Interspersed with the archival footage are present day interviews with both the astronauts and some of the flight directors. Viewers will get a greater understanding of the character of the men and women who undertake the challenge to explore space.
The first episode, entitled "Ordinary Supermen," begins with the earliest days of NASA. The Soviets have already launched Sputnik to begin the Space Race. NASA is working feverishly to try to catch up. They recruit the best pilots they can find to become the first astronauts. Out of 110 who qualify, only seven will become Mercury astronauts. Interviews with the two surviving Mercury astronauts, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter, are included to provide insight and personal recollections from their missions. In order to make it into space, NASA has to invent completely new technology. As flight director Gene Kranz puts it, learning to fly into space was like "learning to drink from a fire hose".
Episode two, "Gemini-Friends and Rivals," provides rare footage of the recruiting and training process and focuses on the steps that must be achieved to make it to the moon. Ed White's inaugural space walk on Gemini 4 is stunning to watch in HD. Another highlight is Gene Cernan's space walk on a later Gemini mission. For the first time, we get to hear Cernan's struggle to work in space with the mission audio synchronized to the film. Cernan also provides present-day recollections that add to the drama.
The third episode, "Apollo-Landing the Eagle," opens with the first major tragedy of the space program: the Apollo 1 launch pad fire that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. NASA bounces back a few months later, launching Apollo 8 which was the first mission to achieve lunar orbit. The footage from this mission (including shots of the stages of the Saturn V rocket separating) is absolutely incredible. The episode concludes with the Apollo 11 landing, NASA's greatest achievement to date.
Episode four, "A Home in Space," begins with Apollo missions 12-17 and the near-disaster of Apollo 13. Astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise and flight director Gene Kranz put us right in the middle of the drama with their recollections of the ill-fated mission. As the Apollo program winds down, NASA decides to take the leftover hardware to create Skylab, the first attempt to put a space station into orbit.
Article comments
1 - Josh Lasser
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to the Advance family of websites and to Boston.com, which will allow even more readers to enjoy it.
2 - duane
It is hard to argue with your opinion that space exploration is "the single greatest achievement of mankind." I could argue, but I won't here. I grew up with the Mercury and Gemini missions, and watched everything I could of the Apollo missions. I was a kid then, and it was all very exciting. I remember where I was during the first spacewalk. I remember where I was when the Eagle landed.
But what was missing from my kid perspective was the question "Why are we doing this?" Looking back, there seems to be no scientific reason to have spent all that money and energy getting men to the moon. Much better science can be and is done with robotic missions. Getting to the moon was all about the Space Race --- catching up with and eventually trumping the Soviets. In retrospect, there is little reason to have humans on the moon, given the cost. The fact that the moon program petered out after Apollo 17 in 1972 testifies to this. There's nothing much to do up there. Thus the achievement itself seems to lack any tangible significance. It is little more than a proof that we can do it.
Also, the moon program was significant primarily because of the technological accomplishment, not the fact that the astronauts volunteered to sit atop a giant fuel tank with rocket engines. The astronauts were surely brave, but their role is secondary to the engineering miracles that had to occur to get them into orbit. But people are bored by these kinds of details. As you quoted, "What we tried to do is look at it as an adventure story: real heroes, real stakes, and real jeopardy." Right. People like that kind of stuff. That's how they get sold on the space program.
Coming up to the present day, the Space Shuttle has been an enormous drain on resources, and is almost entirely pointless.
Very nice writeup of an interesting chapter in our history.
3 - Dr Dreadful
At last, Duane, something I can disagree with you about vehemently. Unfortunately, circumstances call me elsewhere so it can't be right now. Take cover though!
4 - duane
Always a pleasure to lock horns with you, Dr. D.
Let me go gather my wits ... now, where did I leave those damned things? I'll be back ....
5 - Dr Dreadful
I'd say that space travel is not only the greatest human achievement of the 20th century but possibly - this will be seen in retrospect in the future - of all time.
