"Mysteries at the Museum" Space Race: Mysteries at the Museum Special

1 00:00:04,738 --> 00:00:07,507 ARMSTRONG: It's one small step for man... 2 00:00:09,843 --> 00:00:12,579 ...one giant leap for mankind. 3 00:00:14,247 --> 00:00:16,549 We all know those were the first words 4 00:00:16,616 --> 00:00:18,551 uttered from the surface of the Moon, 5 00:00:18,618 --> 00:00:20,787 and that they were spoken by an American, 6 00:00:20,854 --> 00:00:22,322 but just as plausibly, 7 00:00:22,389 --> 00:00:24,858 they might've been spoken by someone else... 8 00:00:24,924 --> 00:00:27,293 and in Russian. 9 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:28,795 The dawn of the Space Age 10 00:00:28,862 --> 00:00:32,265 rose from the darkest depths of of the Cold War. 11 00:00:32,332 --> 00:00:35,535 The U.S. and the Soviet Union were locked eyeball to eyeball 12 00:00:35,602 --> 00:00:37,537 in a nuclear stare-down. 13 00:00:37,604 --> 00:00:39,406 Only the balance of bombs 14 00:00:39,472 --> 00:00:42,042 and the threat of mutual annihilation 15 00:00:42,108 --> 00:00:44,477 kept the paper-thin peace, 16 00:00:44,544 --> 00:00:48,081 and then, Russia shocked the world. 17 00:00:48,148 --> 00:00:49,983 GALLTENTINE: They shot off a rocket 18 00:00:50,050 --> 00:00:51,951 that put a satellite into space. 19 00:00:52,018 --> 00:00:53,787 What is to stop them from attaching 20 00:00:53,853 --> 00:00:56,890 a nuclear warhead to that? 21 00:00:56,956 --> 00:00:59,159 WILDMAN: It touched off a furious race 22 00:00:59,225 --> 00:01:01,027 for dominance in space, 23 00:01:01,094 --> 00:01:04,030 and America was losing. 24 00:01:04,097 --> 00:01:07,334 Our only chance was the greatest scientific Hail Mary 25 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:08,868 in American history. 26 00:01:08,935 --> 00:01:12,372 We choose to go to the Moon. 27 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:15,308 WILDMAN: Now I'm uncovering the treacherous true story... 28 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:17,277 BAKER: 4 1/2-G right there. 29 00:01:17,344 --> 00:01:19,179 There you go. -Impossible to do this. 30 00:01:19,245 --> 00:01:21,648 Impossible. Oh, my God. 31 00:01:21,715 --> 00:01:23,450 WILDMAN: And the real hidden history 32 00:01:23,516 --> 00:01:26,419 behind America's most audacious achievement. 33 00:01:26,486 --> 00:01:27,587 MISSION CONTROL: 60 seconds. 34 00:01:27,654 --> 00:01:31,091 You don't want to run out of gas and crash. 35 00:01:31,157 --> 00:01:33,860 Who were the fearless heroes who risked their lives 36 00:01:33,927 --> 00:01:37,397 to climb on top of a rocket? 37 00:01:37,464 --> 00:01:40,233 MISSION CONTROL: Godspeed, John Glenn. 38 00:01:40,300 --> 00:01:41,668 WILDMAN: How did they do it? 39 00:01:41,735 --> 00:01:44,371 How in just 10 short years 40 00:01:44,437 --> 00:01:48,074 did America leap from the brink of nuclear war... 41 00:01:48,141 --> 00:01:50,410 3, 2, 1. 42 00:01:50,477 --> 00:01:52,112 Lift-off! 43 00:01:54,714 --> 00:01:58,284 ...and land in the name of peace for all mankind? 44 00:02:00,854 --> 00:02:02,355 I'm Don Wildman. 45 00:02:02,422 --> 00:02:04,858 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 46 00:02:04,924 --> 00:02:07,794 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 47 00:02:07,861 --> 00:02:09,295 That is unbelievable. 48 00:02:09,362 --> 00:02:12,499 Now I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 49 00:02:12,565 --> 00:02:15,168 and famous cases in history. 50 00:02:15,235 --> 00:02:17,570 My goal -- to get closer to the truth... 51 00:02:17,637 --> 00:02:20,006 Let's burn this place down. -Burn it down. 52 00:02:20,073 --> 00:02:21,808 ...on this special episode 53 00:02:21,875 --> 00:02:25,145 of "Mysteries at the Museum: The Space Race." 54 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:33,074 55 00:02:34,688 --> 00:02:36,990 It's launch day at Cape Canaveral -- 56 00:02:37,057 --> 00:02:40,060 the same historic spaceport from which the United States 57 00:02:40,126 --> 00:02:43,396 took its first steps to the stars, 58 00:02:43,463 --> 00:02:46,066 and NASA has offered me a front-row seat 59 00:02:46,132 --> 00:02:49,202 to today's big event. 60 00:02:49,269 --> 00:02:53,373 Look. That is a Falcon 9 rocket, sitting on a launch pad, 61 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,943 out there between those two concrete structures. 62 00:02:57,010 --> 00:02:58,345 It's unmanned, 63 00:02:58,411 --> 00:03:03,817 but human lives depend on the success of this mission. 64 00:03:03,883 --> 00:03:07,420 The Falcon 9 rocket is built and flown by SpaceX, 65 00:03:07,487 --> 00:03:10,523 a private American aerospace company. 66 00:03:10,590 --> 00:03:13,026 And today, it's carrying critical cargo. 67 00:03:17,097 --> 00:03:21,434 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 68 00:03:21,501 --> 00:03:24,637 Lift-off! 69 00:03:24,704 --> 00:03:26,239 Wow! There it goes. 70 00:03:29,342 --> 00:03:31,344 Wow, that is so bright I can't even look at it. 71 00:03:36,182 --> 00:03:40,053 Oh, my -- Look at that thing! 72 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,255 There's the sound. 73 00:03:47,761 --> 00:03:49,262 That deafening rumble. 74 00:03:54,734 --> 00:03:56,503 Yikes! That's loud. 75 00:04:02,342 --> 00:04:05,211 Next stop -- the International Space Station, 76 00:04:05,278 --> 00:04:08,648 where the SpaceX rocket will deliver its precious payload, 77 00:04:08,715 --> 00:04:11,284 6,000 pounds of food and supplies, 78 00:04:11,351 --> 00:04:13,787 to the six Space Station astronauts -- 79 00:04:13,853 --> 00:04:16,389 three from America, one from Japan, 80 00:04:16,456 --> 00:04:19,726 and two cosmonauts from Russia. 81 00:04:19,793 --> 00:04:24,631 Space flight in the 21st century is all about cooperation, 82 00:04:24,698 --> 00:04:27,367 but it didn't begin that way. 83 00:04:27,434 --> 00:04:30,270 60 years ago, at the dawn of the Space Age, 84 00:04:30,337 --> 00:04:32,072 the world was strung taut 85 00:04:32,138 --> 00:04:34,741 between two deadlocked superpowers, 86 00:04:34,808 --> 00:04:37,544 the United States and the Soviet Union. 87 00:04:37,610 --> 00:04:39,946 Both countries had massive nuclear arsenals, 88 00:04:40,013 --> 00:04:42,849 capable of destroying whole cities. 89 00:04:42,916 --> 00:04:47,987 Nuclear strategists called it "mutually assured destruction." 90 00:04:48,054 --> 00:04:49,456 But for most Americans, 91 00:04:49,522 --> 00:04:53,927 the Soviets and their fearsome warheads seemed a world away. 92 00:04:53,993 --> 00:04:57,464 And then, on October 4th, 1957, 93 00:04:57,530 --> 00:05:00,834 Russia turned the world upside down. 94 00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:02,502 REPORTER #1: The Soviet Union is launching 95 00:05:02,569 --> 00:05:04,504 the first Earth satellite. 96 00:05:04,571 --> 00:05:06,406 REPORTER #2: All over the world, people are tuning in 97 00:05:06,473 --> 00:05:08,441 to the bleep bleep of the red Moon, 98 00:05:08,508 --> 00:05:10,877 600 miles above the Earth. 99 00:05:10,944 --> 00:05:13,413 WILDMAN: Sputnik. 100 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,182 It unleashed a national panic. 101 00:05:16,249 --> 00:05:18,318 Hey, Jay. How you doings? -Hi, Don. Welcome to NASA. 102 00:05:18,385 --> 00:05:19,953 Thank you very much. So, you have... 103 00:05:20,020 --> 00:05:22,389 Jay Gallentine is a historian and author 104 00:05:22,455 --> 00:05:25,558 on the formative years of space exploration. 105 00:05:25,625 --> 00:05:29,195 So, tell me why Sputnik caused so much concern. 106 00:05:29,262 --> 00:05:31,431 Because it was flying directly over us. Mm. 107 00:05:31,498 --> 00:05:34,668 And the Russians didn't ask if they could do that. 108 00:05:34,734 --> 00:05:38,304 Our prime adversary is flying right over our country. 