Adventures in Space - 1989

NBS News production
Executive producer: D. M. Therese Byrne, Don Bowers
Writer / Producer: Gene Farinet
Producer: Marcia Kuyper Schneider
Dir.: John Bianco
Host: Leonard Nimoy

- The Threshold 

Landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. Travelling to space has changed the view of the world and the understanding of ourselves. Verne’s description of the moon stands almost unchanged.

Guthard invented the first rocket. Later van Braun discoveries surrendered to the United States. Experiencing successes and failures like Sputnik the tests went on. The United States could not afford to loose a race against Russia at the time, which had their first satellite in orbit. Based on a drawing from van Braun space age began in the United States by sending the explorer (their own satellite) later on. Russia's Sputnik II was the first to carry a dog into space. Jurij Gagarin was the first human to be sent to space followed by Allan Shepard.

- The Best Stuff

33hrs 30 Minutes took the first flight across the ocean from America to Paris. The first significant milestone had been set by the Wright brothers before. Planes became faster and faster opening the door to space travel. Named X15, the first wing-spacecraft was invented. "When it came time to test the experimental space shuttle, President Ford hat the good sense to name it... Guess what!"

- The New Frontier

Gravity is only 1/6^th on the moon. The new world of the 1960ies were 14 million square miles of unexplored territory. For the astronauts the 71 and a half hour journey to the moon was almost routine. When the Eagle had landed, they shook hands without saying a word. July 20^th, 1969 N. Armstrong stepped down the ladder and said the famous words: "It's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."

Moon travel became almost familiar by now and astronauts were spending some 19 hours on the surface without break. The lunar rover, a light electric car, carried them around.

All in all they traveled 17 miles, took more than 1100 pictures and collected 100 documented soil and rock samples.

After intense competition Russian and American crews now work together.