John Glenn's return to space gives Americans both young and old a reason to look back at the U.S. space program's triumphs and tragedies. When the space shuttle Discovery lifted off on October 29, 1998, television and radio coverage featured reminiscences of those who were there in the early days of the Mercury program; in homes and classrooms during the broadcast, parents and teachers offered similar recollections. This activity asks you to collect some of those voices on paper by talking with adults in your home and community who witnessed the major milestones in the history of space exploration. After you and your classmates have gathered these memories in worksheet form, combine and reproduce them as an oral history collection.

Identify one or more individuals to interview for this oral history. You can ask one person about all five events or find five different voices of varying ages. If you like, make your own voice the last entry. Ask simply, "What do you remember? What did you feel?"

1. The launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite in October, 1957

Respondent:______________________________ Age: _____________

2. John Glenn's orbit of Earth on February 20, 1962

Respondent:______________________________ Age: _____________

3. The Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969

Respondent:______________________________ Age: _____________

4. The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle on January 28, 1986

Respondent:______________________________ Age: _____________

5. John Glenn's return to space, October 29, 1998

Respondent:______________________________ Age: _____________

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