109 00:05:38,371 --> 00:05:42,175 They shot off a rocket that put a satellite into space. 110 00:05:42,242 --> 00:05:44,110 What is to stop them from attaching 111 00:05:44,177 --> 00:05:46,279 a nuclear warhead to that? 112 00:05:46,346 --> 00:05:49,315 President Eisenhower had a big problem. 113 00:05:49,382 --> 00:05:52,085 He needed to confront this new Soviet threat 114 00:05:52,152 --> 00:05:55,088 without triggering World War III. 115 00:05:55,155 --> 00:05:57,290 President Eisenhower was getting swarmed 116 00:05:57,357 --> 00:05:59,225 by the different branches of the military 117 00:05:59,292 --> 00:06:02,228 with proposals for different options. Yeah. 118 00:06:02,295 --> 00:06:04,197 And I think Ike saw a real danger 119 00:06:04,264 --> 00:06:07,567 in making this a military venture. 120 00:06:07,634 --> 00:06:09,235 But he had to do something. 121 00:06:09,302 --> 00:06:11,604 The United States was not about to sit back 122 00:06:11,671 --> 00:06:15,942 and let Russia lock away the cosmos behind the Iron Curtain. 123 00:06:16,009 --> 00:06:19,379 And so ultimately he decided, wisely I think, 124 00:06:19,446 --> 00:06:22,449 to create a civilian space agency, 125 00:06:22,515 --> 00:06:24,951 you know, whose charter explicitly stated 126 00:06:25,018 --> 00:06:28,521 "peaceful space exploration for the benefit of all mankind." 127 00:06:31,257 --> 00:06:33,927 That civilian agency was NASA, 128 00:06:33,993 --> 00:06:37,197 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 129 00:06:37,263 --> 00:06:39,899 and its unwritten mission was clear -- 130 00:06:39,966 --> 00:06:43,837 make the United States the leader in space. 131 00:06:43,903 --> 00:06:47,240 It would take something much bolder than a satellite. 132 00:06:47,307 --> 00:06:50,443 So, it's 1959. NASA's a brand-new organization. 133 00:06:50,510 --> 00:06:51,578 What's their plan? 134 00:06:51,644 --> 00:06:53,646 Their plan is something called Project Mercury. 135 00:06:53,713 --> 00:06:56,049 So, they're going to take one person, 136 00:06:56,116 --> 00:06:58,518 put them inside a solo space capsule, 137 00:06:58,585 --> 00:07:01,488 send them off into space, and get them back safely. 138 00:07:01,554 --> 00:07:03,890 So how are they gonna do that? Do they have spaceships? 139 00:07:03,957 --> 00:07:06,993 Not exactly. They've got ballistic missiles. 140 00:07:07,060 --> 00:07:10,230 So, they're gonna put a man on top of a nuke? 141 00:07:10,296 --> 00:07:13,299 They're gonna take the nuke off and put the man on in its place. 142 00:07:13,366 --> 00:07:14,634 They're gonna swap payloads. 143 00:07:14,701 --> 00:07:16,169 This sounds like a desperate plan. 144 00:07:21,107 --> 00:07:23,476 So, right here, we have the two rockets 145 00:07:23,543 --> 00:07:25,211 from NASA's earliest days, 146 00:07:25,278 --> 00:07:28,214 and both of them started life as ballistic missiles. 147 00:07:28,281 --> 00:07:30,016 And this is a Mercury capsule? 148 00:07:30,083 --> 00:07:31,351 It's a mock-up, but yeah. 149 00:07:31,418 --> 00:07:33,653 This is what contained the man 150 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:35,855 and everything to keep him alive for the whole trip. 151 00:07:35,922 --> 00:07:37,857 So, the only thing I'm looking at, at that rocket 152 00:07:37,924 --> 00:07:39,359 that is designed for space 153 00:07:39,426 --> 00:07:41,828 is the capsule, this on top. -That's right. 154 00:07:41,895 --> 00:07:43,329 Everything else just gets you there, 155 00:07:43,396 --> 00:07:45,565 and then it falls into the ocean. 156 00:07:45,632 --> 00:07:48,935 Project Mercury would be a two-step process. 157 00:07:49,002 --> 00:07:52,238 The ultimate goal was to place a human into orbit. 158 00:07:52,305 --> 00:07:54,341 The space capsule would fly around the Earth 159 00:07:54,407 --> 00:07:57,811 several times, then splash down in the ocean. 160 00:07:57,877 --> 00:08:00,447 But first, NASA would test the technology 161 00:08:00,513 --> 00:08:05,418 with a series of less-risky, shorter suborbital flights. 162 00:08:05,485 --> 00:08:07,921 You go up far enough to kiss space, 163 00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:09,255 then you splash down in the ocean. 164 00:08:09,322 --> 00:08:11,991 This is the simplest form of space flight. 165 00:08:12,058 --> 00:08:15,128 Yes, but there was nothing simple about it in 1959. 166 00:08:15,195 --> 00:08:16,463 Sure thing. 167 00:08:19,566 --> 00:08:22,102 By 1960, Project Mercury was ready 168 00:08:22,168 --> 00:08:24,804 for its very first unmanned flight test -- 169 00:08:24,871 --> 00:08:27,140 Mercury-Redstone 1. 170 00:08:27,207 --> 00:08:30,343 Most history books make no mention of this mission, 171 00:08:30,410 --> 00:08:32,746 but it happened right here. 172 00:08:32,812 --> 00:08:35,482 An empty Mercury capsule would be attached 173 00:08:35,548 --> 00:08:38,284 to a modified Army Redstone rocket, 174 00:08:38,351 --> 00:08:41,721 then blasted 100 miles into space. 175 00:08:41,788 --> 00:08:46,026 The suborbital flight would last just 15 minutes. 176 00:08:46,092 --> 00:08:49,295 If it succeeded, the next mission could carry a man. 177 00:08:51,898 --> 00:08:53,166 Look at this place. 178 00:08:53,233 --> 00:08:57,037 This is the blockhouse for launch pad #5. 179 00:08:57,103 --> 00:09:00,907 If it looks like a bunker, that's because it is, basically. 180 00:09:00,974 --> 00:09:03,777 I mean, this place was designed to not only 181 00:09:03,843 --> 00:09:06,479 control the rockets being fired out there on the pad, 182 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:09,449 but also to serve as protection in the case of an explosion. 183 00:09:12,686 --> 00:09:16,222 Mercury-Redstone 1 was ready for launch. 184 00:09:16,289 --> 00:09:18,258 This was a high-tension moment. 185 00:09:18,324 --> 00:09:20,226 Very important lift-off was about to happen. 186 00:09:20,293 --> 00:09:22,729 VIPs have been brought in, the whole thing. 187 00:09:22,796 --> 00:09:26,266 And as far as they're concerned, everything's systems go. 188 00:09:26,332 --> 00:09:29,703 So when the countdown happens, the firing button is pushed 189 00:09:29,769 --> 00:09:32,205 and, sure enough, ignition happens. 190 00:09:32,272 --> 00:09:35,075 A tremendous amount of smoke comes out. 191 00:09:37,377 --> 00:09:38,745 But on this particular day, 192 00:09:38,812 --> 00:09:42,115 that rocket only went four inches off the pad, 193 00:09:42,182 --> 00:09:45,819 and then settled back down where it had taken off from. 194 00:09:45,885 --> 00:09:48,455 It's still standing right there on the pad. 195 00:09:48,521 --> 00:09:50,957 Something had gone wrong. 196 00:09:51,024 --> 00:09:53,760 Mercury-Redstone 1 zipped through its entire 197 00:09:53,827 --> 00:09:58,298 15-minute flight program in less than two seconds. 198 00:09:58,365 --> 00:10:00,133 It was a humiliating failure. 199 00:10:06,072 --> 00:10:08,241 NASA ordered more tests. 200 00:10:08,308 --> 00:10:11,177 It would be another five months before Project Mercury 201 00:10:11,244 --> 00:10:14,647 was ready for a living, breathing man. 202 00:10:14,714 --> 00:10:16,282 Astronaut Alan B. Shepard 203 00:10:16,349 --> 00:10:19,152 was tapped by NASA to be that man. 204 00:10:19,219 --> 00:10:22,922 Shepard was a former Naval aviator and test pilot. 205 00:10:22,989 --> 00:10:26,359 His suborbital mission would last just 15 minutes, 206 00:10:26,426 --> 00:10:29,529 but was sure to land him in the history books. 207 00:10:29,596 --> 00:10:33,867 Alan Shepard was destined to be the first man in space, 208 00:10:33,933 --> 00:10:35,602 and then... 209 00:10:35,669 --> 00:10:37,737 the Russians did it again. 