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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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Washington Goes To The Moon

On Thursday, May 24th WAMU aired Washington Goes To The Moon to mark the 40th anniversary (May 25, 2001) of President Kennedy's speech, calling on America to land a man on the moon. To commemorate this historic event, WAMU, in conjunction with the documentary series Soundprint, produced the two-hour program.

Real Listen to Part 1

Washington Goes To the Moon, Part 1 - Washington, We Have A Problem looks at the monumental battle throughout the 60's as President Kennedy's deadline for landing a man on the moon came up against the Vietnam War, The War On Poverty, The Great Society, and a growing anti-technology movement. It explores President Kennedy's attempt, right before his death, to enlist the Soviets in helping him get out of the end-of-the-decade deadline; and talks with and about the opponents of the space program who were forced to swim against the pro-Apollo tide.

Real Listen to Part 2

Washington Goes To the Moon, Part 2 - Trials & Fire chronicles the aftermath of the fire on Apollo One, which killed three astronauts and called into question the most fundamental aspects of NASA's management structure. We look at NASA's highly critical investigation of the company that built the Apollo One capsule and the turmoil that erupted when the report of the investigation was leaked by a US Senator.

Transcripts are available as sources for others researching similar topics:

Interviews

Congressional Testimony

Additional Links

Two 1988 NASM interviews, clips of which are used in Washington Goes To the Moon