quote · Legacy record
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 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 preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war.
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 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 preeminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war.
Approximate author period: c. 1940 AD · modern
Meaning not yet available
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- Author or tradition
- John F. Kennedy
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
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- Approximate author period: c. 1940 AD · modern
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1917 to 1963; Wikidata Q9696, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9696 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 267600; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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