the
race to the moon
The
Cold War was only beautiful once, and that was during the race to
space. Because after the Russians fired Sputnik across our bow in
October 1957, and generals and presidents fretted over great missile
silos in the sky, there were others who just wanted to see whose
guys could fly the highest. When Yuri Gagarin (above) went first,
America countered with its first real heroes since the war: The
Mercury Seven. Alan Shepard was the first American to go up, in
'61; John Glenn went up and around and around and around, and we
all craned our necks and cheered and made him a senator. We saw
blood on the launchpad after three were burned alive right on the
ground; we saw footprints on the moon, back in 1969 when something
like a moon landing could still get an 80 share (what were
the other 20 percent watching?). And of course there was the Challenger
in 1986, that awful fire in the sky. But we won. And we've been
lucky. And we've used the moon for a driving range. Now for the
planets, and the stars in the sky at night.
--Frank
Pellegrini
Soviet
Satellite Sends U.S. Into a Tizzy
October 18, 1957
The
Seer of Space
Lifetime of Rocket Work Gives Army's Von Braun Special Insight Into
Future
October 18, 1957
THE MEN OF MERCURY
The
Astronauts -- Ready to Make History
In
Their Own Words
"I've
the Normal Desire to Go a Little Higher"
by Gordon Cooper
"There
Won't Be Time to Send For the Manual"
by Walter Schirra
"Space
Is at the Frontier of My Profession"
by John Glenn
"You
Just Don't Have Time to Get Frightened"
by Virgil Grissom
"I
Know it Can Be Done and I Want to Do It"
by Alan Shepard
"This
Is Going to Be One Hell of A Thrill"
by Donald Slayton
"This
Is Something I Would Give My Life For"
by Scott Carpenter
September 14, 1959
YURI GAGARIN
Soviet
Traveler Returns From Out of This World
How
the News Hit Washington - With Some Reactions Overseas
A
Chance That We Missed . . .And the Chance We Have
Editorial:
Some Cosmonautical Questions
April 4, 1961
SPACE WALK
The
Glorious Walk in the Cosmos
Ed White Steps Out of the Capsule
Vigil
of Genius Behind Gemini 4
Flight Director Chris Kraft
June 18, 1965
TRAGEDY
Apollo
I Fire
Put Them High On The List Of Men Who Count
March 3, 1967
The
Search Begins In The Scorched Capsule
March 10, 1967
For
The Heroes, Salute And Farewell
March 10, 1967
TO
THE MOON AND BACK
Moon
Landing: Apollo II
Biographies:
Aldrin, Collins, Armstrong
Neil
Armstrong: He Could Fly Before
He Could Drive
Buzz
Aldrin: 'The Best Scientific
Mind In Space'
Mike
Collins: An Engineer Who Does
Not Love Machines
August 10, 1969
|
