The Apollo missions had a single purpose. President John F. Kennedy set the goal in a speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961. "First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.