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In April of '57 the US got quite the shock
   The Soviets launched Sputnik
   The space satellite rock  
We fell behind in the race from that very day,
That is, until we elected a President named
            J  F  K...

Only three months into his term 
1961, April, back then
   Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth 
   Those Russians were at it again
JFK circled the wagons with the White House clan
Told 'em ~ America's got to win this race in the end...

Alan Shephard went up in the month of May
But as fast as he shot up, just that fast he came down
Compared to Gagarin, he was a monkey, a clown  
   Strapped tight to a board--rigid, upright
   He did nothing but endure the vertical flight
     ~Unlike Gagarin, who manually controlled
        his takeoff and landing, the ultimate goal  

Then Grissom went up in the month of July 
He seemed to fly nicely and pretty high
   But at the end of the day 
   His near-disastrous landing
   Clearly was NOT 'A-OK." 

And by February '62
When Glenn orbited the Earth
   Those Soviets led us by quite a wide berth.

Kennedy grimaced, fuming inside
He reckoned it was time for us to take pride
in our space program, to date a big bust
   ~ In the race 'gainst the Soviets, a win was a must

So he gathered his courage and adjusted his vision
Set out for Rice University, appeared on television
   Challenging us, coaxing us, squeezing us, urging us
   with this daring question--
   so the Soviets wouldn't be 'purging' us:
        
          Some people ask, 'Why?'
               To them I reply
            with all that I've got
               ~ Why not?

Then he set this agenda for NASA, 
America's fledgling space agency:
Put a man on the moon before 1970!
    ~ JFK's proudest legacy
  

Postscript:       On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 
                      took man's first step on the lunar surface 
                  ~"One small for man; one giant leap for mankind."
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