We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say the we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours.

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too...

Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, "Because it is there."

Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.

-JFK
September 12, 1962

After a rigorous testing, NASA introduced the Mercury 7 astronauts
Alan Shepherd
Gus Grissom
John Glenn
Scott Carpenter
Wally Schirra
Gordon Cooper
Deke Slayton

On February 20, 1962 Glenn flew the Friendship 7, around the earth, making him the first American to do so, & the 5th person in space.

On October 20, 1998, he became the oldest man to fly into space, at the age of 77, above the Discovery.

A Marine pilot who fought in WWII & Korea, he was the oldest of the Mercury 7. After flying with NASA, and the assassination of JFK, Glenn became a democratic Senator from Ohio and served for 24 years there

On April 6, 1943, Glenn married his high school sweetheart Annie. They had two children together. Glenn is a Freemason and a Presbyterian. He is also one of the original owners of the Holiday Inn franchise.

Glenn states in his memoir that he had no idea that NASA was willing to send him back into space when NASA announced the decision. According to the New York Times, Glenn "won his seat on the shuttle flight by lobbying NASA for two years to fly as a human guinea pig for geriatric studies", which were named as the main reasons for his participation in the mission.

When he died, his family released a statement describing Armstrong as a "reluctant American hero [who had] served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut ... While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves. For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

In June 1961, daughter Karen was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of the middle part of her brain stem; X-ray treatment slowed its growth, but her health deteriorated to the point where she could no longer walk or talk. Two-year-old Karen died of pneumonia, related to her weakened health, on January 28, 1962. This was the same year was chosen by NASA.

Armstrong's famous remark was not rehearsed. They felt they had a 50/50 chance of landing on the moon, so he had not pre-recorded a response.

The estimated global audience at that moment was 450 million listeners, out of a then estimated world population of 3.631 billion people

He took manual control of the "the Eagle" and landed it with 40 seconds left of fuel.

Retired shortly after Apolli 11, became a college professor, and was remarried after his divorce in 1994.

Aldrin was married and divorced three times.

He had three children by his first wife.

He is a Presbyterian and a Freemason

After NASA, he became clinically depressed, and an alcoholic.

Aldrin, a Presbyterian, was the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon. After landing on the Moon, he radioed Earth: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way." He took communion on the surface of the Moon, but he kept it secre.

Aldrin, a church elder, used a home communion kit given to him, and recited words used by his pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Dean Woodruff. The communion elements were the first food and liquid consumed on the Moon: in Guideposts, Aldrin stated: “It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements.”