All language subtitles for space.voyages.s01e01.into.the.unknown.web.h264-underbelly

Narrator: SPACE EXPLORATION
IS NEVER EASY.

IT NEVER WAS,

AND IT NEVER WILL BE.

Man: RISK IS
THE PRICE OF PROGRESS.

Narrator: 60 YEARS
OF RISKY TRIAL AND ERROR

HAVE LEFT A CLEAR TRAJECTORY
OF OUR PROGRESS,

EACH NEW MISSION
BUILDING ON THE LAST.

Man: THOSE EARLY PIONEERS
REALLY HAD TO BE GUTSY.

WE DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND
WHAT SPACE WAS.

Narrator: WE'VE HAD
TO FORGE NEW TOOLS,

BLAZE NEW TRAILS,

AND PERFECT NEW TECHNIQUES.

Man: THEY INVENTED IT,

AND WE'VE BEEN
USING IT EVER SINCE.

Narrator:
THE TECHNOLOGY EVOLVES,

BUT OUR DESIRE TO EXPLORE
NEVER WAVERS.

Man: IT'S ESSENTIAL
TO HUMAN NATURE.

WE ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW
WHAT IS BEYOND THAT HILL.

Narrator: WITH THE SPACE AGE
ONLY DECADES OLD,

WE'VE CREATED A ROBOT

THAT IS UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIES
OF A DISTANT WORLD.

Man: IF EVERYTHING
HOLDS TOGETHER,

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE
SOME AMAZING THINGS.

Narrator: AS CURIOSITY
SHINES A LIGHT ON MARS,

IT REPRESENTS THE SUM
OF OUR HALF CENTURY IN SPACE

AND HINTS TO POSSIBILITIES
FOR THE FUTURE.

Man: WHEN THE FIRST HUMAN BEINGS
SET FOOT ON MARS

THEY ARE STANDING
ON THE SHOULDERS OF REAL GIANTS.

Man: T MINUS TEN,

NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN,

SIX, FIVE, FOUR,

THREE, TWO, ONE...

MAIN ENGINE START.

ZERO.

AND LIFT OFF OF THE ATLAS FIVE
WITH CURIOSITY.

Narrator: CAPE CANAVERAL HAS
LAUNCHED HUNDREDS OF ROCKETS.

BUT THIS ONE
IS ON AN EPIC QUEST,

THE SPECIAL DELIVERY OF
A UNIQUE ROBOT CALLED CURIOSITY.

NINE MONTHS
AND 352 MILLION MILES LATER,

CURIOSITY BEGINS A DO-OR-DIE
LANDING ON MARS.

[MISSION CONTROL CHATTER]

Man: WE ARE DECELERATING.

DESCENDING, WE ARE
AT 150 METERS PER SECOND.

Narrator: DECADES OF WORK
AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

NOW HANG BY A FEW TETHERS.

Man: DOWN RANGE.

Man: TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED.

[CHEERING]

Adam Steltzner:
HAVING CURIOSITY SAFELY DOWN

FEELS FANTASTIC,

BETTER THAN
I EVER THOUGHT IT WOULD.

I COULDN'T REALLY DREAM
OR ALLOW MYSELF TO IMAGINE

WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE,

BUT IT'S FANTASTIC,
TRULY FANTASTIC.

Narrator:
NOW CURIOSITY'S 17 CAMERAS,

10 SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS,
AND TWO COMPUTERS

ARE READY TO TAKE US
PLACES WE'VE NEVER BEEN.

Dave Beaty:
IT'S ABLE TO ACQUIRE SAMPLES,

PREPARE THEM PROPERLY,

AND THEN DELIVER THEM
INTO A LABORATORY

THAT IS INTERNAL
TO THE BODY OF THE ROVER.

THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT
TECHNICAL BREAKTHROUGH.

Narrator: CURIOSITY IS A
REMARKABLE 21st CENTURY MACHINE.

BUT IT NEVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED
IF NOT FOR HARD-WON LESSONS

LEARNED THROUGH 20th CENTURY
TRIAL AND ERROR.

SPACE PIONEERS HAD TO SOLVE

THE EXPLOSIVE
RISKS OF LAUNCH...

THE TRICKY BUSINESS OF
NAVIGATING THROUGH DEEP SPACE...

AND THE HOLD-YOUR-BREATH DRAMA

OF LANDING SAFELY
ON UNKNOWN WORLDS.

EACH BREAKTHROUGH
AND MANY OTHERS

MADE CURIOSITY POSSIBLE.

THEY ALSO MADE THIS POSSIBLE:

A GEOLOGIST EXPLORING MARS

FROM A PARK BENCH.

JOHN GRANT
IS A LEADING GEOLOGIST

ON THE CURIOSITY TEAM.

EVERY DAY, CURIOSITY SENDS
REAMS OF DATA FROM MARS,

AND JOHN AND HIS COLLEAGUES

DETERMINE THE ROVER'S
NEXT SET OF INSTRUCTIONS.

John Grant:
IT'S KIND OF A DREAM COME TRUE

TO BE ABLE TO
LOOK AT THE SURFACE,

SEE INTERESTING ROCKS,
SEE INTERESTING PLACES,

AND DRIVE OVER TO THEM,

AND THEN EVALUATE,
INTERROGATE THOSE ROCKS

TO FIND OUT WHAT THE SURFACE IS,
HOW IT'S EVOLVED OVER TIME.

Narrator: THE ROCKS ON MARS HAVE
EVOLVED OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS.

THE REVOLUTION
IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY

THAT BROUGHT US CURIOSITY
IS ONLY DECADES OLD.

Grant:
FOR THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY

TO SET DOWN ON THE SURFACE AND
UNDERTAKE THIS INVESTIGATION

HAS BEEN THE CULMINATION
OF MANY YEARS,

MANY PAST MISSIONS.

Narrator: JUST 55 YEARS EARLIER,

CURIOSITY WAS THE STUFF
OF SCIENCE FICTION.

FORGET ABOUT TRAVELING

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
OF MILES TO MARS.

IN 1957, WE HADN'T EVEN
GOTTEN INTO SPACE YET.

THAT ALL CHANGED ON OCTOBER 4...

[MUSIC PLAYS]

...AS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
TUNED IN

FOR THE PREMIERE
OF "LEAVE IT TO BEAVER."

WHILE THE NEW TV SHOW
RAISED LAUGHTER NATIONWIDE,

A VERY DIFFERENT
DEBUT BROADCAST

WAS ALSO ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY.

SPUTNIK.

THE SOVIET UNION
HAD LAUNCHED THE FIRST EVER

MAN-MADE SATELLITE.

Paul Ceruzzi: IT WAS KIND OF
A BEACH-BALL SIZED OBJECT

WITH FOUR ANTENNAS COMING OUT,

AND VERY PRIMITIVE.

IT HAD A RADIO ONBOARD,
AND THAT WAS ABOUT IT

BUT IT DID THE JOB.
IT GOT INTO ORBIT.

Narrator: SPUTNIK'S ONE-NOTE
SIGNAL FROM THE HEAVENS

CAUGHT THE U.S. OFF-GUARD.

Glynn Lunney:
IT WAS A VERY BIG SHOCK

TO ALL THE PEOPLE
IN OUR COUNTRY.

IT WAS NOT EXPECTED,
IT CAME OUT OF THE BLUE.

WE HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY WERE
GETTING READY TO DO THAT.

Narrator: SPUTNIK LAUNCHED IN
THE MIDST OF A BITTER COLD WAR

BETWEEN THE U.S.
AND THE SOVIET UNION.

Cathleen Lewis: BOTH SIDES
WERE TRYING TO INFLUENCE

THE REST OF THE WORLD
TOWARDS THEIR SIDE,

THEIR VISION OF THE FUTURE,

AND HERE THE SOVIET UNION

MIGHT POSSIBLY BE
MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED

AND MAY DEMONSTRATE THAT
THEY HAD A BETTER PATH

TOWARDS THE FUTURE.

Lunney: IT WAS THE START OF
WHAT BECAME KNOWN IN THE '60s

AND IS STILL KNOWN TODAY
AS THE SPACE RACE.

