Friday, July 17th, 2009

To The Moon

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Footprint on the moon, photographed by Aldrin. NASA image.

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Four days later on July 20th came the famous first words from the surface of the moon: "HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED."

In this hour, we'll look back on the Apollo missions, and speak with a space historian and two Apollo astronauts. We'll also talk about the future of space flight, and an alternative approach to future US rocket launches.

Guests

Andrew Chaikin
Science Journalist and Space Historian
Author, "Voices From the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences" (Viking Studio, 2009)
Author, "Mission Control: This Is Apollo" with Alan Bean (Viking Juvenile, 2009)
Arlington, Vermont

Alan Bean
Astronaut
Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 12
Author, "Alan Bean: Painting Apollo" (Smithsonian Books, 2009)
Illustrator, "Mission Control: This Is Apollo" (Viking Juvenile, 2009)
Houston, Texas

Harrison Schmitt
Astronaut
Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 17
Author, "Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space" (Springer, 2006)
Former US Senator, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Ross Tierney
Founder, The Direct Team
Cocoa Beach, Florida

Related Links

Segment produced by:Christopher Intagliata

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Image: Buzz Aldrin descends to the lunar surface.
NASA image.

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Support for Science Friday provided in part by the Noyce Foundation
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The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The National Science Foundation
Research Corporation for Science Advancement