Kennedy’s Hidden Stimulus: The Experimental Economics of the Decision to the Go to the Moon

Article

“Kennedy’s Hidden Stimulus: The Experimental Economics of the Decision to the Go to the Moon” by Adam Stegall
Published in Quest Volume: 32 #1 (2025)

Honorable Mention: 2024 Sacknoff Prize for Space History

Abstract

This paper reveals an unexplored economic dimension of President Kennedy’s decision to go to the Moon. New evidence from Administration documents shows that while the Apollo program was publicly framed as essential for national prestige, it also quietly served as a politically feasible mechanism for experimental fiscal policies championed by the Council of Economic Advisers. The research reveals how space and defense expenditures enabled unprecedented economic initiatives that would have faced significant political resistance in other forms. This demonstrates how human space exploration united multiple Administration objectives, and adds new depth to our understanding of one of the most consequential decisions in space history.

Citation

Stegall, Adam. “Kennedy’s Hidden Stimulus: The Experimental Economics of the Decision to the Go to the Moon.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 32, no. 1 (2025): 26-36.