Narrator:
JUST TWO MONTHS LATER,

THE U.S. RUSHED
TO ANSWER SPUTNIK

WITH AN EXPERIMENTAL ROCKET
CALLED VANGUARD.

IT ACHIEVED AN ALTITUDE
OF EXACTLY 4 FEET

BEFORE DISSOLVING IN A FIREBALL.

Roger Launius: IT WAS
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPLOSION

YOU'VE EVER SEEN.

AND IF YOU WERE A LITTLE KID,
YOU MIGHT BE EXCITED BY THE FACT

THAT THERE'S
A REALLY NICE FIREWORKS SHOW.

BUT IT WASN'T
SUPPOSED TO EXPLODE.

Narrator:
THE NATION WAS HUMILIATED.

Chris Kraft: VANGUARD
WAS A TOTAL DISASTER.

Launius:
THE MEDIA RESPONSE TO THIS

WAS THEY LABELED IT
"KAPUTNIK," "FLOPNIK"...

VARIOUS THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND MADE FUN OF IT.

AND AT THAT POINT PEOPLE REALLY
ARE STARTING TO GET CONCERNED.

Narrator: TO REACH ORBIT,

A ROCKET MUST ACCELERATE
TO OVER 17,000 MILES PER HOUR,

REQUIRING IMMENSE THRUST
AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL SYSTEMS.

VANGUARD'S ACHILLES HEEL
WAS LOW FUEL PRESSURE.

THIS ALLOWED HOT GASES
IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER

TO ENTER THE FUEL LINE,
IGNITE THE FUEL SUPPLY,

AND TURN THE FUEL TANK
INTO A BOMB.

IN A FLASH,

VANGUARD TAUGHT US A FUNDAMENTAL
LESSON IN ROCKET SCIENCE:

CORRECT FUEL PRESSURE
IS MISSION CRITICAL.

AMERICA'S TOP ROCKET ENGINEER,
WERNHER VON BRAUN,

HAD BEEN WORKING
ON A DIFFERENT MISSILE,

THE JUPITER-C.

Man: MATRIX PANEL CHECK.

Narrator:
JUST FOUR MONTHS LATER,

A MODIFIED JUPITER-C
ROARED INTO SPACE.

ONBOARD IT CARRIED
AMERICA'S FIRST SATELLITE,

EXPLORER.

Steltzner: THAT WAS
A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT,

AND IT WAS OUR ANTE INTO
THE GAME OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

Narrator: SINCE EXPLORER,

WE'VE SENT THOUSANDS
OF SATELLITES INTO ORBIT.

MOST HAVE
QUIETLY CIRCLED THE EARTH,

ADVANCING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FROM JUST ABOUT
EVERY PERSPECTIVE.

BUT ONCE IN A WHILE,
WE SEND ONE MUCH FARTHER.

MAVEN IS A NEW SATELLITE
DESTINED FOR MARS.

Bruce Jakosky:
THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION

WE'RE ASKING TODAY ABOUT MARS

IS WHETHER THERE EVER WAS
LIFE ON THE PLANET

OR WHETHER THERE
MIGHT BE SOME TODAY.

Narrator: WHILE CURIOSITY
CRAWLS AROUND MARS

SNIFFING FOR CLUES,

MAVEN WILL PEER DOWN FROM ABOVE

AND, HOPEFULLY,
HELP US SEE BACK IN TIME.

Guy Beutelschies:
WE HAVEN'T REALLY EXAMINED

THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS,

AND SO IF WE CAN
UNDERSTAND THE ATMOSPHERE,

WE CAN MAKE MODELS
THAT CAN, IN A SENSE,

TAKE US BACK IN TIME

AND SEE WHEN MARS MIGHT HAVE
BEEN WARM ENOUGH AND WET ENOUGH

TO SUPPORT
OCEANS ON THE SURFACE,

AND OF COURSE EVERYBODY THEN
ASKS THE QUESTION,

IF THERE WAS WATER THERE
FOR LONG ENOUGH,

COULD LIFE
HAVE EVER EVOLVED THERE?

Narrator: THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE
USED TO BE THICKER,

SOME SAY PERHAPS SIMILAR
TO EARTH'S.

THIS ATMOSPHERIC BLANKET
PROTECTED THE SURFACE,

ALLOWING WATER TO FLOW FREELY.

BUT SOMEHOW 99%
OF THE ATMOSPHERE DISAPPEARED,

AND MARS' SURFACE WATER
EVAPORATED.

Jakosky:
SO WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND

WHERE DID THE WATER GO?

WHERE DID THE CO-2 GO?

WHERE DID THE ATMOSPHERE GO?

Narrator: FIGURING OUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO MARS

MAY GIVE US CLUES TO THE FUTURE
OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

BUT TO GET THE RIGHT ANSWERS,
MAVEN CAN'T BRING

EVEN THE SLIGHTEST TRACE
OF EARTH WITH IT.

Beutelschies: THE CLEAN ROOM IS
WHERE WE DO ALL OF OUR ASSEMBLY.

WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT
BRINGING EARTH CONTAMINANTS,

ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS TO MARS

AND MESSING UP
FUTURE SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS.

Narrator:
MAVEN IS ABOUT 60 TIMES

THE SIZE AND COMPLEXITY
OF EXPLORER.

BUT A LOT OF ITS TECHNOLOGY
TRACES BACK TO THE DAYS

OF OUR VERY FIRST SATELLITES.

Jeff Coyne: A GREAT DEAL
OF THE ITEMS ON HERE

HAVE A LOT OF HERITAGE,

THEY'RE SIMILAR
TO WHAT WE'VE USED BEFORE,

SO EACH MISSION BUILDS ON THAT.

IT'S A DIFFERENT VERSION
OF WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE,

BUT IT ALL
BREATHES THE SAME AIR.

Narrator: AND WHILE THE HARDWARE
HAS EVOLVED,

THE PRINCIPLES
OF LAUNCHING MAVEN

AND GUIDING IT THROUGH SPACE
HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH.

IN FACT, IT WILL LIFT OFF
FROM THE SAME LAUNCH SITE,

USING SIMILAR ROCKET TECHNOLOGY
AS EXPLORER DID IN 1958.

AND THE TEAM WILL FOLLOW IT
WITH THE SAME ENTHUSIASM.

Coyne: I WAS A BIG
"STAR TREK" FAN AS A KID,

AND NOW I'M BUILDING SPACECRAFT
TO GO TO OTHER PLANETS,

SO IT DOESN'T GET
A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN THAT,

AT LEAST NOT UNTIL WE CAN
TAKE THE RIDE WITH THEM

AND GO OURSELVES.

Narrator:
GOING INTO SPACE OURSELVES

IS FAR RISKIER
THAN SENDING MACHINES.

BUT IN 1958,
JUST NINE MONTHS AFTER EXPLORER,

WE UPPED THE ANTE.

Keith Glennan: WE HAVE ONE OF
THE MOST CHALLENGING ASSIGNMENTS

THAT HAS EVER BEEN GIVEN
MODERN MAN.

WE WILL BE PREPARING FOR THE DAY

WHEN MANNED FLIGHT
GOES INTO SPACE.

Narrator: NASA, AT THAT TIME
A BRAND-NEW AGENCY,

NAMED THIS MONUMENTAL TASK
"PROJECT MERCURY."

Kraft: WE WEREN'T ABLE
TO FATHOM THE SIZE OF THE JOB

WHEN WE STARTED MERCURY.

Kranz: MISSION CONTROL
HAD TO LITERALLY INVENT

EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED
IN THE BUSINESS OF SPACEFLIGHT.

SO IT WAS A QUESTION OF TAKING
THIS PUZZLE THAT WE HAD

AND ASSEMBLING THE PIECES.

WELL, OUR FIRST LAUNCHES
DIDN'T COME OFF VERY WELL.

Lunney: THE LAUNCH VEHICLES
THAT WE HAD,

WHEN WE WENT
INTO THE MERCURY PROJECT,

HAD A RELIABILITY OF ABOUT 50%.

IN OTHER WORDS,
IT BLEW UP EVERY OTHER TIME.

