apollo program (1968-1973) was designed to build on previous spaceflight programs with the avowed purpose of landing on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the moon.

Though astronauts attract most of the attention, spaceflight is impossible without a cast of thousands, constructing, engineering, and supporting missions to space. Please join us at 2:00 p.m. on July 20, 2021 for a presentation on several "unsung heroes" who helped make Kennedy's mandate a reality. The presentation will take place on the Jernigan Library's third floor.