We're an exploring species and we have nowhere else to go. To satisfy our nature and, more importantly, to secure our own existence, we have to get off Earth. First the Russians and then the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs showed that it was possible for humans to go beyond the atmosphere and reach other worlds.
Duane, you're right that unmanned satellites, probes and landers have garnered much more scientific knowledge in space than humans have. But neither the Russian, the American nor - now- the Chinese manned programs have ever really been about science, but about the proving of engineering and technology. The astronauts back in those early years were test pilots. The minimal science that took place was really to give them something to do, since most of the flight maneuvers were either automated or controlled from the ground. (If I recall, only one professional scientist - Jack Schmitt, a geologist - ever flew on the Apollo missions.)
The cancellation of Apollo in 1972 had much to do with the Vietnam War and its immense drain on the national coffers. There's plenty still to do on the Moon, most importantly as a testing ground and launch platform for our expansion into deeper space. The far side is also the only place in the Solar System where we'll be able to do some decent astronomy without all that racket from human-made radio frequency transmissions.
The Space Shuttle as it turned out is something of a white elephant, but it was made thus by government incompetence, bureaucracy and cost-cutting. The original concept - which was well within the capabilities of contemporary technology - was much more simple and elegant. I think NASA has pretty much had its day as far as manned spaceflight goes. The private sector is going to lead the way in this area in the coming years, and may even get us back to the Moon and to Mars before NASA does - and much cheaper!
6 - duane
Well, not much vehemence there. I think we're more or less in (as Mark Schannon would say) violent agreement.
I'd say that space travel is not only the greatest human achievement of the 20th century but possibly - this will be seen in retrospect in the future - of all time.
It might be the greatest technological achievement of the 20th century, but if I were to place myself in, let's say, the 31st Century, and pick out the greatest achievement of the 20th Century, it would probably be something different. But that's another argument.
Unless we destroy ourselves, or unless we run out of energy and stagnate, I'm sure there are far greater achievements ahead. One thousand years from now, space travel, as practiced by 20th Century humans, will look no more remarkable than a steam engine looks to us. One example -- the harnessing of fusion power would represent a far greater triumph of science and technology. And that's an obvious one.
We're an exploring species and we have nowhere else to go.
I'm all for exploration. But that doesn't require humans in space. If some day it happens that Mars can be terraformed, great, let's go. But that's not on the horizon.
But neither the Russian, the American nor - now- the Chinese manned programs have ever really been about science....
Yes. I said as much in my earlier post.
...but about the proving of engineering and technology.
There is no need to develop technology associated with manned space travel unless there is a good reason for man to be in space.
There's plenty still to do on the Moon, most importantly as a testing ground and launch platform for our expansion into deeper space.
What do you mean by "deeper space"? Mars? There is absolutely no possibility of man going to the stars, not until something extremely relativistic is developed.
The far side is also the only place in the Solar System where we'll be able to do some decent astronomy without all that racket from human-made radio frequency transmissions.
Yes, and I would support that.
I think NASA has pretty much had its day as far as manned spaceflight goes.
Hmmm...maybe. NASA admins are swearing to return the U.S. to the moon within two decades. As for Mars, we ain't gonna see men on Mars in our lifetime. Not a chance. Maybe next century. I'm still waiting for a good argument for spending the lion's share of NASA's budget on something that returns so little, compared with the monumental successes of unmanned probes and orbital observing platforms.
7 - Dr Dreadful
if I were to place myself in, let's say, the 31st Century, and pick out the greatest achievement of the 20th Century, it would probably be something different. But that's another argument.
Unless we destroy ourselves, or unless we run out of energy and stagnate, I'm sure there are far greater achievements ahead.
Well, of course, but if a 31st-century human is to look back and pick the one supreme achievement of the 20th century, it will most certainly be the development of the technology that enabled humanity to make the leap from being a terrestrial to a spacefaring species.