Kranz: THE THING
THAT WAS DISTURBING

WAS THE AMERICAN MEDIA

BECAUSE THEY WERE
ALWAYS HOUNDING US,

WHY WERE WE SO FAR BEHIND,
WHY WERE WE BEHIND?

BUT YOU WERE PUTTING
A HUMAN ON BOARD

LITERALLY TONS
OF HIGH EXPLOSIVE.

ERROR WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

Narrator:
BUT ERROR WAS POSSIBLE.

NOT ONLY DID THE ENGINEERS
NEED TO BE ON TOP OF THEIR GAME;

THE PILOTS DID, TOO.

Lunney: CLIMBING ON TOP
OF ONE OF THESE THINGS,

YOU HAD TO BE ON TOP
OF YOUR TECHNICAL GAME.

SO THE GUYS THAT FLEW
THE HIGH PERFORMANCE AIRPLANES,

THEY HAD
THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE.

Narrator: THE NEW JOB TITLE
OF "ASTRONAUT"

FEATURED HIGH RISK AT LOW PAY.

MORE THAN 500
MILITARY TEST PILOTS APPLIED.

Launius: THE SELECTION PROCESS
FOR THE MERCURY ASTRONAUTS

WAS PRETTY INVOLVED.

NOBODY REALLY KNEW
WHAT SPACE WAS LIKE.

THERE WERE SCIENTISTS
WHO SPECULATED

THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPECT
CERTAIN TYPES OF THINGS.

BUT MOSTLY WE DIDN'T KNOW.

Narrator: NASA CHOSE
THE TOP 69 APPLICANTS,

WHO ENDURED A WILD ARRAY
OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TESTS.

Launius: THE PHYSICAL TESTS
HAD TO BE SORT OF DESIGNED.

THEY HAD SOME KNOWLEDGE
OF UPPER ALTITUDE FLIGHT

AND HIGH SPEED FLIGHT

AND WHAT THE BODY MIGHT BE
SUBJECTED TO IN THAT CONTEXT.

AND SO THERE WERE
CENTRIFUGE TESTS

AND A VARIETY
OF THINGS LIKE THAT.

Narrator:
HOW WOULD HUMANS REACT
TO ACCELERATION, VIBRATION,

ATMOSPHERIC FORCES,
AND WEIGHTLESSNESS?

MANY DOUBTED
AN ASTRONAUT COULD WITHSTAND

THE THREATS OF SPACE TRAVEL.

Kraft: THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY,
PROBABLY 95 PERCENT,

THOUGHT THAT MAN COULD NOT
PERFORM A TASK IN ZERO GRAVITY,

HE PROBABLY COULDN'T SEE,
HE PROBABLY COULDN'T THINK,

IT PROBABLY HAD ALL KINDS
OF EFFECTS ON HIS INNER EAR.

ALL OF THOSE PROBLEMS

WERE MAJOR ISSUES
WITH THE DOCTORS

AND THAT WE HAD
SERIOUS PROBLEMS OVERCOMING.

Narrator: FINALLY,
AFTER MONTHS OF TESTING,

ON APRIL 10, 1959,

A HANDFUL OF AMERICA'S FINEST
FACED THE MEDIA.

Man: THESE,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

ARE THE NATION'S
MERCURY ASTRONAUTS.

John Glenn: MY FEELINGS ARE

THAT THIS WHOLE PROJECT
WITH REGARD TO SPACE

SORT OF STANDS WITH US NOW AS...
IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ONE WAY...

LIKE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
STOOD AT KITTY HAWK

ABOUT FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Ceruzzi: "LIFE" MAGAZINE

HAD A CONTRACT WITH THE MERCURY
ASTRONAUTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

TO DO KIND OF BIOGRAPHICAL
PIECES ABOUT THEM.

AT THE TIME, THE MAGAZINE
WAS JUST WILDLY SUCCESSFUL.

EVERYBODY HAD IT.

YOU COULD FOLLOW
THE ASTRONAUTS LIVES

AND THE WORK THEY WERE DOING,
THE PREPARATIONS.

THERE WAS
THE GREATEST ADULATION.

Narrator: FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS,

AS THE MERCURY SEVEN
TRAINED FOR THE UNKNOWN,

EVERYONE FOLLOWED THEIR PROGRESS
WITH ONE BURNING QUESTION:

WHO WOULD FLY FIRST?

IN JANUARY 1961,

NASA TAPPED ALAN SHEPARD
FOR THE JOB.

Lunney: IT SEEMS LIKE
WE HAVE ALWAYS MANAGED

TO SELECT THE RIGHT PERSON

TO BE THE GUY WHO TAKES
THE STICK AND THE THROTTLE

AND PUTS HIMSELF IN HARM'S WAY.

AL SHEPARD WAS ONE
OF THOSE KIND OF GUYS.

Narrator: BUT THE MONTHS
OF TESTING AND PREPARATION

COST THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM
VALUABLE TIME.

ON APRIL 12, 1961,

SOVIET COSMONAUT YURI GAGARIN
BECAME THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE

AND THE FIRST
TO ORBIT THE EARTH.

Lewis: THE DISAPPOINTMENT
OF GAGARIN BEING THE FIRST

HAMMERED HOME
AGAIN THIS QUESTIONING

OF WHETHER THE SOVIET UNION
WAS MORE ADVANCED.

Man: SEVEN
LOUD AND CLEAR, STONEY.

Man: ALRIGHT,
WE'RE LOUD AND CLEAR ALSO.

Narrator: A FEW WEEKS LATER,

SHEPARD CLIMBED
INTO A TINY CAPSULE

ON TOP OF A ROCKET PACKED
WITH EXPLOSIVE FUEL.

Man: OK, STONEY, TAKE IT OVER.

Man: TWO, ONE, ZERO...

Shepard: ROGER, LIFTOFF
AND THE CLOCK HAS STARTED.

Narrator: AT LONG LAST,
78,000 POUNDS OF THRUST

CATAPULTED SHEPARD

116 MILES STRAIGHT UP
THROUGH THE FLORIDA SKY,

TO THE EDGE OF SPACE.

Kraft: HAVING SHEPARD
ON TOP OF THAT ROCKET

I THINK
WAS A FANTASTIC THING TO DO,

BUT IT SURE WAS SCARY.

Kranz: YOU JUST ADMIRE A PERSON

THAT IS CAPABLE
OF ASSUMING THE RISKS

THAT THAT FIRST MISSION
ENTAILED.

Narrator: FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER,

SHEPARD SPLASHED DOWN
IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

AN AMERICAN HERO.

Kraft: IT WAS A FANTASTIC DAY
FROM THE STANDPOINT

OF WE HAD BEEN TRYING SO HARD
FOR THREE YEARS

TO GET TO THAT POINT,

AND IT WORKED EXTREMELY WELL,
ALMOST PERFECTLY.

Kranz: WE HAD NOW
BROKEN THE BARRIER.

WE HAD HAD A MAN IN SPACE,
AND WE GOT HIM BACK SAFELY,

AND THAT WAS THE BEGINNING
OF THE PROCESS

THAT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS
WOULD MATURE.

Narrator: SHEPARD'S SUCCESS

GALVANIZED
THE NATION'S CONFIDENCE.

BUT JUST 20 DAYS LATER,

AT NASA'S FEET.

President Kennedy:
I BELIEVE THAT THIS NATION

SHOULD COMMIT ITSELF
TO ACHIEVING THE GOAL

BEFORE THIS DECADE IS OUT

OF LANDING A MAN
ON THE MOON

AND RETURNING HIM
SAFELY TO THE EARTH.

Narrator: KENNEDY'S
EXTRAORDINARY ANNOUNCEMENT

ELECTRIFIED THE PUBLIC

AND SHOCKED
NASA'S RANK AND FILE.

Kraft: I THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY.

HONESTLY,
I THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY.

HIS SAYING
WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE MOON

AT THAT POINT IN TIME

WAS ALMOST LAUGHABLE,
IF YOU WILL.

I DIDN'T LAUGH ABOUT IT

BECAUSE TWO DAYS LATER
I HAD THE JOB OF DOING IT.