210 00:10:37,804 --> 00:10:41,808 On April 12th, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin 211 00:10:41,875 --> 00:10:44,944 road his Vostok I rocket into space. 212 00:10:47,747 --> 00:10:49,683 And to add insult to injury, 213 00:10:49,749 --> 00:10:54,621 Gagarin's flight lasted two hours and achieved orbit. 214 00:10:54,688 --> 00:10:57,257 America was three weeks too late. 215 00:10:57,323 --> 00:11:00,293 The first man in space was a communist. 216 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:04,898 It seemed the Soviet Union was months, if not years, ahead. 217 00:11:04,964 --> 00:11:06,499 How would NASA recover? 218 00:11:06,566 --> 00:11:09,069 Could we even catch the Russians? 219 00:11:09,135 --> 00:11:12,339 The United States was determined to try. 220 00:11:12,405 --> 00:11:13,907 It would be one of the most difficult 221 00:11:13,973 --> 00:11:16,710 and ambitious endeavors in American history. 222 00:11:25,251 --> 00:11:28,188 MISSION CONTROL: 3, 2, 1. 223 00:11:28,254 --> 00:11:29,789 Ignition. 224 00:11:32,092 --> 00:11:34,661 WILDMAN: May 5th, 1961, 225 00:11:34,728 --> 00:11:37,797 the United States sent a man into space. 226 00:11:37,864 --> 00:11:39,466 REPORTER: Astronaut Alan Shepard, 227 00:11:39,532 --> 00:11:43,003 the first American to achieve space flight. 228 00:11:43,069 --> 00:11:45,205 WILDMAN: But the Soviets got there first. 229 00:11:49,476 --> 00:11:53,146 America plunged into a crisis of self-confidence. 230 00:11:53,213 --> 00:11:55,348 Was the mighty arsenal of democracy 231 00:11:55,415 --> 00:12:00,053 that won World War II simply no match for the Reds? 232 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,590 There was only one person with the power to lift America up 233 00:12:03,656 --> 00:12:07,027 and set us on the starry path to victory. 234 00:12:07,093 --> 00:12:09,696 John F. Kennedy had been sworn in as President 235 00:12:09,763 --> 00:12:11,631 just four months earlier, 236 00:12:11,698 --> 00:12:16,302 but he saw Russia's triumphs in space through a Cold War lens. 237 00:12:16,369 --> 00:12:18,805 Left unchecked, the Soviets might one day 238 00:12:18,872 --> 00:12:21,508 send a squadron of nuclear-tipped Sputniks 239 00:12:21,574 --> 00:12:24,444 sailing over America. 240 00:12:24,511 --> 00:12:26,613 Kennedy needed to respond boldly, 241 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:29,382 but without touching off an all-out war. 242 00:12:29,449 --> 00:12:32,352 I believe that this nation should commit itself 243 00:12:32,419 --> 00:12:36,022 to achieving the goal before this decade is out 244 00:12:36,089 --> 00:12:37,891 of landing a man on the Moon 245 00:12:37,957 --> 00:12:40,894 and returning him safely to the Earth. 246 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,530 WILDMAN: It was a breathtaking challenge, 247 00:12:43,596 --> 00:12:46,299 but Kennedy hoped that setting such a lofty bar 248 00:12:46,366 --> 00:12:49,069 would rally the public and focus the United States 249 00:12:49,135 --> 00:12:53,239 on a clear, unmistakable, all-or-nothing goal -- 250 00:12:53,306 --> 00:12:55,709 plant an American flag on the Moon 251 00:12:55,775 --> 00:12:59,212 by the end of the decade. 252 00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:01,648 It would be a multi-step journey. 253 00:13:01,715 --> 00:13:04,150 To succeed, Project Mercury must master 254 00:13:04,217 --> 00:13:08,521 the basics of space flight by putting a man into orbit, 255 00:13:08,588 --> 00:13:12,192 then Project Gemini would tackle more advanced techniques 256 00:13:12,258 --> 00:13:13,760 necessary to go to the Moon, 257 00:13:13,827 --> 00:13:17,564 such as how to work outside the spacecraft, 258 00:13:17,630 --> 00:13:21,101 and how to rendezvous and dock two ships together. 259 00:13:21,167 --> 00:13:23,036 If the Gemini missions went well, 260 00:13:23,103 --> 00:13:26,339 NASA would graduate to Apollo. 261 00:13:26,406 --> 00:13:30,276 The Apollo Program would send astronauts deep into space 262 00:13:30,343 --> 00:13:33,847 with the ultimate goal of landing on the Moon. 263 00:13:33,913 --> 00:13:35,915 If all these steps went perfectly, 264 00:13:35,982 --> 00:13:37,450 America might just meet 265 00:13:37,517 --> 00:13:42,355 President Kennedy's challenge by 1970. 266 00:13:42,422 --> 00:13:45,925 Congress wrote NASA a blank check. 267 00:13:45,992 --> 00:13:48,161 The Space Race had officially begun, 268 00:13:48,228 --> 00:13:49,863 and the American people were all-in. 269 00:13:49,929 --> 00:13:53,166 Suddenly rocket ships were everywhere in pop culture. 270 00:13:53,233 --> 00:13:55,402 But nothing captured the nation's heart 271 00:13:55,468 --> 00:13:59,539 so much as the astronauts themselves. 272 00:13:59,606 --> 00:14:01,608 They were called the Mercury 7, 273 00:14:01,675 --> 00:14:04,544 America's first astronauts. 274 00:14:04,611 --> 00:14:06,546 They were all military test pilots, 275 00:14:06,613 --> 00:14:10,116 and they were the best of the best. 276 00:14:10,183 --> 00:14:12,952 Mr. Barbree. How are you doing? -Hey. How are you, Don? 277 00:14:13,019 --> 00:14:14,454 -Nice to meet you. -Come on in. Sit down. 278 00:14:14,521 --> 00:14:16,489 Join us here, buddy. It's an honor here. 279 00:14:16,556 --> 00:14:20,427 Journalist Jay Barbree covered every manned launch for NBC, 280 00:14:20,493 --> 00:14:23,930 in a career spanning a half century. 281 00:14:23,997 --> 00:14:27,434 So, this is 1961. Mercury 7 astronauts. Right. 282 00:14:27,500 --> 00:14:29,436 You knew these guys. Oh, yeah. 283 00:14:29,502 --> 00:14:31,137 Four of them still owe me money, Don. 284 00:14:31,204 --> 00:14:33,406 But anyway, yeah, I knew them very well. 285 00:14:33,473 --> 00:14:37,043 So, this was a Holiday Inn then, and they lived here, right? 286 00:14:37,110 --> 00:14:38,478 That's right. This was it. 287 00:14:38,545 --> 00:14:39,879 And you could come in here, 288 00:14:39,946 --> 00:14:43,149 "Oh, that's Alan Shepard," or "That's John Glenn." 289 00:14:43,216 --> 00:14:45,819 Hotshots. These guys were rock stars, right? 290 00:14:45,885 --> 00:14:47,153 Well, they turned out to be. 291 00:14:47,220 --> 00:14:49,723 They weren't rock stars when they were selected. 292 00:14:52,459 --> 00:14:53,660 NASA made the astronauts 293 00:14:53,727 --> 00:14:56,296 the public face of the space program -- 294 00:14:56,363 --> 00:14:59,666 seven squeaky-clean, all-American heroes, 295 00:14:59,733 --> 00:15:01,968 but Jay remembers what the Mercury astronauts 296 00:15:02,035 --> 00:15:04,471 were really like. 297 00:15:04,537 --> 00:15:08,008 Look at that. That is a beauty. Yeah. 298 00:15:08,074 --> 00:15:09,209 Corvette. Yeah. 299 00:15:09,275 --> 00:15:11,544 You know, the astronauts loved these. 300 00:15:11,611 --> 00:15:13,146 And this is a '62, 301 00:15:13,213 --> 00:15:16,883 just like what the astronauts had. 302 00:15:16,950 --> 00:15:19,285 Being an astronaut had its perks. 303 00:15:19,352 --> 00:15:21,921 A local Chevrolet dealer offered new Corvettes 304 00:15:21,988 --> 00:15:24,090 to the Mercury 7 every year, 305 00:15:24,157 --> 00:15:26,526 for the low price of $1. 306 00:15:26,593 --> 00:15:30,463 He says "I'm gonna give you guys a Corvette each year, 307 00:15:30,530 --> 00:15:32,665 but you got to turn it back in to me, 308 00:15:32,732 --> 00:15:35,468 and then I'll sell your Corvettes." And the next person who bought it 309 00:15:35,535 --> 00:15:38,104 would get an astronaut's Corvette. That's right. 