An optimistic and upbeat President John F. Kennedy
suggested the Soviet Union and the United States
cooperate on a mission to mount an expedition to
the moon. The proposal caught both the Soviets
and many Americans off guard.

In 1961, shortly after his election as president, John
F. Kennedy announced that he was determined to
win the “space race” with the Soviets.

Kennedy toured Cape Canaveral, Fla. with rocket scientist Werner von Braun (left) on Nov. 16, 1963.

Future President Jimmy Carter filed a report with the
International UFO Bureau on September 18, 1973,
claiming he had seen an Unidentified Flying Object
(UFO) in October 1969.

During the presidential campaign of 1976, Democratic
challenger Carter was forthcoming about his belief that
he had seen a UFO. He described waiting outside for a
Lion’s Club Meeting in Leary, Georgia, to begin, at about
7:30 p.m., when he spotted what he called “the darndest
thing I’ve ever seen” in the sky.

On September 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveiled its first space
shuttle, the Enterprise, during a ceremony in Palmdale, California.

Development of the aircraft-like spacecraft cost almost $10 billion
and took nearly a decade. In 1977, the Enterprise became the first
space shuttle to fly freely when it was lifted to a height of 25,000
feet by a Boeing 747 airplane and then released, gliding back to
Edwards Air Force Base on its own accord.

From left to right they are: NASA Administrator Dr.
James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley, who portrayed
Dr. "Bones" McCoy on the series; George Takei
(Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott); Nichelle Nichols
(Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); series
creator Gene Roddenberry; an unnamed NASA
official; and, Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov).

"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds,
to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no
man has gone before," said actor William Shatner in the show’s
opening. 

The world first met Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock on this day in
history, Sept. 8, 1966, with the premiere of the television series
"Star Trek." 
FOX NEWS

September 8 is now celebrated worldwide by "Trekkies" as
"Star Trek Day."

William Shatner (93)

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Guion S. Bluford became
the first African American to travel into space when the
space shuttle Challenger lifted off on its third mission. It
was the first night launch of a space shuttle, and many
people stayed up late to watch the spacecraft roar up
from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 2:32 a.m.

The Challenger spent six days in space, during which time
Bluford and his four fellow crew members launched a
communications satellite for the government of India,
made contact with an errant communications satellite,
conducted scientific experiments, and tested the shuttle’s
robotic arm.

Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. will be 82 years old on
November 22.