Narrator: ALAN SHEPARD
HAD CATAPULTED INTO SPACE

AND DROPPED BACK TO EARTH

WITHOUT EVEN HAVING
TO STEER A PATH.

GETTING TO THE MOON WOULD
REQUIRE FAR MORE CONTROL.

Ceruzzi: HITTING THE MOON
IS NOT EASY.

IT'S A MOVING TARGET,

IT'S A QUARTER MILLION
MILES AWAY.

WE'RE MOVING, WE'RE SPINNING,
EVERYTHING IS MOVING.

Narrator: PROJECT RANGER
WAS THE FIRST STEP

TOWARDS KENNEDY'S
UNPRECEDENTED GOAL.

THE OBJECTIVE SOUNDED SIMPLE:

JUST SEND A PROBE TO THE MOON,

HAVE IT TRANSMIT
PHOTOS BACK TO EARTH,

AND THEN CRASH
INTO THE LUNAR SURFACE.

James Burke:
IT WAS REASONABLE TO ASK,

BUT QUITE DIFFICULT
TO ACHIEVE BACK THEN.

John Casani: NOBODY HAD A CLUE
ABOUT WHAT WAS NEEDED.

I MEAN, WE SORT OF
WENT THROUGH IT ALL.

I REMEMBER SITTING DOWN

AND DRAWING THE FIRST BLOCK
DIAGRAM OF A SPACE CRAFT,

BUT NONE OF THAT STUFF
HAD BEEN BUILT BEFORE.

WE WERE JUST MAKING IT UP
AS WE WENT ALONG BASICALLY.

THAN JUST A NEW SPACECRAFT.

IT HAD TO INVENT A WAY TO GUIDE
IT ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON.

THE SOLUTION
WAS THE DEEP SPACE NETWORK.

THREE LARGE RADIO TRANSCEIVERS
WERE SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD,

SO THAT AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT,

AT LEAST ONE OF THEM
COULD COMMUNICATE WITH RANGER.

BUT FIRST, RANGER NEEDED ROCKETS
THAT COULD GET IT TO THE MOON.

RANGERS 1 AND 2 FELL SHORT.

THEIR ROCKETS FAILED TO PROPEL
THEM OUT OF LOW EARTH ORBIT.

RANGER 3
SUCCESSFULLY LEFT ORBIT,

BUT FAULTY COMMAND SIGNALS

PITCHED IT
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

IT MISSED THE MOON
BY SOME 23,000 MILES.

THINGS WEREN'T GOING SO WELL.

Chad Edwards:
NAVIGATION IS A CHALLENGING PART
OF PLANETARY EXPLORATION.

WE'RE TRAVELING
INCREDIBLY LONG DISTANCES,

AND TO BE ABLE
TO GET TO THE TARGET,

YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE
WELL ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: RANGER 4
DID FINALLY REACH THE MOON,

BUT AN ONBOARD COMPUTER FAILED,

AND IT CRASHED
WITHOUT RETURNING ANY PICTURES.

RANGER 5 MISSED THE MOON
COMPLETELY...

AGAIN.

AS THE MONTHS TICKED BY,

NASA CONTINUED TO TEST,
REFINE, AND TROUBLESHOOT.

Casani: AS WE GOT BETTER,
AS OUR TECHNOLOGY GOT BETTER,

AS THE ABILITY TO CALCULATE
THE TRAJECTORY THAT WE WERE ON,

BASED ON RADIO NAVIGATION,
IMPROVED,

THAT AREA
GOT SMALLER AND SMALLER.

Narrator: JANUARY 1964.

RANGER 6.

Burke: DURING ITS ASCENT,
WE WERE WATCHING IT.

ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SPACECRAFT
TELEMETRY CAME ON.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?

Man: ROGER 8,
READING YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.

I HAVE
SOME INFORMATION FOR YOU.

Narrator: THE SPACECRAFT HAD
PREMATURELY AND MYSTERIOUSLY

POWERED UP ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
AND THEN TURNED THEM OFF.

AFTER SHEDDING
ITS BOOSTER STAGE,

RANGER 6 APPROACHED THE MOON,

WITH SIX TV CAMERAS EXPECTED
TO FILM THE HISTORIC IMPACT.

Man: NO VIDEO.

Man: ROGER.

Man: STILL NO VIDEO.

Man: ROGER.

Rob Manning:
THE ROOM WAS FULL OF REPORTERS

WANTING TO SEE THE MOON
CLOSE UP IN REAL TIME.

SO HERE ARE THESE GUYS SENDING
THESE VEHICLES TO THE MOON,

AND SUDDENLY NO PICTURES.

THE THING CRASHES, AND THEY GO,
"OH, NO. NOT AGAIN."

Narrator: IT TOOK MONTHS
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED.

Burke: WHEN THE ATLAS
BOOSTER ENGINES STAGED OFF,

A HOT PLASMA CLOUD

WENT UP THE WHOLE VEHICLE
AND BACK DOWN, LIKE THAT,

AND BURNED OUT
BOTH TRANSMITTERS.

Narrator: RANGER'S MISSION
APPEARED BEYOND THE CAPACITIES

OF NASA'S BEST BRAINS.

THREE LONG YEARS.

SIX SPACECRAFT.

ZERO SUCCESS.

JULY 1964,

RANGER 7 LAUNCHED,

UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE
TO SUCCEED.

RANGER 7 SENT BACK
THE FIRST CLOSE-UPS

OF AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE.

NASA'S PAINFUL
AND EXPENSIVE QUEST

WAS FINALLY PAYING OFF.

Steltzner: I KIND OF WISH
THAT I'D BEEN BACK THERE

IN THOSE TIMES

BECAUSE THEY WERE THE WILD WEST
OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

WE DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND
WHAT SPACE WAS,

AND SO THOSE EARLY PIONEERS
REALLY HAD TO BE GUTSY

BECAUSE THEY HAD
TO TRY AND FAIL,

AND LEARN FROM THE FAILURE
AND CONTINUE TO PERSEVERE.

Narrator: PERSEVERANCE HELPED
CREATE MODERN TECHNOLOGY

WE NOW TAKE FOR GRANTED.

RANGER 7 SENT VIDEO IMAGES
HOME 240,000 MILES

BY ENCODING THEM
TO NUMERIC INFORMATION,

WHICH WAS DECODED BACK ON EARTH.

THIS IMAGE PROCESSING
BREAKTHROUGH

IS AT THE CORE OF TODAY'S
DIGITAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGY.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY,
RANGER TAUGHT US

HOW TO LAUNCH SOMETHING
THROUGH THE VASTNESS OF SPACE

AND HIT A MOVING TARGET.

WE'RE ONLY GETTING
BETTER AT IT.

Steltzner:
WE USE RADIO TELESCOPES

TO TELL US
WHERE THE SPACECRAFT IS,

AND THEN FROM
EARTH OBSERVATION

WE TUNE ITS TRAJECTORY
TO GET IT JUST RIGHT.

Edwards: MARS IS 400 MILLION
KILOMETERS FROM EARTH,

YET WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE
MEASUREMENTS PRECISE ENOUGH

THAT WHEN WE ARRIVE AT MARS

WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE ON A SCALE
OF A COUPLE OF KILOMETERS.

Narrator: AT THE TIME
OF RANGER'S SUCCESS,

NASA'S ULTIMATE GOAL

WAS TO GUIDE A MANNED
SPACECRAFT TO THE MOON,

ONE STEP AT A TIME.

IN FEBRUARY 1962,

JOHN GLENN
BOARDED A TINY CAPSULE

FOR THE THIRD
MERCURY SPACE LAUNCH.

HIS MISSION: TO ORBIT THE EARTH.

Man: GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN.

TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN,

SIX, FIVE, FOUR,
THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO...

Man: ROGER,
THE CLOCK IS OPERATING.

WE'RE UNDERWAY.

Jay Barbree:
EVERYBODY WAS ECSTATIC.

WE HAD CAMPERS OUT THERE,
EVERYBODY CAME DOWN.

THE WHOLE NATION STOPPED,
REALLY,

BECAUSE IT WAS
ON LIVE TELEVISION.