310 00:15:38,171 --> 00:15:40,640 And they paid twice as much for a brand-new one, yeah. 311 00:15:40,707 --> 00:15:42,442 The ultimate used car. Yeah. 312 00:15:42,509 --> 00:15:44,210 This is the perfect astronaut car -- 313 00:15:44,277 --> 00:15:46,379 hotshot... Oh, man. 314 00:15:46,446 --> 00:15:47,714 ...lots of engine, lots of power. 315 00:15:47,781 --> 00:15:51,217 You wouldn't know -- They raced them out on the Cape. 316 00:15:51,284 --> 00:15:53,787 You wouldn't know what they did around town, I'll tell you. 317 00:15:53,853 --> 00:15:55,889 Sure left a lot of people in their tracks. 318 00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:59,192 So, all the Mercury 7 astronauts got these cars? 319 00:15:59,259 --> 00:16:00,994 Well, six of them did. 320 00:16:01,061 --> 00:16:03,229 John Glenn, being the family man, 321 00:16:03,296 --> 00:16:05,632 he got some kind of a station wagon or something, 322 00:16:05,699 --> 00:16:07,267 and everybody always talked about it -- 323 00:16:07,334 --> 00:16:08,468 he was a big family man. 324 00:16:08,535 --> 00:16:10,437 So, he was the sensible one of the seven. 325 00:16:10,503 --> 00:16:12,706 -Supposedly. 326 00:16:19,713 --> 00:16:21,481 GLENN: This is the way I look at this whole program... 327 00:16:21,548 --> 00:16:23,283 I think there is a power greater than I am 328 00:16:23,350 --> 00:16:26,152 that will certainly see that I am taken care of 329 00:16:26,219 --> 00:16:28,455 if I do my part of the bargain. 330 00:16:28,521 --> 00:16:32,359 WILDMAN: John Glenn seemed born to be a national hero. 331 00:16:32,425 --> 00:16:34,094 He grew up in rural Ohio 332 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,430 and enlisted in the Marines after Pearl Harbor. 333 00:16:37,497 --> 00:16:42,602 He flew 149 combat missions in World War II and Korea, 334 00:16:42,669 --> 00:16:44,471 and now he would test his mettle 335 00:16:44,537 --> 00:16:46,673 on his most dangerous mission yet, 336 00:16:46,740 --> 00:16:50,377 the crucial next step on the road to the Moon. 337 00:16:50,443 --> 00:16:55,048 John Glenn was going to attempt to orbit the Earth. 338 00:16:55,115 --> 00:16:59,085 WILDMAN: So, he went up a year after Yuri Gagarin. 339 00:16:59,152 --> 00:17:00,987 Were people even excited about Glenn? 340 00:17:01,054 --> 00:17:03,857 Oh, my lord. Everybody wanted to go to the Moon. 341 00:17:03,923 --> 00:17:06,292 The nation loved President Kennedy. Right. 342 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:07,861 We knew it was a space race 343 00:17:07,927 --> 00:17:10,697 and we had to pass them to get up there first. 344 00:17:10,764 --> 00:17:12,999 That was the whole thing, the first to the Moon. 345 00:17:13,066 --> 00:17:15,201 The stakes were high with Glenn. Oh, yeah. 346 00:17:18,972 --> 00:17:22,275 On the morning of February 20th, 1962, 347 00:17:22,342 --> 00:17:25,645 John Glenn strapped into his Mercury space capsule, 348 00:17:25,712 --> 00:17:27,347 and America held its breath. 349 00:17:33,153 --> 00:17:35,355 WILDMAN: This is beautiful. So, what is this place here? 350 00:17:35,422 --> 00:17:37,323 BARBREE: This is called Jetty Park. 351 00:17:37,390 --> 00:17:39,192 Back in the days when the astronauts 352 00:17:39,259 --> 00:17:40,960 were first launching from here, Don, 353 00:17:41,027 --> 00:17:43,163 this is where all the millions of people 354 00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:45,031 that come for the launches, 355 00:17:45,098 --> 00:17:46,966 this is the point of where they gather. 356 00:17:47,033 --> 00:17:49,035 This is an incredible moment in history. 357 00:17:49,102 --> 00:17:51,137 I mean, over there, barely seen, 358 00:17:51,204 --> 00:17:53,907 on top of a rocket is John Glenn. 359 00:17:53,973 --> 00:17:56,576 I mean, there's millions of people watching that man, 360 00:17:56,643 --> 00:17:58,078 that rocket over there 361 00:17:58,144 --> 00:18:00,080 and waiting for that moment of lift-off. 362 00:18:00,146 --> 00:18:01,915 MISSION CONTROL: Godspeed, John Glenn. 363 00:18:08,054 --> 00:18:11,825 Roger. Loud and clear. Flight path is good, 6-9. 364 00:18:17,697 --> 00:18:19,299 REPORTER: Then round and round the Earth, 365 00:18:19,366 --> 00:18:22,068 the whole world listened and waited as he orbited again, 366 00:18:22,135 --> 00:18:26,072 finishing the second round an hour and a half later. 367 00:18:26,139 --> 00:18:27,607 GLENN: Hello, Mercury recovery. 368 00:18:27,674 --> 00:18:29,542 This Friendship 7. Do you read me? 369 00:18:29,609 --> 00:18:31,478 The chute looks very good, over. 370 00:18:34,347 --> 00:18:36,449 WILDMAN: John Glenn returned safely to Earth 371 00:18:36,516 --> 00:18:40,520 and became and instant hero. 372 00:18:40,587 --> 00:18:42,122 President Kennedy awarded him 373 00:18:42,188 --> 00:18:46,826 with the Distinguished Service Medal. 374 00:18:46,893 --> 00:18:48,094 Glenn's orbital flight was a roaring success, 375 00:18:48,161 --> 00:18:51,765 but it was just one part of a greater mission. 376 00:18:51,831 --> 00:18:56,336 We were about to do something that had never been done before, 377 00:18:56,403 --> 00:18:58,204 and that was to go to the Moon, 378 00:18:58,271 --> 00:19:01,441 and John took us a long way. 379 00:19:01,508 --> 00:19:04,911 John Glenn got the country back on its feet. 380 00:19:04,978 --> 00:19:07,747 The Russians were still way ahead in the Space Race, 381 00:19:07,814 --> 00:19:10,116 but the American can-do spirit was back. 382 00:19:13,353 --> 00:19:14,854 And then... 383 00:19:14,921 --> 00:19:16,856 REPORTER: The President's car is now turning onto Elm Street, 384 00:19:16,923 --> 00:19:18,358 and it will be only a matter of minutes 385 00:19:18,425 --> 00:19:20,560 before he arrives at the Trade Mart. 386 00:19:22,028 --> 00:19:25,065 Something is wrong here! Something is terribly wrong! 387 00:19:25,131 --> 00:19:28,234 WILDMAN: The nation suffered an unthinkable blow. 388 00:19:28,301 --> 00:19:30,370 REPORTER: A dark page in the annals of America 389 00:19:30,437 --> 00:19:33,907 has been written to the crack of an assassin's bullet. 390 00:19:33,973 --> 00:19:37,944 WILDMAN: John F. Kennedy was dead. 391 00:19:38,011 --> 00:19:40,180 The country had lost its President, 392 00:19:40,246 --> 00:19:44,317 and the space program had lost its champion. 393 00:19:44,384 --> 00:19:47,754 NASA was at a crossroads. 394 00:19:47,821 --> 00:19:49,989 America could either step aside 395 00:19:50,056 --> 00:19:52,258 and let the Soviets dominate space, 396 00:19:52,325 --> 00:19:55,628 or stand up and show the world we were ready to lead. 397 00:19:55,695 --> 00:19:58,031 President Kennedy had offered the Moon up 398 00:19:58,098 --> 00:19:59,966 as a soul-stirring goal, 399 00:20:00,033 --> 00:20:03,069 but there were only seven years left in the decade. 400 00:20:03,136 --> 00:20:07,340 NASA still had a long way to go to get to the Moon. 401 00:20:13,813 --> 00:20:18,485 WILDMAN: 1965 - The Cold War had erupted into open conflict 402 00:20:18,551 --> 00:20:22,589 on the far side of the world in Vietnam, 403 00:20:22,655 --> 00:20:25,025 but back home, the Space Race to the Moon 404 00:20:25,091 --> 00:20:27,394 remained a beacon of hope. 405 00:20:27,460 --> 00:20:30,430 NASA opened a new mission control center in Houston 406 00:20:30,497 --> 00:20:32,565 for the next phase of the plan, 407 00:20:32,632 --> 00:20:34,534 Project Gemini. 408 00:20:34,601 --> 00:20:37,370 Project Mercury had put an American into orbit, 409 00:20:37,437 --> 00:20:40,440 but there was a laundry list of skills still to be learned 410 00:20:40,507 --> 00:20:43,209 if we'd have any hope of making it to the Moon, 411 00:20:43,276 --> 00:20:45,612 things like working in space 412 00:20:45,679 --> 00:20:48,014 outside the safety of the capsule, 413 00:20:48,081 --> 00:20:52,018 or how to rendezvous and dock two ships together. 