The next 'moon shot'? 'We have to feel a sense of competition,' author says

A half-century later, the moon landing remains one of mankind’s greatest achievements.

In the context of 2019’s deep political and cultural divides, the sense of national purpose that led to the first manned mission to the moon makes the next “moonshot,” or landing on the moon, seem more distant than ever.

According to renowned historian and biographer Douglas Brinkley, the U.S. would need to re-create a confluence of political and social circumstances that allowed for the moon landing. In his latest book, "American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race," Brinkley discusses Kennedy’s stake in the space race, as well as the Cold War climate that surrounded the achievement.

Nearly a decade before the moon landing, Kennedy "became a salesperson for space exploration," Brinkley said. The president, a "cold-war crusader," managed to bridge political gaps between Democrats and Republicans by focusing on a common enemy -- the Soviet Union. Such competition was integral to the success of the Apollo 11 mission.

"We have to feel a sense of competition … to speed up the funding," Brinkley told ABC News Political Director Rick Klein on the "Powerhouse Politics" podcast on Tuesday. "If John F. Kennedy didn't figure out how to get $25 billion out of Congress, there would have been no going to the moon."

The moon landing required both talented political maneuvering and American cooperation, according to Brinkley. "There is a hunger for a unity when we do something large as Americans together, short of war,” he said.

But 50 years later, in such a divisive moment in American history, is "unity" beyond party lines even possible?

With the right issue and the right leader, according to Brinkley, America would be ready for the next great achievement. Signifying more than just the space race, "today the very word ["Moonshot"] means American excellence," said Brinkley.

When asked what that next feat could be, Brinkley noted that excellence is not limited to space exploration, but may come in many different forms at home.

"A lot of people are hungering for an 'earth-shot,'" he said. "The time is now to focus on climate change and try to do something large."

Despite political division, discussion of the next "moonshot" is not uncommon today. "If you're Joe Biden you talk about a cancer shot," said Brinkley, referencing former Vice President Joe Biden’s goal of finding a cure for cancer. "Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, two of the Apollo 11 astronauts, think the new moonshot is a Mars shot and that we need to go to Mars."

But regardless of what the next display of American excellence may be, according to Brinkley, the goal must be unifying. Pointing to the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s promise of a border wall, Brinkley said that such a contentious issue could not be a "moonshot."

"Whatever you think of that, that's a dis-uniting public works initiative. You’re having half of America reject it."