Barbree: JOHN GLENN
GETTING INTO ORBIT

WAS A GIANT STEP
FOR US GETTING TO THE MOON,

AND HE WAS
A VERY, VERY BRAVE MAN.

Narrator: GLENN RETURNED
TO EARTH A HERO,

AND A HUMAN TRIP TO THE MOON
SUDDENLY SEEMED POSSIBLE.

OTHERS WERE ALREADY LOOKING
TO THE NEXT DESTINATION.

AUGUST 1962.

A NEW PROBE, MARINER 2,
ROCKETS TOWARD VENUS.

Ceruzzi: BEFORE MARINER 2
FLEW TO VENUS,

THERE WAS A LOT OF SPECULATION
ABOUT THE PLANET.

IT'S ROUGHLY
THE SAME SIZE AS EARTH,

IT HAS AN ATMOSPHERE...
WE KNEW THAT...

IT'S CLOSER TO THE SUN,

BUT IT ISN'T THAT MUCH
CLOSER TO THE SUN,

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF FEELINGS
THAT IT WAS PROBABLY LIKE EARTH,

MAYBE HAVE OCEANS AND WATER
AND MAYBE EVEN LIFE.

Narrator:
MARINER 2 DEMONSTRATED

THAT WE COULD
GUIDE AND COMMUNICATE

WITH A SPACECRAFT
TENS OF MILLIONS OF MILES AWAY.

BUT IT ALSO BLEW APART

PRECONCEPTIONS OF OUR NEAREST
PLANETARY NEIGHBOR.

Launius: THE IDEA WAS

THAT PERHAPS VENUS IS SEVERAL
MILLION YEARS BEHIND EARTH

AND THAT THERE MAY BE DINOSAURS
AND AQUATIC CREATURES

AND TROPICAL TERRAIN ON VENUS.

ALL OF THAT WAS SMASHED TO BITS

WITH THE FIRST
PLANETARY PROBES.

Narrator:
THE NEWS MARINER SENT BACK

WAS SHOCKING AND BLEAK.

Ceruzzi:
IT FOUND A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,

VERY HOT.

VENUS IS NOT A PLEASANT PLACE.

Narrator: VENUS'S SURFACE
IS 890 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT:

A SCORCHED, WATERLESS WORLD.

DISAPPOINTING NEWS FOR MANY,

BUT THE MISSION WAS A SUCCESS.

Ceruzzi: MARINER 2 HAD
A TREMENDOUS SCIENTIFIC IMPACT

OF GIVING US DATA
THAT WE REALLY COULDN'T GET

FROM THE GROUND OBSERVATIONS.

Narrator: AFTER THE STARK
REVELATIONS OF MARINER 2,

HOPE FOR SIGNS OF LIFE
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

SHIFTED TO THE PLANET EVERYONE
LOVED TO FANTASIZE ABOUT.

Film narrator: FOR CENTURIES
SCIENCE HAS STUDIED MARS,

THE ONLY PLANET
WHERE LIFE MAY EXIST.

NOW THE SCREEN CREATES FOR YOU

THE FASCINATING,
FRIGHTENING SPECTACLE

OF THE FIRST FLIGHT TO MARS.

Martian: WE HAVE BEEN
EXPECTING YOU.

Ceruzzi:
MARS IS SIMILAR TO EARTH.

IT'S SMALLER,
BUT NOT TOO MUCH SMALLER.

AND IT'S FARTHER AWAY
FROM THE SUN

BUT NOT REALLY FAR AWAY
LIKE SATURN OR JUPITER,

SO THERE WAS A LOT OF FEELINGS

THAT PERHAPS MARS
MIGHT HAVE LIFE OR SUPPORT LIFE.

Narrator:
ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.

IN 1964, MARINER 4
TOOK OFF FOR MARS,

A 325-MILLION-MILE
TOURIST TRIP

FOR A SPACECRAFT
ARMED WITH FIELD SENSORS,

PARTICLE DETECTORS,
AND A CAMERA.

THIS WAS OUR FIRST CHANCE
TO SEE MARS UP CLOSE.

CENTURIES OF SPECULATION WERE
ABOUT TO MEET COLD REALITY.

Launius: ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT IT SHOWED VERY PLAINLY

WAS THAT MARS LOOKS
A LOT LIKE THE MOON.

THERE ARE CRATERS,

AND THERE WERE THESE DEVASTATING
STORIES IN THE MEDIA

IN WHICH THE HEADLINES
READ "MARS IS DEAD,"

AND THAT WAS A REAL SURPRISE
TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.

Narrator: BUT MARINER'S PICTURES

INDICATED THAT LIQUID WATER
HAD ETCHED THE SOIL.

PERHAPS WHEN WATER WAS PRESENT,
MARS HOSTED BASIC FORMS OF LIFE.

John Grant:
THE FIRST LOOK AT MARS

PROVIDED BY
THE MARINER SPACECRAFT

KIND OF CAUSED US TO PAUSE

AND THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT WHAT WE WERE SEEING

AND HOW BEST
TO EXPLORE MARS AS A PLANET,

TO UNDERSTAND
HOW IT'S EVOLVED OVER TIME.

Narrator: THESE FIRST TWO
PLANETARY PROBES

UPENDED OUR EXPECTATIONS,

BUT THEY ALSO PROVED
WE COULD EXPLORE FARAWAY WORLDS.

Bobak Ferdowsi: WHAT'S,
I THINK, REALLY AMAZING

ABOUT THOSE KINDS
OF EARLY MISSIONS

IS THEY WERE
ENCOUNTERING ENVIRONMENTS

THAT HAD NEVER REALLY BEEN
DOCUMENTED BEFORE.

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE
THAT THESE ENGINEERS

HAVE THESE
EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGES

OF KIND OF DESIGNING
A SYSTEM THAT COULD WORK

IN SORT OF UNKNOWN ENVIRONMENTS.

CURIOSITY ARRIVED READY TO ROLL
IN THE HARSH MARTIAN ENVIRONMENT

WITH BETTER TRANSPORT,
TOOLS, AND EYESIGHT.

Launius: THE IMAGERY
THAT WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN

FROM MARINER 4
WAS VERY RUDIMENTARY.

THE IMAGERY
THAT IS AVAILABLE TODAY

IS ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE
MORE SOPHISTICATED

THAN WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO

DURING THOSE FIRST YEARS
OF PLANETARY EXPLORATION.

Steltzner: MY FAVORITE THING
ABOUT CURIOSITY

IS ALL OF THE FANTASTIC CAMERAS.

SHE'S GOT THE MAHLI,

A HAND LENS
WHICH COMES UP CLOSE

AND GETS INCREDIBLE RESOLUTION
IMAGES OF THE SURFACE.

SHE HAD THE MARDI,
THE MARS DESCENT IMAGER,

WHICH GAVE US THOSE GREAT VIDEOS
OF THE HEAT SHIELD SEPARATION.

LOVE THAT.

AND HE'S GOT THAT GREAT
M100 LENS ON THE MAST CAM

THAT ALLOWS HIM TO TAKE THOSE
SUPER-ZOOMED-IN IMAGES

OF THE FAR FIELD,

AND THOSE
PAINT A PICTURE OF MARS

THAT MAKES ME WANNA GO THERE.

Grant: THOSE IMAGES ARE STUNNING
NOT ONLY IN THEIR CLARITY,

BUT ALSO IN THE ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION THAT THEY TELL US

ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT LIGHT
IS REFLECTED

FOR DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS
FROM THE SURFACE,

TELLS US SOMETHING
ABOUT THE COMPOSITION.

Edwards: IT'S ABLE TO
LOOK AT INDIVIDUAL ROCKS,

CORE INTO ROCKS,

ACQUIRE SAMPLES
FROM THOSE ROCKS,

AND ANALYZE THEM
IN AN ANALYTICAL LABORATORY

THAT'S BUILT INTO THE ROVER,

AND SO YOU'RE ABLE TO DO MUCH
MORE IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATIONS

OF WHAT'S THERE ON THE SURFACE.

Grant: SO THERE'S
A LOT OF INFORMATION

THAT WE'RE GETTING
FROM THE SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS

ON MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY

THAT CAN ALSO BE USED
TO UNDERSTAND MARS

AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
FOR FUTURE HUMAN EXPLORATION.