414 00:20:52,085 --> 00:20:54,020 Project Gemini was a series of missions 415 00:20:54,087 --> 00:20:56,222 designed to sort out these new skills, 416 00:20:56,289 --> 00:20:59,025 basically training wheels for the Moon. 417 00:21:04,164 --> 00:21:07,467 The new Gemini spacecraft would carry two astronauts 418 00:21:07,534 --> 00:21:11,404 and an onboard computer. 419 00:21:11,471 --> 00:21:15,442 That is an actual Gemini capsule that flew in space. 420 00:21:15,508 --> 00:21:17,844 On June 3rd, 1965, 421 00:21:17,911 --> 00:21:20,347 astronaut Ed White opened his hatch 422 00:21:20,413 --> 00:21:24,684 and stepped into the void, the first American space walk. 423 00:21:24,751 --> 00:21:26,686 But a Russian cosmonaut had completed 424 00:21:26,753 --> 00:21:30,457 the world's first space walk three months earlier. 425 00:21:30,523 --> 00:21:34,327 The Soviets had beaten us again. 426 00:21:34,394 --> 00:21:36,463 NASA soldiered on. 427 00:21:36,529 --> 00:21:40,100 Gemini 8 would attempt the next step in the plan -- 428 00:21:40,166 --> 00:21:42,435 rendezvous two spacecraft in orbit 429 00:21:42,502 --> 00:21:44,037 and connect them together -- 430 00:21:44,104 --> 00:21:46,773 the first docking in space. 431 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:49,909 But this mission has a hair-raising, hidden story. 432 00:21:52,645 --> 00:21:54,981 The Gemini 8 astronauts were rookies, 433 00:21:55,048 --> 00:21:58,485 Dave Scott and Neil Armstrong. 434 00:21:58,551 --> 00:22:01,688 They lifted off on March 16th, 1966. 435 00:22:05,191 --> 00:22:07,560 In order, Armstrong and Scott caught up 436 00:22:07,627 --> 00:22:11,064 with an unmanned target craft launched the day before, 437 00:22:11,131 --> 00:22:13,066 and carefully inched closer. 438 00:22:15,468 --> 00:22:16,803 REPORTER: That was it. 439 00:22:16,870 --> 00:22:20,106 Two vehicles docked for the first time in space. 440 00:22:20,173 --> 00:22:21,975 It was a major achievement. 441 00:22:22,042 --> 00:22:26,112 NASA had finally done something before the Soviets. 442 00:22:26,179 --> 00:22:28,314 The official story ends there, 443 00:22:28,381 --> 00:22:30,784 but in reality, something had gone wrong 444 00:22:30,850 --> 00:22:33,053 that put the astronauts in mortal danger. 445 00:22:40,827 --> 00:22:45,031 Don, why don't you come in and have a seat? 446 00:22:45,098 --> 00:22:47,500 Up in space, Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott 447 00:22:47,567 --> 00:22:50,203 faced a life-threatening emergency, 448 00:22:50,270 --> 00:22:53,506 and I'm about to get a taste of what they went through. 449 00:22:53,573 --> 00:22:55,909 So, how dangerous is this? 450 00:22:55,975 --> 00:22:58,445 There's definitely dangers. There's risks involved. 451 00:22:58,511 --> 00:23:01,047 You could lose consciousness in there. 452 00:23:01,114 --> 00:23:04,284 That sounds -- Yeah, that sounds risky. 453 00:23:04,351 --> 00:23:05,852 Definitely risky. 454 00:23:05,919 --> 00:23:09,622 It takes skill to be able to tolerate this kind of force. 455 00:23:09,689 --> 00:23:12,525 Specifically, centrifugal force. 456 00:23:12,592 --> 00:23:14,994 After they docked, Armstrong and Scott noticed 457 00:23:15,061 --> 00:23:19,499 they were rolling, tumbling end over end and picking up speed. 458 00:23:19,566 --> 00:23:21,768 A thruster was malfunctioning. 459 00:23:21,835 --> 00:23:25,605 Armstrong undocked, but the roll only got faster. 460 00:23:25,672 --> 00:23:30,910 Soon, they were experiencing a full revolution every second. 461 00:23:30,977 --> 00:23:33,046 The spinning capsule was forcing the blood 462 00:23:33,113 --> 00:23:34,514 away from their brains, 463 00:23:34,581 --> 00:23:36,750 impairing vision and motor skills. 464 00:23:36,816 --> 00:23:39,786 The astronauts needed to pull out of the roll manually 465 00:23:39,853 --> 00:23:41,921 using the precise control stick 466 00:23:41,988 --> 00:23:44,391 and before they blacked out. 467 00:23:44,457 --> 00:23:45,792 Nobody could help them. 468 00:23:45,859 --> 00:23:48,328 They were fighting for their lives. 469 00:23:48,395 --> 00:23:50,163 The stakes are lower for me, 470 00:23:50,230 --> 00:23:52,265 and I'll be staying firmly on the ground, 471 00:23:52,332 --> 00:23:55,335 but my hosts have promised a wild ride. 472 00:23:55,402 --> 00:23:58,104 I'm getting g-force training in the same machine 473 00:23:58,171 --> 00:24:00,040 as the astronauts. 474 00:24:00,106 --> 00:24:01,274 Holy moly. Look at that. 475 00:24:01,341 --> 00:24:02,409 Hey, Don. That's cool. 476 00:24:02,475 --> 00:24:04,077 Welcome. This is incredible. 477 00:24:04,144 --> 00:24:06,012 This is the beast. Wow. 478 00:24:06,079 --> 00:24:07,714 This thing is gonna go around and around. 479 00:24:07,781 --> 00:24:10,483 So, this is a human-rated centrifuge. 480 00:24:10,550 --> 00:24:12,018 This one's gonna go counterclockwise. 481 00:24:12,085 --> 00:24:13,286 You're gonna be in our gondola. 482 00:24:13,353 --> 00:24:14,487 You're gonna kick up, and when you do that, 483 00:24:14,554 --> 00:24:16,256 you're getting angular acceleration, 484 00:24:16,322 --> 00:24:18,024 which is G -- more G. Okay. 485 00:24:18,091 --> 00:24:21,327 So, 1-G is Earth gravity? That's exactly right. 486 00:24:21,394 --> 00:24:24,030 So, if it's twice that, that's 2-G. 487 00:24:24,097 --> 00:24:26,266 If it's three times that, it's 3-G. 488 00:24:26,332 --> 00:24:28,435 A passenger on an airplane experiences 489 00:24:28,501 --> 00:24:31,338 roughly 1 1/2-G at takeoff. 490 00:24:31,404 --> 00:24:34,074 So, Dave Scott and Neil Armstrong, 491 00:24:34,140 --> 00:24:36,042 they're in an emergency roll. 492 00:24:36,109 --> 00:24:38,044 What kind of g-forces were they experiencing? 493 00:24:38,111 --> 00:24:40,280 So, the thing that's tricky about their situation is 494 00:24:40,347 --> 00:24:41,581 they're getting multiple g-forces 495 00:24:41,648 --> 00:24:43,783 in different directions. So, very difficult. 496 00:24:43,850 --> 00:24:45,785 So I'm gonna get some idea of... Absolutely. 497 00:24:45,852 --> 00:24:47,854 ...this much idea of what those guys were going through. 498 00:24:47,921 --> 00:24:49,189 Absolutely. 499 00:24:53,293 --> 00:24:55,428 Today, I'll be going to 5-G, 500 00:24:55,495 --> 00:24:59,466 more than astronauts experience at launch. 501 00:24:59,532 --> 00:25:03,603 The centrifuge has been set up like a Gemini capsule. 502 00:25:03,670 --> 00:25:05,905 I have a control stick right here by my right hand, 503 00:25:05,972 --> 00:25:08,174 just like Neil Armstrong did. 504 00:25:08,241 --> 00:25:12,012 He used it to wrestle his out-of-control capsule. 505 00:25:12,078 --> 00:25:15,048 I'll just have to follow a moving target on a screen. 506 00:25:15,115 --> 00:25:18,218 But the idea is to see how I can manage precise work 507 00:25:18,284 --> 00:25:20,353 under intense g-force. 508 00:25:20,420 --> 00:25:21,988 Okay, I'm ready. BAKER: Enjoy. 509 00:25:22,055 --> 00:25:23,523 Okay, go down. 510 00:25:35,802 --> 00:25:38,138 I'm gonna go to check my crew, and then we'll get you spinning. 511 00:25:38,204 --> 00:25:39,572 Data stage? He's ready. 512 00:25:39,639 --> 00:25:40,674 Operator? -We're ready. 513 00:25:40,740 --> 00:25:42,375 He's ready. Medical? -Ready. 514 00:25:42,442 --> 00:25:44,077 He's ready. Fire engines. 515 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:48,581 Okay, you ready to do this? 516 00:25:48,648 --> 00:25:52,118 Ready. 517 00:25:52,185 --> 00:25:54,421 Okay, 3, 2, 1. 518 00:25:54,487 --> 00:25:56,289 Engage. Here we go. 519 00:25:56,356 --> 00:25:58,692 Nice and slow. Just settle in. 520 00:25:58,758 --> 00:26:01,061 It's gonna feel like you're going up and to the left. 521 00:26:01,127 --> 00:26:03,129 Doesn't it? Yeah, it does. 522 00:26:03,196 --> 00:26:04,264 So, eventually it's gonna feel like 523 00:26:04,330 --> 00:26:05,799 you're going straight up in a rocket. 