It comes down to this. If we as a species stay here, we will become extinct. If we venture outwards and colonize first the Moon, then Mars and the worlds beyond, then worlds orbiting other stars, nothing short of the Big Crunch or the heat-death of the Universe will put an end to us (or whatever we evolve into). That's why I regard those first human flights as such a defining moment: it demonstrated what was possible, and that we are not ultimately doomed.
the harnessing of fusion power would represent a far greater triumph of science and technology.
That's true - and as a by-product, it would make space travel a hell of a lot easier! - but it hasn't been achieved yet, so in a discussion of 20th century accomplishments it's not really relevant.
What do you mean by "deeper space"? Mars?
Yes, anywhere further than the Moon.
There is absolutely no possibility of man going to the stars, not until something extremely relativistic is developed.
I dunno. Not in our lifetimes, certainly, but if you can arrive at some psychological acceptance of the rather terrifying idea that no-one who volunteers for such a mission will ever come home again, it's fully within the realm of even existing technology.
NASA admins are swearing to return the U.S. to the moon within two decades.
And at that rate, I won't be at all surprised if they're beaten there by a plethora of private space companies, the Chinese or even the Indians.
As for Mars, we ain't gonna see men on Mars in our lifetime. Not a chance.
Not if you let NASA do it, for sure. Unless Phoenix discovers oil on Mars, they'll never get the funding. But again you misunderestimate (to borrow a word from our esteemed President) the commercial factor. There are a host of people (myself included) who would be willing to pay for a trip there. And if there's a market for something, you can bet your bottom euro that someone will come up with a way to service the demand. Sooner rather than a century later!
I'm still waiting for a good argument for spending the lion's share of NASA's budget on something that returns so little, compared with the monumental successes of unmanned probes and orbital observing platforms.
I agree. The latter are what NASA should be spending its budget on. But I'm serious: space tourism is going to be huge business in the 21st century, and I'm not just talking about little 15-minute hops into the mesosphere.
8 - duane
Good points, Dr. D., as always.
... so in a discussion of 20th century accomplishments it's not really relevant.
It's relevant in the context of your statement that
... space travel is not only the greatest human achievement of the 20th century but possibly ... of all time.
Of all time? Maybe you meant so far.
My humble opinion is that the invention of writing is the single greatest human achievement to date. But one could argue ....
... if a 31st-century human is to look back and pick the one supreme achievement of the 20th century, it will most certainly be the development of the technology that enabled humanity to make the leap from being a terrestrial to a spacefaring species.
Maybe. I hear what you're saying. But I would say that the greatest achievements of the 20th Century occurred in the realm of thought, specifically, the rise of quantum mechanics and the elevation of cosmology to a true scientific endeavor. These two breakthroughs have led to a complete overthrow of our conception of objective reality and have given us a stunning conception of our place in the universe. Both theories will be refined, but the basic ideas are unlikely to be overturned, unless we discover God. It is true, however, that without robotic space vehicles, cosmology would be less developed than it is now. I think the 20th Century will be viewed as a period during which a new scientific enlightenment began. I'm guessing that the 21st Century will become the Age of Biology. Major ethical and philosophical questions will accompany the explosive growth of knowledge in this area (as we're already beginning to see).
I think space travel is one of the greatest tech accomplishments of all time. We are lucky to be here to witness it in its infancy. But taking a longer view, I think that the invention of the computer will be seen to have had a much more decisive and pervasive effect on the course of civilization.
By the way, I'm saving my pennies for a vacation to the Tycho crater.
9 - Dr Dreadful
Olympus Mons and the Valles Marineris for me.
Anyway, regardless of what mankind's greatest achievement eventually turns out to be, I'm excited about this show. I've DVRed it so I'm making my wife watch and erase all her Oprahs to make room on the hard drive!
10 - david
i think leaving the earth is and will be the bigist acomplishment in the history of man kind it shows were are able to leave our home so one day starting with the moon then mars other stars in the malky way and beond if we put our heads to geather we can do eny thing