Narrator: BUT BEFORE CURIOSITY
COULD EXPLORE MARS,

ALL OF THOSE GREAT INSTRUMENTS
HAD TO SURVIVE QUITE A VOYAGE:

LAUNCH;

9 MONTHS OF SPACE FLIGHT;

AND THEN, SLOW DOWN
FROM 13,000 MILES AN HOUR

TO A PILLOW-SOFT LANDING,

COMPLETELY ON ITS OWN.

TO ACHIEVE THIS,

CURIOSITY MADE UNUSUAL USE
OF SMALL CONTROL ROCKETS

TO ADJUST
ITS DIRECTION AND VELOCITY.

Ferdowsi:
CURIOSITY USED A DESIGN
THAT IS COMPLETELY NEW

IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS THIS
KIND OF ROCKET HELICOPTER

LANDING SYSTEM.

Narrator:
THIS DESIGN LITERALLY FLIPS
CONVENTIONAL LANDING LOGIC.

RATHER THAN RIDING
ATOP ITS THRUSTERS

LIKE LANDERS BEFORE IT,

CURIOSITY DANGLED
BELOW THE THRUSTERS,

ITS FATE HANGING IN THE BALANCE.

Ferdowsi: SO THE IDEA
OF ACTUALLY INVERTING IT

AND HAVING THE ROCKETS ON TOP

WITH THE HEAVY OBJECT
ON THE BOTTOM

MAKES IT MUCH MORE STABLE.

IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

Man: TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED.

[CHEERING]

Narrator: CURIOSITY'S
SUCCESSFUL TOUCHDOWN

BUILT ON THRUSTER TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPED BY NASA IN THE 1960s

DURING THE RACE TO THE MOON.

TODAY'S SUCCESSFUL LANDINGS

SPOIL US INTO THINKING
THAT IT'S EASY.

IT'S NOT.

AND IN THE EARLY 1960s,
IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

WE COULDN'T SEND MEN TO THE MOON

WITHOUT A WAY TO SLOW THEM DOWN
AND LAND THEM SAFELY.

BUT NASA HAD A PLAN.

PROJECT GEMINI.

Kranz: GEMINI WAS DESIGNED
TO DEVELOP AND PROVE

THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE NEEDED
IN ORDER TO GO TO THE MOON.

Kraft: IT WAS A BRIDGE
BETWEEN NOVICE

WE HAD A GUIDED RE-ENTRY,
WE HAD FUEL CELLS,

WE HAD TO DO EVA,
EXTRA VEHICLE ACTIVITY,

ON AND ON AND ON.

Man: FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO,

ONE, ZERO...

IGNITION.

Man: ENGINES START,
WE HAVE A LIFTOFF...

Narrator: GEMINI FLEW TEN MANNED
ORBITAL FLIGHTS IN 1965 AND '66.

ITS BREAKTHROUGHS
WERE IMPRESSIVE.

Ceruzzi: ONE OF THE BIG MISSIONS
OF THE GEMINI PROGRAM

WAS NOT ONLY
TO MANEUVER IN SPACE,

BUT TO RENDEZVOUS IN SPACE.

Narrator:
EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

IN SPACE, THE SPEED YOU FLY
AFFECTS THE ALTITUDE YOU FLY.

WELCOME TO ORBITAL MECHANICS.

Kranz: MANY OF THE TECHNIQUES
THAT WE USED

IN FLYING FORMATION
IN A FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

JUST DID NOT APPLY HERE.

WHEN YOU WANT TO RENDEZVOUS WITH
A SPACECRAFT THAT'S UP IN ORBIT,

YOU PUT THE VEHICLE YOU'RE
LAUNCHING INTO A LOWER ORBIT

AND THEREFORE THE PERIOD
OF THE ORBIT IS MUCH SHORTER,

SO OVER A PERIOD OF TIME,

IT STARTS CATCHING UP TO THAT
SPACECRAFT IN THE HIGHER ORBIT.

IT'S VERY SIMPLE TO DESCRIBE,
BUT VERY DIFFICULT TO DO.

Man: FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO,
ONE, ZERO...

IGNITION.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 4, 1965,

ASTRONAUTS FRANK BORMAN
AND JAMES LOVELL

REACHED ORBIT
ABOARD GEMINI 7.

ELEVEN DAYS LATER, WALLY SCHIRRA
AND TOM STAFFORD FOLLOWED

IN GEMINI 6.

Man:
WE'VE GOT A REAL LIFTOFF.

Narrator:
THEIR MISSION: MEET UP IN SPACE.

Man: 27 SECONDS AFTER THE HOUR.

Narrator: JUST THREE HOURS
AFTER LEAVING THE EARTH,

GEMINI 6 CREPT UP
ON LOVELL AND BORMAN.

James Lovell: GEMINI 6
WAS COMING UP UNDERNEATH

FOR THE FINAL PHASE,

AND WE COULD SEE, AGAIN,
THE THRUSTERS FIRING

AND COMING UP SLOWLY

AS THE RADAR
SHOWED THEIR RANGE RATE.

THEY CAME UP SLOWLY,
AND THEN STOPPED.

WE FLEW FORMATION FOR A COUPLE
OF HOURS BACK AND FORTH

TO SEE HOW EASY IT WAS
TO GET TOGETHER AND MOVE APART

AND TURN AROUND
AND THINGS OF THIS NATURE.

Narrator: FOR TWO SPACECRAFT TO
DANCE AROUND EACH OTHER IN ORBIT

REQUIRED FINE-TUNED DIRECTION

AND VELOCITY CONTROL
FOR EACH CRAFT.

GEMINI CAPSULES FEATURED
SMALL THRUSTER ROCKETS

WHICH, AFTER MONTHS OF PRACTICE
ON THE GROUND,

ENABLED THIS CONTROL.

MARKING THE BIRTH
OF SPACECRAFT PILOTRY,

GEMINI SIX AND SEVEN CAME WITHIN
ONE FOOT OF EACH OTHER.

Lunney: THEY WERE RIGHT NEXT
TO THE OTHER SPACECRAFT.

THEY WERE TAKING PICTURES
OF THE OTHER CREW.

AND IT WAS CLEAR
THAT WE'D GOTTEN TO THE POINT

WHERE HAD WE HAD A DOCKING
SYSTEM ON THOSE TWO SHIPS,

WHICH THEY DIDN'T HAVE,

WE COULD HAVE PUT THEM TOGETHER
AND DOCKED 'EM.

Narrator:
THE RENDEZVOUS WAS A SUCCESS,

BUT BORMAN AND LOVELL
STILL HAD ANOTHER TASK:

SURVIVE A TOTAL OF TWO WEEKS
IN ORBIT.

SIX DAYS MORE
THAN ANYONE EVER HAD.

Lovell: THERE WERE A LOT OF
MEDICAL PEOPLE AT THAT TIME

WHO SAID THAT WE DON'T THINK
THAT PEOPLE CAN STAY

IN ZERO GRAVITY
FOR TWO WEEKS.

Kraft: WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
EXPERIENCE WITH HUMAN BEINGS

UNDER THAT SET OF ENVIRONMENTS
FOR FOURTEEN DAYS.

Narrator: IT TURNED OUT
THAT WEIGHTLESSNESS

WASN'T THE KEY PROBLEM.

BEING PACKED INTO
A TINY CAPSULE FOR DAYS ON END

WAS FAR MORE TAXING.

Ceruzzi: WELL, THE GEMINI
CAPSULE WAS VERY, VERY CRAMPED.

IT WAS TIGHT.

IT WAS SORT OF LIKE BEING
IN A VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE.

AND YOU'RE WEIGHTLESS

SO YOU DON'T HAVE
THE SAME KIND OF SENSE

OF SITTING IN AN AIRPLANE
FOR A LONG TIME,

BUT OTHER THAN THAT,
YOU CAN'T REALLY MOVE AROUND.

THEY ARGUED...
WELL, THEY DIDN'T ARGUE.