524 00:26:05,865 --> 00:26:08,401 I'm there now. 525 00:26:08,468 --> 00:26:09,936 Oh, boy. 526 00:26:10,003 --> 00:26:11,071 Oh, boy. 527 00:26:11,137 --> 00:26:14,207 You're at 3 1/2-G right there. Okay. 528 00:26:14,274 --> 00:26:15,742 G seems to be getting pretty tight. 529 00:26:15,809 --> 00:26:17,744 There's 4-G. 530 00:26:17,811 --> 00:26:19,012 I'm okay. 531 00:26:19,079 --> 00:26:21,981 All right. Looking good. 532 00:26:22,048 --> 00:26:23,783 Okay, you ready to start the task? 533 00:26:23,850 --> 00:26:25,251 Yeah. Here we go. 534 00:26:27,754 --> 00:26:29,989 I want you track that aircraft for me, okay? 535 00:26:30,056 --> 00:26:31,925 There you go. -Ooh, impossible to do this. 536 00:26:31,991 --> 00:26:33,893 Impossible. Track him. 537 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:35,895 Can't track him. Can't do anything. 538 00:26:35,962 --> 00:26:37,564 Keep that stick on. There you go. 539 00:26:37,630 --> 00:26:40,433 Look at that. Impossible to try to -- 540 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:42,402 My -- My capsule is spinning. 541 00:26:42,469 --> 00:26:45,405 I got to go get us out of this roll. 542 00:26:45,472 --> 00:26:47,107 That's impossible. 543 00:26:47,173 --> 00:26:48,441 Oh, my God. 544 00:26:48,508 --> 00:26:51,911 I'm just astonished by the ability for these guys 545 00:26:51,978 --> 00:26:53,680 to have any kind of clarity 546 00:26:53,747 --> 00:26:55,081 of what they were doing at that moment. 547 00:26:55,148 --> 00:26:56,349 I mean, I know they had months of training, 548 00:26:56,416 --> 00:26:59,686 but this is insane. 549 00:26:59,753 --> 00:27:01,988 4 1/2-G right there. 550 00:27:02,055 --> 00:27:04,591 Okay. And we're coming into 5-G... 551 00:27:04,657 --> 00:27:05,658 right...there. 552 00:27:05,725 --> 00:27:07,594 Now we're gonna slow it down. 553 00:27:10,163 --> 00:27:13,466 And believe it or not, essentially you just stopped. 554 00:27:13,533 --> 00:27:15,635 Oh, boy. 555 00:27:15,702 --> 00:27:20,306 WILDMAN: I was totally unable to track my target with any precision, 556 00:27:20,373 --> 00:27:23,910 but up in space, under far more extreme circumstances, 557 00:27:23,977 --> 00:27:25,779 Armstrong pulled out of the roll 558 00:27:25,845 --> 00:27:29,115 and initiated an emergency reentry. 559 00:27:29,182 --> 00:27:31,184 The ship splashed down safely, 560 00:27:31,251 --> 00:27:34,554 and the mission was considered a success. 561 00:27:34,621 --> 00:27:36,089 WILDMAN: How you doing, Don? Doing all right? 562 00:27:36,156 --> 00:27:37,057 I'm all right. Good job. 563 00:27:37,123 --> 00:27:38,692 Thank you. Way to go, buddy. 564 00:27:38,758 --> 00:27:39,893 Wow! 565 00:27:39,959 --> 00:27:42,028 Uh, yeah, indescribable. 566 00:27:42,095 --> 00:27:44,497 I mean, talk about working under pressure. 567 00:27:44,564 --> 00:27:46,166 Literal pressure. Yeah. 568 00:27:46,232 --> 00:27:49,502 Saving the day and... 569 00:27:49,569 --> 00:27:51,971 I mean, these were true heroes. Absolutely. 570 00:27:55,342 --> 00:27:59,579 Gemini 8 accomplished the world's first space docking, 571 00:27:59,646 --> 00:28:02,515 and nearly killed two astronauts. 572 00:28:02,582 --> 00:28:04,918 It was gut check time at NASA. 573 00:28:04,984 --> 00:28:08,621 America was now neck and neck with the Soviet Union, 574 00:28:08,688 --> 00:28:11,324 but at what cost? 575 00:28:11,391 --> 00:28:14,227 The U.S. space program was screaming along 576 00:28:14,294 --> 00:28:18,631 at breakneck speed in order to make it to the Moon by 1970. 577 00:28:18,698 --> 00:28:22,202 So, was Gemini 8 just a close call? 578 00:28:22,268 --> 00:28:26,172 Or was NASA on the verge of spinning out of control? 579 00:28:33,580 --> 00:28:35,582 WILDMAN: 1967... 580 00:28:37,350 --> 00:28:39,386 ...with just three years left in the decade 581 00:28:39,452 --> 00:28:41,721 to meet President Kennedy's challenge, 582 00:28:41,788 --> 00:28:44,157 America bounded into the final phase 583 00:28:44,224 --> 00:28:45,959 of the Space Race, 584 00:28:46,026 --> 00:28:48,261 the Apollo Program. 585 00:28:48,328 --> 00:28:50,830 NASA needed all-new rockets to reach the Moon 586 00:28:50,897 --> 00:28:53,099 and on a colossal scale. 587 00:28:53,166 --> 00:28:56,069 WILDMAN: Wow, that is incredible. 588 00:28:56,136 --> 00:28:59,172 And I've gotten rare access to their birthplace, 589 00:28:59,239 --> 00:29:01,574 the Vehicle Assembly Building. 590 00:29:01,641 --> 00:29:03,777 Man, that is a big building. 591 00:29:03,843 --> 00:29:07,981 My tour guide is a NASA VIP, Bob Sieck. 592 00:29:08,048 --> 00:29:10,550 Bob started working here during Project Gemini, 593 00:29:10,617 --> 00:29:14,888 and went on to become the man in charge of every launch. 594 00:29:14,954 --> 00:29:17,624 It is awe-inspiring. I mean, this is a -- 595 00:29:17,691 --> 00:29:20,293 This is really a cathedral of technology, isn't it? 596 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:24,364 Well, it was built to put together the Saturn V rocket. 597 00:29:24,431 --> 00:29:27,701 The Saturn V was the rocket that would carry men to the Moon, 598 00:29:27,767 --> 00:29:29,402 and it was put together right here 599 00:29:29,469 --> 00:29:33,273 in the Vehicle Assembly Building. 600 00:29:33,340 --> 00:29:35,775 All right. Right out here? 601 00:29:35,842 --> 00:29:37,010 Yeah, yeah. 602 00:29:37,077 --> 00:29:39,346 Oh, man. That is amazing. 603 00:29:39,412 --> 00:29:41,114 We are at the top here. 604 00:29:41,181 --> 00:29:47,687 We're about 350 to 400 feet, right about the level 605 00:29:47,754 --> 00:29:51,491 where the Apollo spacecraft was for the astronauts. 606 00:29:51,558 --> 00:29:53,760 Everything from that point on down, 607 00:29:53,827 --> 00:29:54,994 all the way down to the floor, 608 00:29:55,061 --> 00:29:57,697 that's all propellant. That's all fuel. 609 00:29:57,764 --> 00:29:58,698 That's it. That's it. 610 00:29:58,765 --> 00:30:01,401 It's tanks, fuel, and engines. 611 00:30:01,468 --> 00:30:05,372 Everything below that command module is to drive the rocket? 612 00:30:05,438 --> 00:30:08,208 To get the spacecraft and the astronauts to the Moon. 613 00:30:11,378 --> 00:30:14,614 The Saturn V stood 36 stories tall 614 00:30:14,681 --> 00:30:19,652 and held a jaw-dropping 950,000 gallons of fuel. 615 00:30:19,719 --> 00:30:24,190 To this day, it remains the most powerful rocket every flown. 616 00:30:24,257 --> 00:30:26,393 Wow! -Yeah, isn't that something? 617 00:30:26,459 --> 00:30:27,761 Look at the size of that thing. 618 00:30:27,827 --> 00:30:28,795 Like, how do you spell "big"? 619 00:30:28,862 --> 00:30:31,064 And Bob has offered me an up-close look 620 00:30:31,131 --> 00:30:34,567 at one of the last ones remaining in the world. 621 00:30:34,634 --> 00:30:37,937 So, I am looking at the business end of a Saturn V rocket? 622 00:30:38,004 --> 00:30:39,572 Absolutely. That is insane. 623 00:30:39,639 --> 00:30:42,008 I mean, this is so epic. 624 00:30:42,075 --> 00:30:46,146 The rocket's five F-1 engines burned more fuel in one second 625 00:30:46,212 --> 00:30:49,916 than Charles Lindbergh used to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. 626 00:30:49,983 --> 00:30:53,353 This Saturn V was left over when Congress ended the program 627 00:30:53,420 --> 00:30:55,789 after Apollo 17. 628 00:30:55,855 --> 00:30:57,390 So, everything -- I'm looking back there -- 629 00:30:57,457 --> 00:31:00,260 is about moving this into outer space. 