Elementary
Elementary

I know nothing.

John F. Kennedy:We choose to go to the Moon

演讲的内容当然很激动人心。但是我觉得更有意思的是后面关于登月计划的代价的解释,细致到每个人每天花掉多少钱。在回报的部分,更是突出了登月计划对于经济发挥发展和就业的带动作用。这些内容在中国是不怎么看的到的,所谓“算政治账不算经济账”。这是对于中外政治文化的一个很有意思的观察角度。

President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:

I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief.

I am delighted to be here, and I'm particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.

We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half-century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power.

Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America's new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.

So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space.

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it--we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

Yet the vows of this Nation can only be fulfilled if we in this Nation are first, and, therefore, we intend to be first. In short, our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world's leading space-faring nation.

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.

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

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.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

In the last 24 hours we have seen facilities now being created for the greatest and most complex exploration in man's history. We have felt the ground shake and the air shattered by the testing of a Saturn C-1 booster rocket, many times as powerful as the Atlas which launched John Glenn, generating power equivalent to 10,000 automobiles with their accelerators on the floor. We have seen the site where the F-1 rocket engines, each one as powerful as all eight engines of the Saturn combined, will be clustered together to make the advanced Saturn missile, assembled in a new building to be built at Cape Canaveral as tall as a 48 story structure, as wide as a city block, and as long as two lengths of this field.

Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth. Some 40 of them were "made in the United States of America" and they were far more sophisticated and supplied far more knowledge to the people of the world than those of the Soviet Union.

The Mariner spacecraft now on its way to Venus is the most intricate instrument in the history of space science. The accuracy of that shot is comparable to firing a missile from Cape Canaveral and dropping it in this stadium between the the 40-yard lines.

Transit satellites are helping our ships at sea to steer a safer course. Tiros satellites have given us unprecedented warnings of hurricanes and storms, and will do the same for forest fires and icebergs.

We have had our failures, but so have others, even if they do not admit them. And they may be less public.

To be sure, we are behind, and will be behind for some time in manned flight. But we do not intend to stay behind, and in this decade, we shall make up and move ahead.

The growth of our science and education will be enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment, by new techniques of learning and mapping and observation, by new tools and computers for industry, medicine, the home as well as the school. Technical institutions, such as Rice, will reap the harvest of these gains.

And finally, the space effort itself, while still in its infancy, has already created a great number of new companies, and tens of thousands of new jobs. Space and related industries are generating new demands in investment and skilled personnel, and this city and this State, and this region, will share greatly in this growth. What was once the furthest outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the new frontier of science and space. Houston, your City of Houston, with its Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $60 million a year; to invest some $200 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1 billion from this Center in this City.

To be sure, all this costs us all a good deal of money. This year¹s space budget is three times what it was in January 1961, and it is greater than the space budget of the previous eight years combined. That budget now stands at $5,400 million a year--a staggering sum, though somewhat less than we pay for cigarettes and cigars every year. Space expenditures will soon rise some more, from 40 cents per person per week to more than 50 cents a week for every man, woman and child in the United Stated, for we have given this program a high national priority--even though I realize that this is in some measure an act of faith and vision, for we do not now know what benefits await us.

But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun--almost as hot as it is here today--and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out--then we must be bold.

I'm the one who is doing all the work, so we just want you to stay cool for a minute. [laughter]

However, I think we're going to do it, and I think that we must pay what needs to be paid. I don't think we ought to waste any money, but I think we ought to do the job. And this will be done in the decade of the sixties. It may be done while some of you are still here at school at this college and university. It will be done during the term of office of some of the people who sit here on this platform. But it will be done. And it will be done before the end of this decade.

I am delighted that this university is playing a part in putting a man on the moon as part of a great national effort of the United States of America.

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.

Thank you.


皮策校长,副校长,州长,托马斯众议员,威利参议员,米勒众议员,韦伯先生,贝尔先生,各位科学家们,尊敬的来宾,女士们先生们:

我很感激贵校校长授予我名誉客座教授头衔,我向各位保证,我的第一次演讲会非常简短。

我很高兴来到这里,特别是在这个时候来到这里。

我们相聚在以学术底蕴著称的大学,相聚在快速发展的城市,相聚在综合实力雄厚的州。知识、发展与实力,这三者我们缺一不可。因为我们处于一个变化与挑战无所不在的时期、希望与失望相互交织的10年、知识与愚昧并存的时代。我们获得的知识越多,我们暴露出的无知也会越多。

尽管显著的事实是,大多数享誉世界的科学家们仍在奋斗不息;尽管我国科技人才以每12年翻一番的速度增长,总体上超过了人口增长速度的3倍—尽管如此,面对着巨大的未知领域,我们的集体智慧仍然显得苍白无力。