THEY KIND OF HAD A DISCUSSION
WITH MISSION CONTROL IN HOUSTON

OVER WHETHER THEY COULD
TAKE THEIR SPACE SUITS OFF

AND FLY IN THEIR SKIVVIES,

AND EVENTUALLY NASA REALIZED

THAT THAT WAS PROBABLY
A SMART THING TO DO.

Kraft: JIM LOVELL
DESCRIBED IT BEST.

HE SAID IT WAS LIKE 14 DAYS
IN A MEN'S ROOM.

Narrator:
A SUCCESSFUL RENDEZVOUS

AND TWO WEEKS IN ORBIT

MADE BORMAN AND LOVELL
TRIUMPHANT,

EVEN IF WALKING SEEMED A LITTLE
AWKWARD AFTER SO LONG IN ZERO G.

Lunney: IT ACTUALLY WENT

EXACTLY AS PEOPLE
HAD THOUGHT IT THROUGH.

IT WORKED JUST LIKE WE PLANNED.

Narrator: BORMAN AND LOVELL

PROVED WE HAD MASTERED
ORBITAL CONTROL

AND LONG DURATION
SPACE FLIGHT.

WE WOULD NEED THOSE SKILLS
TO REACH THE MOON.

BUT ANOTHER HUGE CHALLENGE
LAY AHEAD:

DOCKING.

OUR MOON LANDING STRATEGY
CALLED FOR A COMMAND CAPSULE

WITH A SEPARATE SMALL LANDER.

ONCE IN LUNAR ORBIT,
THEY WOULD SEPARATE.

TWO CREWMEN WOULD FLY
THE LANDER TO THE SURFACE,

WHILE A THIRD ASTRONAUT
REMAINED IN ORBIT.

TO RETURN,

THE LANDING PARTY WOULD RE-DOCK
WITH THEIR ORBITING CRAFT

FOR THE LONG VOYAGE HOME.

IT WORKED ON PAPER.

BUT WOULD IT WORK IN SPACE?

GEMINI 8'S MARCH 1966 MISSION

IS TO DOCK WITH A DEVICE
CALLED AGENA,

PUT INTO ORBIT
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE EXERCISE.

Kraft:
THE OPERATIONAL MANEUVERING

REQUIRED TO BRING
TWO VEHICLES TOGETHER

AND THEN DOCK THEM
SO YOU CAN TRANSFER CREWS

WAS NOT SOMETHING SIMPLY DONE.

Man: IGNITION.

Narrator: THE UNMANNED AGENA
LAUNCHED FIRST.

GEMINI 8
WOULD FOLLOW IT INTO ORBIT.

MISSION COMMANDER WAS NAVY PILOT
AND KOREAN WAR VETERAN

NEIL ARMSTRONG,

ACCOMPANIED BY AIR FORCE
TEST PILOT DAVID SCOTT,

BOTH MAKING
THEIR FIRST-EVER SPACE FLIGHTS.

Kranz: NEIL ARMSTRONG
AND DAVE SCOTT,

THEY WERE BOTH PILOTS,
THEY WERE BOTH TEST PILOTS,

AND I BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE
TRULY WELL PREPARED

FOR THAT MISSION.

Man: TWO, ONE...

IGNITION.

LIFTOFF.

Narrator:
FIVE HOURS AFTER LAUNCH,

GEMINI 8
FOUND THE ORBITING AGENA.

ARMSTRONG AND SCOTT
MOVED IN TO DOCK.

Neil Armstrong: HELLO, HOUSTON,
THIS IS GEMINI 8.

WE'RE STATIONED
KEEPING ON THE AGENA

AT ABOUT 150 FEET.

Kraft: IT REQUIRED
A GREAT DEAL OF ACCURACY,

A GREAT DEAL OF COMPUTER POWER
ON THE GROUND,

AND A LOT OF SLIDE RULE WORKING
ON BOARD THE SPACECRAFT

IN CASE THAT DIDN'T WORK.

Man: OKAY, GEMINI 8, YOU'RE
LOOKING GOOD ON THE GROUND,

GO AHEAD AND DOCK.

Kranz: IT WAS
A VERY SUCCESSFUL DOCKING.

BUT SHORTLY AFTER DOCKING,

THE SPACECRAFT STARTED TO...
TO SPIN UP.

Man: THE ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM
OF THE AGENA...

Kranz: THINGS STARTED
TO GET A LITTLE SCARY.

THE CREW IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT

THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM
WITH THE AGENA.

Narrator: THE TWO SPACECRAFT
WERE REVOLVING TOGETHER

IN AN ACCELERATING
DEATH SPIN.

Kraft: UNFORTUNATELY WE DIDN'T
KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING

IN MISSION CONTROL.

THAT HAPPENED
ON A PART OF THE NETWORK

WHERE WE HAD VERY SPARSE
COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CREW.

Man: GEMINI 8, COMM CHECK,
HOW DO YOU READ?

Narrator: ARMSTRONG
UNDOCKED FROM THE AGENA,

BUT THAT ONLY MADE
MATTERS WORSE.

THE SPIN ACCELERATED.

Man: DID HE SAY HE COULD NOT
TURN THE AGENA OFF?

Man: NO, HE SAYS HE HAS
SEPARATED FROM THE AGENA

AND HE'S IN A ROLL
AND HE CAN'T STOP IT.

Kraft: SO, THERE'S THIS THING

GOING TO 400 REVOLUTIONS
PER MINUTE.

NORMALLY THE BRAIN, THE MIND,
STOPS FUNCTIONING AT AROUND 350.

Narrator:
THE CREW WERE ON BORROWED TIME.

THEIR LIVES DEPENDED ON
IMMEDIATE, DECISIVE ACTION.

ON THE BRINK OF BLACKOUT,

ARMSTRONG
INITIATED THE CAPSULE'S

RETURN TO EARTH SEQUENCE,

HOPING THAT WOULD STOP THE SPIN.

MISSION CONTROL HELD ITS BREATH.

IT WORKED.

Lunney: IT WAS A TREMENDOUS
RESPONSE TO A PROBLEM

THAT NEIL PERFORMED
ON THAT FLIGHT.

EVERYBODY KNEW
NEIL WAS A GREAT PILOT,

BUT IT UNDERLINED IT.

Narrator: DESPITE ITS PROBLEMS,

GEMINI 8 PROVED THAT DOCKING
WAS POSSIBLE IN SPACE.

NEIL ARMSTRONG'S CALM RESOLUTION
OF A RUNAWAY CRISIS

PUT HIM ON THE SHORT LIST TO
COMMAND A FIRST LUNAR LANDING.

Kraft:
THE GUY WAS PRETTY GOOD.

PRETTY DAMN GOOD.

WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE THAT
WE HAD NEIL ARMSTRONG THERE

TO MAKE ALL THAT HAPPEN.

Narrator: THE STEERING,
DOCKING, AND RELEASING MANEUVERS

PIONEERED ON THE GEMINI PROGRAM
WERE CRUCIAL MILESTONES

ON THE ROUTE TO LANDING
PEOPLE AND MACHINES

ON OTHER PLANETS.

Lunney: OVER THE COURSE
OF THE GEMINI PROGRAM,

WE DID RENDEZVOUS
FROM ALL KINDS OF DIRECTIONS

AND ALL KIND OF WAYS,

AND WE GOT
VERY COMFORTABLE WITH IT.

Kraft: AT EVERY
TURN OF THE ROAD,

YOU COULD SAY
GEMINI WAS THE THING

THAT OPENED THE DOOR FOR US,
ALMOST EVERY TIME.

Narrator:
BUT AFTER THE BREAKTHROUGHS
OF THE GEMINI PROGRAM,

ONE QUESTION REMAINED

THAT EARTH ORBIT MISSIONS
COULD NOT ADDRESS.

WAS THE SURFACE OF THE MOON
SAFE TO LAND ON?

Launius: THE SURVEYOR PROGRAM
WAS BUILT UPON THE NECESSITY

OF LEARNING MORE
ABOUT THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THERE WAS ONE SCIENTIST

WHO BELIEVED THAT
THE LUNAR DUST WAS SO THICK

FROM EONS OF BUILD-UP

AND WITHOUT ANY ACTIVITY
OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE

THAT IT WOULD SIMPLY
SWALLOW UP

WHATEVER SPACECRAFT
HAPPENED TO LAND THERE.

