President John F. Kennedy presents astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. with NASA's Distinguished Service Medal Award in a Rose Garden ceremony on May 8, 1961, at the White House. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, NASA Administrator James E. Webb and several NASA astronauts are in the background.
President John F. Kennedy presents astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. with NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal Award in a Rose Garden ceremony on May 8, 1961, at the White House. Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, NASA Administrator James E. Webb and several NASA astronauts are in the background.
Just three weeks later, Kennedy would commit America to landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade.Image Credit: NASA