Final answer:
President John F. Kennedy advanced the space program by setting a goal to send a man to the moon and establishing NASA. His commitment led to the historic moon landing in 1969.
Step-by-step explanation:
President John F. Kennedy advanced the space program by setting a goal to send a man to the moon before the end of the 1960s. In response to Soviet achievements in space, Kennedy urged Congress to invest in space exploration and established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to oversee the efforts. The first success came in 1961 when Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American in space. Kennedy's commitment to the space program led to the historic moment when Neil Armstrong became the first human to land on the moon on July 20, 1969.