Narrator: WOULD A SPACECRAFT
STAND OR SINK?

NASA SENT SURVEYOR
TO SETTLE THE ARGUMENT.

IT HAD TO LAND SOFTLY
AND AUTONOMOUSLY.

Burke: SURVEYOR HAD TO HAVE
A CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL SYSTEM

THAT BEGINS WITH A RADAR

THAT CAN TELL HOW HIGH YOU ARE
AND HOW FAST YOU'RE DESCENDING.

SO THAT HAS TO BE A RADAR
THAT REALLY PUTS OUT A SIGNAL

WITH WHICH YOU CONTROL
THE ROCKET ENGINES.

Narrator: AFTER INTENSIVE
TESTING AND REFINEMENT,

THIS ROCKET SYSTEM

AND ITS LANDING IMPACT
SHOCK ABSORPTION SYSTEM

WERE READY TO LAUNCH.

ON MAY 30, 1966,
SURVEYOR LEFT EARTH.

THE TEAM AT JPL DUG IN FOR
ITS THREE DAY TRIP TO THE MOON.

AFTER ITS 240,000-MILE JOURNEY,

SURVEYOR'S
MOMENT OF TRUTH ARRIVED.

NASA TRIUMPHED.

SURVEYOR PROVED THAT THE MOON
WOULD SUPPORT A SPACECRAFT.

Burke: IF SURVEYOR
HAD SUNK IN OUT OF SIGHT,

THEN OF COURSE
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN

A DIFFERENT COURSE OF EVENTS.

Narrator: IT ALSO PROVED THAT
WE COULD SAFELY LAND A VEHICLE

ON ANOTHER WORLD.

Launius:
SURVEYOR SET THE STANDARD

FOR HOW YOU LAND ON ANOTHER BODY
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: SURVEYOR COMPLETED
A THIRD KEY TASK.

OVER SIX WEEKS OF BATTERY LIFE,

IT SENT BACK 11,000 PHOTOS
OF THE LUNAR SURFACE,

A DETAILED LEVEL
OF INTERPLANETARY MAPPING

THAT WE NOW TAKE FOR GRANTED.

Burke: TECHNOLOGY HAS EVOLVED.

SOME OF IT HAS REMAINED
PRETTY MUCH THE SAME,

BUT SOME OF IT
HAS QUALITATIVELY CHANGED,

AND WE ARE EXTREMELY PLEASED,

ME AND MY COLLEAGUES
FROM THOSE DAYS,

TO HAVE LAID SOME FOUNDATIONS.

Narrator:
WITHOUT THOSE FOUNDATIONS,

AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT
LIKE CURIOSITY

WOULD NEVER HAVE
GOTTEN OFF THE GROUND.

Steltzner: THE SURVEYORS
WITH THAT POWERED TOUCHDOWN

REALLY REPRESENT
THE TRUNK OF THE FAMILY TREE

FOR OUR ENTRY DESCENT
AND LANDING SYSTEMS

IS WHAT WE CALL THEM TODAY.

Narrator: WITH CURIOSITY'S
PINPOINT LANDING,

THE STAGE IS SET FOR
NEW DISCOVERIES

IF THE ROVER CAN GET

TO THE TANTALIZING TARGET
IN ITS SIGHTS.

Grant: SO THE MARS
SCIENCE LABORATORY

HAS LANDED IN GALE CRATER,

AND THE REASON WE WENT TO GALE

IS BECAUSE THERE'S THIS
5-KILOMETER HIGH, 3-MILE HIGH

STACK OF LAYERED MATERIALS,
SEDIMENTS,

IN THE CENTER OF THE CRATER.

Narrator:
TO REACH THIS EXPOSED ROCK,

ITS EARTHBOUND CLONE
IS TEST-DRIVING

ON JUST SUCH A LANDSCAPE.

ALRIGHT, THIS IS
THE CURIOSITY TEST ROVER

HERE IN THE MARS YARD AT JPL.

TODAY WE'RE DOING
SOME AUTO-NAV TESTING,

WHICH IS THE AUTONOMOUS DRIVING
CAPABILITY OF CURIOSITY.

IT USES THE CAMERAS DOWN ON
THE LOWER FRONT OF THE BODY

AND ALSO UP ON THE MAST,

WHICH ARE STEREO CAMERAS
THAT TAKE IMAGES

AND THEN GIVE THE ROVER
DEPTH PERCEPTION

AND ALLOW IT
TO MEASURE THE DISTANCE

TO ALL OF THE HAZARDS
AND OBSTACLES

THAT IT SEES IN FRONT OF IT.

Narrator: STEERING ACTUATORS
ON EACH CORNER WHEEL

GIVE CURIOSITY
EXCEPTIONAL MANEUVERABILITY.

AND THE WHEELS
ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED

FOR THE MARTIAN ENVIRONMENT.

Baker: THEY'RE ACTUALLY
METAL WHEELS WITH TREADS ON THEM

THAT ALLOW US TO GRIP INTO
ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TERRAINS

THAT WE HAVE TO DRIVE OVER...

SLOPES, SAND, OVER ROCKS...

AND THEY'RE VERY DURABLE.

IT GOES ABOUT
1.4 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND

WHICH BASICALLY WORKS OUT
TO ABOUT 50 METERS PER HOUR.

AND IT TAKES THAT LONG

NOT BECAUSE
THAT'S AS FAST AS IT CAN GO.

IT ACTUALLY HAS TO TAKE IMAGES
EVERY THREE FEET OR SO

TO DETECT THE HAZARDS
THAT ARE IN FRONT OF IT

AND PICK A PATH,
PICK A SAFE PATH.

Narrator: NASA HOPES ALL THIS
TEST-DRIVING PAYS OFF

WITH A SUCCESSFUL TRIP
ACROSS GALE CRATER.

BECAUSE BACK ON MARS,
ROCKS AREN'T JUST ROADBLOCKS.

THEY COULD BE
WINDOWS INTO MARTIAN HISTORY.

Grant: WE HOPE THAT WE CAN READ
THE PAGES OF THOSE LAYERS

AND UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT
CHANGING CONDITIONS ON MARS

OVER TIME.

Narrator: IF ALL GOES
ACCORDING TO PLAN,

CURIOSITY WILL WORK
AROUND THE CLOCK

FOR YEARS TO COME,

COVERING NEW GROUND
AND SOLVING SCIENTIFIC RIDDLES.

Burke: WHEN I SEE
WHAT CURIOSITY IS DOING,

I FEEL THAT I WAS LUCKY
TO BE HERE FOR IT.

IT'S A WONDERFUL MISSION,

AND IT'S ONLY STARTING.

IF EVERYTHING HOLDS TOGETHER,

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE
SOME AMAZING THINGS.

Man: TOUCHDOWN CONFIRMED.

Narrator: CURIOSITY EMBODIES
MUCH THAT NASA HAS ACHIEVED

IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS
OF EXPLORATION...

A FIERY LAUNCH
WATCHED WITH UNBLINKING HOPE,

SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH THE DARK,
COLD CORRIDORS OF SPACE,

AND SOFT LANDING ON A SURFACE
WE BARELY UNDERSTAND.

OUR NEXT VOYAGE IS ALMOST
TOO DARING TO DREAM.

Grant: THE IDEA THAT SOMEDAY
THAT WE COULD GO THERE

AND ACTUALLY PICK UP THE ROCKS
AND DO THE WORK,

THE EXPLORATION OURSELVES,

IS VERY INTRIGUING,

AND IF THERE WAS ANY POSSIBILITY
THAT I COULD EVER DO THAT,

I WOULD CERTAINLY RAISE MY HAND
AND SAY, "PICK ME, PICK ME."

Manning: I HAVE NO DOUBT

THAT WHEN THE FIRST HUMAN BEINGS
SET FOOT ON MARS

THEY WILL KNOW ENOUGH

ABOUT THE HISTORY
OF HOW THEY GOT THERE

TO APPRECIATE
JUST HOW MUCH HARD WORK IT WAS

AND JUST HOW MUCH THAT THEY
ARE STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS

OF REAL GIANTS.