Patrick Kennedy Wants Commitment to "Inner Space" on 50th Anniversary of His Uncle's Moon Speech

On May 25, 2011, the nation will celebrate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 speech to Congress on Urgent National Needs that included the call to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. To commemorate the anniversay of that “Moon speech,” JFK’s nephew, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), is proposing a national commitment to researching “inner space” instead of outer space.

In an interview with The Hill newspaper, outgoing Rep. Kennedy explained his reasoning. Rep. Kennedy has battled with addiction problems throughout his life and announced soon after the death of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, that he would not run for reelection. Instead, he wants to focus on mental health issues and told The Hill that he is discussing with his cousin, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, the idea of using the anniversary of her father’s speech committing the nation to exploring the Moon to call for a similar commitment to research on mental health, or “inner space.”

“It’s a scientific endeavor of equal significance, if not greater, and of equal if not greater complexity,” Rep. Kennedy is quoted as saying.