630 00:31:00,326 --> 00:31:01,761 Right. This is -- 631 00:31:01,828 --> 00:31:05,732 The three astronauts are in the command module, 632 00:31:05,799 --> 00:31:09,035 the gumdrop-looking part of the spacecraft, 633 00:31:09,102 --> 00:31:14,741 and behind them, inside of that cone, 634 00:31:14,808 --> 00:31:18,845 is the lunar module which is another spacecraft. 635 00:31:18,912 --> 00:31:21,448 The lunar module is the landing craft. 636 00:31:21,514 --> 00:31:24,617 This bug-like ship would take two of the astronauts down 637 00:31:24,684 --> 00:31:27,153 to land on the surface of the Moon. 638 00:31:27,220 --> 00:31:30,890 It's an incredibly involved process. 639 00:31:30,957 --> 00:31:33,326 Yes, a lot of stuff has to work really well 640 00:31:33,393 --> 00:31:35,462 or you're not gonna land on the Moon. 641 00:31:37,430 --> 00:31:40,100 The question was -- would it work? 642 00:31:40,166 --> 00:31:44,838 Could NASA really land a man on the Moon before 1970? 643 00:31:44,904 --> 00:31:47,240 And could they do it before the Russians? 644 00:31:59,519 --> 00:32:02,655 The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum -- 645 00:32:02,722 --> 00:32:05,759 if you're digging up the hidden history of the Space Race, 646 00:32:05,825 --> 00:32:08,695 this is your library. 647 00:32:08,762 --> 00:32:10,764 I'm here to see how close America 648 00:32:10,830 --> 00:32:13,066 came to losing the Space Race. 649 00:32:16,836 --> 00:32:20,073 Oh, and I recognize this -- the Saturn V rocket. 650 00:32:20,140 --> 00:32:24,711 Yes, 1/48th scale model of the Saturn V rocket. 651 00:32:24,778 --> 00:32:28,114 Dr. Cathleen Lewis is the Smithsonian's foremost expert 652 00:32:28,181 --> 00:32:30,483 on the Russian space program. 653 00:32:30,550 --> 00:32:31,584 What is that? 654 00:32:31,651 --> 00:32:33,019 This is the N1. 655 00:32:33,086 --> 00:32:36,923 This is the Soviet Union's secret lunar rocket. 656 00:32:36,990 --> 00:32:38,291 No kidding. 657 00:32:38,358 --> 00:32:40,660 How is it that I've never heard of this before? 658 00:32:40,727 --> 00:32:42,662 This was an official Soviet secret, 659 00:32:42,729 --> 00:32:47,067 and it was only as the Soviet Union was collapsing 660 00:32:47,133 --> 00:32:49,202 that the stories began to come out. 661 00:32:49,269 --> 00:32:50,437 When you say "Space Race," I mean, 662 00:32:50,503 --> 00:32:53,673 this is as clear as it gets. 663 00:32:53,740 --> 00:32:55,275 So, did it fly? 664 00:32:55,342 --> 00:32:58,345 They attempted a launch, a test launch, four times, 665 00:32:58,411 --> 00:33:00,413 without humans inside. Mm-hmm. 666 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:05,318 Cathy has rare Soviet footage from one of the N1 launches. 667 00:33:05,385 --> 00:33:07,587 There she goes. 668 00:33:07,654 --> 00:33:10,123 Oh, man. Look at that. 669 00:33:10,190 --> 00:33:12,158 Oh, that's a huge explosion. 670 00:33:12,225 --> 00:33:15,595 Liquid oxygen and kerosene all went up. 671 00:33:15,662 --> 00:33:18,665 One of the largest conventional explosions. 672 00:33:18,732 --> 00:33:20,700 -In the history of the world. -In the history of the world. 673 00:33:20,767 --> 00:33:23,336 Unbelievable. 674 00:33:23,403 --> 00:33:25,905 Each of the four N1 launch attempts 675 00:33:25,972 --> 00:33:29,743 ended in a cataclysmic fireball, but for years, 676 00:33:29,809 --> 00:33:33,646 the Soviets had a held a nearly undefeated record. 677 00:33:33,713 --> 00:33:35,348 So what happened? 678 00:33:35,415 --> 00:33:38,685 Probably the biggest problem was that the Soviet Union's 679 00:33:38,752 --> 00:33:41,021 chief designer of the space program 680 00:33:41,087 --> 00:33:43,857 died before they could ever launch the N1. 681 00:33:43,923 --> 00:33:47,260 This guy was the genius behind the whole Soviet space program. 682 00:33:47,327 --> 00:33:51,364 The man who brought us Sputnik, sent Yuri Gagarin into space. 683 00:33:51,431 --> 00:33:55,135 And the Soviet Union did not want anyone to know who he was. 684 00:33:55,201 --> 00:33:56,269 Really? Wow. Yes. 685 00:33:56,336 --> 00:33:58,705 He was kept a state secret. 686 00:33:58,772 --> 00:34:00,674 Did we ever find out who he was? Yes. 687 00:34:00,740 --> 00:34:03,376 His name was Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. 688 00:34:03,443 --> 00:34:05,712 Sergei Korolev? 689 00:34:05,779 --> 00:34:09,015 Sergei Korolev was a gifted engineer. 690 00:34:09,082 --> 00:34:11,217 He founded the Soviet space program 691 00:34:11,284 --> 00:34:13,420 and became its chief designer. 692 00:34:13,486 --> 00:34:16,122 The Russians kept his identity secret, 693 00:34:16,189 --> 00:34:19,826 to protect him for Cold War assassins. 694 00:34:19,893 --> 00:34:21,227 So, he died. 695 00:34:21,294 --> 00:34:23,763 He died in January 1966, 696 00:34:23,830 --> 00:34:26,299 unexpectedly and suddenly. 697 00:34:26,366 --> 00:34:28,468 He had gone into surgery for -- 698 00:34:28,535 --> 00:34:30,003 polyp surgery. 699 00:34:30,070 --> 00:34:33,673 And he suffered a heart attack while on the operating table. 700 00:34:33,740 --> 00:34:38,011 And without him, there was really no chance. 701 00:34:38,078 --> 00:34:39,612 In the context of the Space Race, 702 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:41,047 it's interesting to speculate. 703 00:34:41,114 --> 00:34:43,049 What if the chief designer had not died? 704 00:34:43,116 --> 00:34:45,285 I mean, that might've been the wild card here. 705 00:34:45,352 --> 00:34:47,220 That could've been the way in which 706 00:34:47,287 --> 00:34:49,422 the Soviets were ultimately successful 707 00:34:49,489 --> 00:34:50,924 in sending humans to the Moon. Yeah. 708 00:34:50,990 --> 00:34:52,459 It would've been a very different story. 709 00:34:52,525 --> 00:34:56,529 It would've been a very different story for all of us. Mm-hmm. 710 00:34:56,596 --> 00:34:58,264 There might've been a hammer and sickle on the moon 711 00:34:58,331 --> 00:34:59,666 instead of the American flag. 712 00:35:04,304 --> 00:35:07,607 While the USSR struggled on without its chief designer, 713 00:35:07,674 --> 00:35:09,909 NASA surged ahead. 714 00:35:09,976 --> 00:35:11,444 It was time for America 715 00:35:11,511 --> 00:35:13,947 to stop worrying about the Russians at their heels. 716 00:35:17,283 --> 00:35:19,652 It was time to shoot for the Moon. 717 00:35:28,762 --> 00:35:31,264 WILDMAN: July 20th, 1969 -- 718 00:35:31,331 --> 00:35:33,099 Apollo 11. 719 00:35:33,166 --> 00:35:35,902 Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins 720 00:35:35,969 --> 00:35:39,739 were in lunar orbit, preparing for their descent into history. 721 00:35:39,806 --> 00:35:41,041 This was it. 722 00:35:41,107 --> 00:35:44,611 Almost six years after President Kennedy's murder, 723 00:35:44,678 --> 00:35:49,115 America stood at the precipice of his audacious goal, 724 00:35:49,182 --> 00:35:50,984 but the first moon landing teetered 725 00:35:51,051 --> 00:35:52,919 on the brink of disaster, 726 00:35:52,986 --> 00:35:56,289 and nobody knew it beyond the walls of this room. 727 00:35:56,356 --> 00:35:59,325 Ah. Well, welcome to the control room 728 00:35:59,392 --> 00:36:01,661 for the first landing on the Moon. 729 00:36:01,728 --> 00:36:03,129 That's so cool. 730 00:36:03,196 --> 00:36:07,167 I'm getting the insider story from a man who was right here, 731 00:36:07,233 --> 00:36:08,868 astronaut Charlie Duke. 732 00:36:08,935 --> 00:36:12,405 I was kept calm down in this position over here. 733 00:36:12,472 --> 00:36:14,507 I was the only person in this room 734 00:36:14,574 --> 00:36:16,476 that can actually talk to the crew. 735 00:36:16,543 --> 00:36:17,744 Oh, okay. 736 00:36:24,384 --> 00:36:26,720 At 2:08 p.m., Houston time, 737 00:36:26,786 --> 00:36:29,055 Armstrong and Aldrin began their descent 738 00:36:29,122 --> 00:36:31,891 in their lunar module, Eagle. 