He likened space to the frontiers of the old West in America and evoked the pioneering spirit of the first explorers there. He spoke about space itself, often in a romantic and appealing way, and about America’s role in its exploration: “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 for the progress of all people. 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 theatre of war.”