没有人确切地知道我们在前进的道路上走了多远,走得多快;但如果你愿意,可以将人类有文字记载的5万年历史压缩为半个世纪的时间跨度。在这个时间跨度下,我们对前40年的发展历史所知甚少,仅仅知道在这40年的最后几年,人类已经进化到学会用兽皮遮盖自己的身体。在这个标准下,大约10年之前,人类开始走出洞穴,修建新的家园。仅仅在5年前,人类才学会了书写,并开始使用带有轮子的车辆。1年多以前,基督教出现了。在人类50年的时间跨度中,印刷机是在今年出现的,在最近不到两个月的时间里,蒸汽机为我们提供了新的动力。

牛顿发现了引力的意义。上个月,电灯、电话、汽车和飞机已经普遍出现。仅仅在上周我们才发明了青霉素、电视机和核动力;现在,若我们的新型宇宙飞船能够成功登陆金星,那我们可以真正算得上在今晚午夜前抵达了其他星球。

我们在宇宙空间的这一跨步,是激动人心的一步;它在解决旧的弊端之时,也会带来新的弊端,会引发新的问题与危机,会让我们越发感到自己的无知。不可否认,太空展现的远景回报高,但困难多、代价也高。

因此不难理解,有些状况会让我们在原地踏步、继续等待。但是休斯敦市、得克萨斯州、美利坚合众国并不是由那些止步不前、安于现状和甘愿落后的人建成的;这个国家是由那些不断进取的人主宰的,航天事业也是如此。

1630年,威廉·布雷德福(4)在普利茅斯湾殖民地建立仪式上说到,一切伟大而光荣的使命都会伴随着巨大的困难与挑战,而完成这些行动需具备冒险精神和与此相当的勇气。

如果说这个人类进步的浓缩史带给了我们什么启示,那便是在追求知识给你进步的过程中,人类是坚定不移、无所畏惧的。不论我们是否参与其中,空间探索都将一直持续下去。无论在任何时候,它都是一次伟大的冒险行动。没有哪一个想成为世界领袖的国家会甘于在这场空间竞赛中落后。

在我们前辈的努力下,这个国家掀起了工业革命的第一波浪潮、现代发明的第一波浪潮以及核动力的第一波浪潮。我们这一代人也不希望在即将到来的太空时代的浪潮中倒下。我们要参与其中—我们要引领潮流。如今,人们已将眼光投向太空、月球和其他行星,我们发誓,我们不会让太空成为布满硝烟的战场,而要让太空充满自由与和平;我们发誓,我们不会让太空布满大规模杀伤性武器,而是充满获取知识的工具。

然而我们的承诺只有在我国领先的情况下才能实现,因此我们决心成为先驱者。简言之,我们在科技与工业上的领先地位,我们对和平与安全的渴望,我们对自己和他人的责任,这一切都驱使我们做出努力,为了全人类的利益解决这些谜团,成为世界领先的航天大国。

我们涉足这个新的领域,是为了获取新的知识,赢得新的权力,我们必须为了全人类的进步而去赢得并运用这些新的知识与权力。空间科学,正如核科学以及其他技术一样,本身并没有道德可言。它成为行善还是作恶的力量,完全取决于人类自身。只有当美利坚合众国取得领先地位,我们才能决定这一全新领域是成为和平的净土,抑或是恐怖的战场。我不是说我们应该或者必须对敌人滥用太空比对敌人滥用陆地和海洋更加关切,但我确实认为,我们可以在不发动战争的情况下,在不重复人类在开发地球时曾犯的错误的情况下,去开发并利用太空。

目前宇宙空间中还没有争端、偏见和民族冲突。太空潜在的危险对我们所有人都构成威胁。征服太空,值得全人类做出最积极的努力;而友好合作的机会可能不会再有。然而,有人会问,为什么选择月球?为什么选择登月作为我们的目标?正如他们同样也会问我们为什么要攀登最高的山峰?为什么35年前要飞越大西洋?为什么莱斯大学要和得克萨斯大学进行比赛(5)?

我们决定登月。我们决定在这10年内登月并做出其他成就,这并不是因为它们简单易行,而是因为它们困难重重;因为这个目标可以帮助我们组织起最佳能源,检验最佳技能;因为我们乐于接受这个挑战,因为我们不愿推迟这个挑战,因为我们志在必得,对于其他的挑战也是一样!