739 00:36:31,958 --> 00:36:36,396 The whole world was witnessing history in real time. 740 00:36:36,463 --> 00:36:38,064 What's the vibe in here as this is happening? 741 00:36:38,131 --> 00:36:39,432 Tense. Yeah, yeah. 742 00:36:39,499 --> 00:36:41,434 It was getting very, very tense. 743 00:36:41,501 --> 00:36:46,206 We had some communication problems, data dropouts, 744 00:36:46,272 --> 00:36:48,174 and then the computer was overloaded, 745 00:36:48,241 --> 00:36:51,077 and that's disconcerting. 746 00:36:51,144 --> 00:36:54,681 The Eagle's onboard computer was designed to land the ship. 747 00:36:54,748 --> 00:36:58,952 At 50,000 feet, it would fire the engine to slow down, 748 00:36:59,019 --> 00:37:01,621 then, balancing on the rocket thrust, 749 00:37:01,688 --> 00:37:03,289 the computer would guide the Eagle 750 00:37:03,356 --> 00:37:06,292 down to the pre-programmed landing site, 751 00:37:06,359 --> 00:37:08,328 but something was off. 752 00:37:08,395 --> 00:37:11,865 The computer was flying them to the wrong spot. 753 00:37:11,931 --> 00:37:15,468 We had him targeted in to a big field of rocks, 754 00:37:15,535 --> 00:37:16,703 a boulder field. Wow. 755 00:37:16,770 --> 00:37:19,406 Armstrong switched to manual control. 756 00:37:19,472 --> 00:37:23,043 He needed to find a smooth area to land, and fast. 757 00:37:23,109 --> 00:37:27,213 He had to level off, and then fly over horizontally. 758 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:29,115 And he's burning fuel all this time. 759 00:37:29,182 --> 00:37:32,452 A lot extra that we didn't plan on. Right. 760 00:37:32,519 --> 00:37:36,589 And, you don't want to run out of gas and crash. 761 00:37:36,656 --> 00:37:38,324 There was nobody that could help him 762 00:37:38,391 --> 00:37:40,927 and no possible way to rescue him. 763 00:37:40,994 --> 00:37:44,964 Now, just like in Gemini 8, it was all up to Armstrong. 764 00:37:53,073 --> 00:37:56,409 At one minute of fuel remaining, 765 00:37:56,476 --> 00:37:58,945 I said, "Eagle, 60 seconds." 766 00:38:01,281 --> 00:38:02,916 Armstrong flew forward, 767 00:38:02,982 --> 00:38:05,518 furiously searching for a landing site. 768 00:38:05,585 --> 00:38:08,021 He knew he was burning through his fuel. 769 00:38:08,088 --> 00:38:10,724 The tension was really ceiling-high in here, 770 00:38:10,790 --> 00:38:14,627 and dead silence. 771 00:38:14,694 --> 00:38:17,230 We were literally holding our breath. 772 00:38:23,436 --> 00:38:26,272 They were about 10 or 15 feet off the moon. 773 00:38:29,275 --> 00:38:30,710 And finally I heard 774 00:38:30,777 --> 00:38:32,645 "Contact. Engine stop." 775 00:38:41,688 --> 00:38:46,226 And then there was a big cheer, and we got very excited. 776 00:38:46,292 --> 00:38:48,328 Yeah. I'm gonna tear up. 777 00:38:48,395 --> 00:38:49,596 You know, at 2:00 in the morning, 778 00:38:49,662 --> 00:38:52,165 I was only my living room floor watching this. 779 00:38:52,232 --> 00:38:53,600 Yeah. You know, I was a little kid. 780 00:38:53,667 --> 00:38:55,368 I didn't know anything about that story. 781 00:38:55,435 --> 00:38:57,203 Oh, yeah. Well, it was close. 782 00:39:05,445 --> 00:39:08,948 The United States had landed men on the moon. 783 00:39:09,015 --> 00:39:12,419 President Kennedy's challenge was met. 784 00:39:12,485 --> 00:39:14,854 America had won the Space Race. 785 00:39:20,994 --> 00:39:24,964 Astronauts Charlie Duke didn't just talk to people on the moon. 786 00:39:25,031 --> 00:39:27,734 Three years later, he went there himself, 787 00:39:27,801 --> 00:39:31,137 as lunar-module pilot on Apollo 16. 788 00:39:31,204 --> 00:39:34,974 So, only 12 men, 12 Americans, have ever set foot on the Moon, 789 00:39:35,041 --> 00:39:36,509 and you are one of them. That's correct. 790 00:39:36,576 --> 00:39:37,610 Wow. 791 00:39:37,677 --> 00:39:39,446 Charlie Duke actually got to stand 792 00:39:39,512 --> 00:39:42,415 at the finish line of the Space Race. 793 00:39:42,482 --> 00:39:45,085 DUKE: Emotionally, it was a big high. 794 00:39:45,151 --> 00:39:46,820 "Man, I'm on the Moon." 795 00:39:46,886 --> 00:39:49,055 We were so excited about being there 796 00:39:49,122 --> 00:39:50,423 that we didn't want to come home. 797 00:39:50,490 --> 00:39:53,159 How much of the "right stuff" applied? 798 00:39:53,226 --> 00:39:54,461 Is that term fair? 799 00:39:54,527 --> 00:39:57,797 We didn't feel like we were the cream of the crop, 800 00:39:57,864 --> 00:39:59,699 but I guess you look back, 801 00:39:59,766 --> 00:40:02,535 and they picked us, so I guess we were. 802 00:40:02,602 --> 00:40:06,106 It's prideful in a way, but prideful for your country 803 00:40:06,172 --> 00:40:09,609 and for our -- NASA, not for me individually. 804 00:40:09,676 --> 00:40:10,910 Sure. 805 00:40:10,977 --> 00:40:13,913 NASA's towering accomplishment may have been fueled 806 00:40:13,980 --> 00:40:16,449 by competition with the Soviets, 807 00:40:16,516 --> 00:40:20,387 but it was achieved through hard work, American ingenuity, 808 00:40:20,453 --> 00:40:23,923 and a courageous, clear-eyed challenge. 809 00:40:23,990 --> 00:40:26,693 We choose to go to the Moon in this decade 810 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:30,196 and do the other things, not because they are easy, 811 00:40:30,263 --> 00:40:32,265 but because they are hard. 812 00:40:32,332 --> 00:40:33,800 I mean, it was a bold step, 813 00:40:33,867 --> 00:40:36,169 and the most amazing thing about it, 814 00:40:36,236 --> 00:40:38,571 from the time he made that announcement, 815 00:40:38,638 --> 00:40:41,708 eight years and two months later, we did it. 816 00:40:45,845 --> 00:40:48,848 The Soviets never did go to the Moon, 817 00:40:48,915 --> 00:40:52,218 but three years after Charlie Duke returned to Earth, 818 00:40:52,285 --> 00:40:55,021 an American spacecraft and a Russian capsule 819 00:40:55,088 --> 00:40:58,491 rendezvoused in space and docked. 820 00:40:58,558 --> 00:41:03,396 In the year 1975, the Vietnam war came to and end. 821 00:41:03,463 --> 00:41:06,766 The U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed to nuclear-arms limits, 822 00:41:06,833 --> 00:41:09,235 beginning a thaw in the Cold War. 823 00:41:09,302 --> 00:41:13,239 And the Space Race came to a close with a handshake. 824 00:41:15,842 --> 00:41:18,978 The Moon landing inspired a generation of Americans 825 00:41:19,045 --> 00:41:21,815 to study and work in science and technology. 826 00:41:21,881 --> 00:41:25,618 Today, private companies, like SpaceX, are developing 827 00:41:25,685 --> 00:41:27,787 a new generation of rocket technology, 828 00:41:27,854 --> 00:41:30,223 and here at NASA, they're working on Orion, 829 00:41:30,290 --> 00:41:33,893 the spacecraft that will one day carry astronauts to Mars. 830 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:35,929 We're closer than you think. 831 00:41:35,995 --> 00:41:39,299 The first person who sets foot on Martian soil 832 00:41:39,366 --> 00:41:41,568 is almost certainly alive today. 833 00:41:41,634 --> 00:41:44,604 But here's the big difference between the Space Race 834 00:41:44,671 --> 00:41:47,307 and 21st-century space flight -- 835 00:41:47,374 --> 00:41:48,808 when we finally got to Mars, 836 00:41:48,875 --> 00:41:52,178 it won't have been motivated by conflict or fear. 837 00:41:52,245 --> 00:41:54,214 We'll go to Mars for one reason only -- 838 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:58,718 peaceful space exploration for the benefit of all mankind, 839 00:41:58,785 --> 00:42:01,588 just like it says in NASA's charter. 839 00:42:02,305 --> 00:43:02,734 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm