In the late 1950s, and throughout the 1960s, the U.S. was in the middle of The Cold War with the Soviet Union. Both sides tried to out-perform one another in every way, including scientific advancements and setting records. The Soviet Union had kicked off the "Space Race" when they launched the first man-made satellite called "Sputnik." In this episode of History In A Nutshell, follow the events leading up to the U.S. landing on the moon; from test pilots and Project Mercury, through Gemini and the Apollo program!
Also included in this episode is a bonus feature! For the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the South Carolina State Museum hosted a special screening of the PBS documentary Chasing The Moon. During this event, Knowitall.org and SCETV got the opportunity to interview two South Carolinians who helped recover Apollo spacecraft after they returned from their journeys to the moon!
Spanish captions are now available.
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Part 1 briefly outlines the Cold War, and how the "Space Race" got started, with the Soviets' launching of Sputnik, in October, 1957. Next came the U.S. competing with the Soviets to launch a man into...
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Gemini is the not widely known bridge between Mercury, and the Apollo Program. Gemini would serve as the test-bed for Apollo; to prepare NASA for trips to the moon. After the successes with the Gemini...
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A Christmas miracle could not have been more needed in the year 1968. With the Vietnam War at its height, race relations reaching a boiling point in the U.S., and the assassinations of Dr. Martin...
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Bob Coggin, from Charleston, S.C., served as a U.S. Navy "frogman" diver. A "frogman" is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater for military or police work. During the Vietnam...
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For the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's historic moon landing, the South Carolina State Museum hosted a special screening of PBS' Chasing The Moon. During this event, South Carolina ETV, and Knowitall...
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Milt Putnam, from Seneca, South Carolina, was a U.S. Navy photographer, who also served in the Vietnam War. Putnam was assigned to take official photographs of several Apollo recoveries: Apollo 8...
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"Failure is not an option!" -Flight Director Gene Kranz NASA's Apollo 13 was intended to be the third mission to land on the moon, but fate had other plans. Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space...
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Aerospace: The Challenge. Center For Aerospace Education Development. 1979. From The Earth To The Moon. Executive Producer Tom Hanks. Produced By Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Michael Bostick. HBO...
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This photo gallery includes the following images: United States Air Force Pilot Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager Bell X-1 Sputnik National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Logo President Dwight D...
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This quiz will test your knowledge on the history of the race to the moon, between the United States and the Soviet Union! How much do you know about the Space Race? Find out via the quiz below!