正是基于以上原因,我把去年关于提升航天计划的决定作为我在本届总统任期内最重要的决定之一。

在过去的24小时,我们见识到了在人类历史上,那些为了最伟大最复杂的探索而发明的各种设备。我们感受到了“土星”(6)C—1助推火箭试验时产生的震动和冲击波,它比将约翰·格伦(7)送入太空的“宇宙神”火箭(8)还要强大许多倍,产生相当于10万辆汽车的功率。我们看到了5个F—1火箭发动机,每一个都相当于8个“土星”火箭发动机的功率,它们将被用于更先进的“土星”火箭,在卡纳维拉尔角(9)即将兴建的48层大楼中组装起来;这幢建筑宽一个街区,长度超过我们这个体育场的两倍。

在近19个月内,有至少45个卫星在环绕地球运行。其中大约有40个是美国制造的,它们远比苏联制造的卫星更加精密复杂,能为世界人民提供更多的知识。

现在飞向金星的“水手”号飞船(10)是空间科学史上最为复杂的设备。其精准程度就相当于从卡纳维拉尔角发射的导弹,降落在这个体育场的40码线之间。

海事卫星保障我们的船只在海上航行更加安全。气象卫星(11)为我们带来飓风和风暴的警告,这是前所未有的;气象卫星同样也能用于森林火灾和冰山的预警。

我们经历过失败,但其他国家也同样经历过,虽然他们并不愿意承认。因此他们可能不为人所知。

诚然,在载人航天方面我们已经落后,并在一段时间内仍会处于落后状态。但我们并不甘于落后,我们要在这10年内迎头赶上。

我们获得的关于宇宙和环境的新知识,新的学习、绘图和观察的技术,工业、医药、家庭和学校中新的工具和计算机,这一切都会促进科学和教育的发展。像莱斯大学这样的技术院校将会因此而获益。

最后,虽然我们对宇宙空间的探索仍处于起步阶段,却已经催生了大批新公司,创造了数万个新的工作机会。太空以及相关工业对投资和技术人员提出了新的要求,并且这座城市、这个州、这个地区将对航天事业的发展做出巨大贡献。西部曾经的旧疆域将会成为空间科学的新疆域。休斯敦市,你们的休斯敦市以及它的载人飞船中心,将会成为科技工程这一领域的中心。在未来的5年,宇航局(12)期望这个地区的科学家和工程师的数量加倍,期望将每年薪水和经费的开支提高到600万美元;期望投资2亿美元用于建设工厂和购买实验室设施;期望指导或与这个城市的航天中心签订超过10亿美元的合同。

很显然,这将会花去我们一大笔钱。今年的航天预算是1961年1月的3倍,超过前8年预算的总和。现在每年的航天预算是54亿美元,虽然不及我们每年在烟草和雪茄上的花费,但仍是笔惊人的开支。不久,航天经费又会提高,将从平均每人每周40美分提高到每人每周50多美分;因为这个本项目是我国优先发展的项目—即使我意识到,从某种程度而言,这个项目是为了我们的信念与期待而进行的努力,因为我们无法知晓人们将从中得到怎样的收益。

但是我想说,我的同胞们,让我们向距离休斯敦控制中心24万英里的月球发射火箭,这是枚300多英尺高、与这个橄榄球场长度相当的巨型火箭,它采用新型合金材料,甚至有的合金还没有研发出来,它能够承受超过以往多倍的高温与压力,其装配的精密程度要高于制作最精良的手表;它运载着用于推进、导航、控制、通讯、食品和维生的所有设备,肩负着前所未有的使命,飞向一个未知的星体,然后它安全返回地球,以超过每小时25 000英里的速度重返大气层,由此产生的高温是太阳温度的一半—几乎像今天一样热—我们要实现全部这些目标,要顺利实现这些目标,要在这个10年内率先完成—那么我们必须敢作敢为。

我一个人做了这所有工作,所以我们想让你们冷静一会。

然而,我认为我们将要开始进行这个项目,而且一定要全力以赴;我认为我们不应该浪费钱财,但是我们应该去付诸实践。我们会在60年代实现这个目标。也许这个目标实现时,你们中的一些人仍然在这个学院、这所大学里读书,主席台在座的各位中仍有人会在任期之内。但是我们会完成这个项目,会在这10年内完成这个项目。

把人送上月球,是美利坚合众国重大国家级项目之一,我很高兴莱斯大学能够参与其中。

很多年前,伟大的英国探险家乔治·马洛里在攀登喜马拉雅峰时遇难。此前,有人曾问他为什么要攀登喜马拉雅峰,他回答说,“因为它就在那里。”

太空就在那里,我们将要去那里探索;月球和其他星球就在那里,获取知识与和平的新希望就在那里。因此,当我们开始探索太空,我们祈求上帝保佑人类这一最具危险性、挑战性与冒险性的行动。


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