Space Missions and NASA Recordings

In some ways we are past the Space Age... We depend on Space to help connect us and keep us safe. We have early warning of hazardous weather, television comes to us from satellites, even our cell phones and smart phones use the Global Positioning System Satellites.

It wasn't all that long ago Space was only something in Science Fiction. It was barely a dozen years between the launch of the first artificial satellite, the Russian Sputnik, and the first landing on the Moon.

The collection begins with the Mercury Program. Mercury was more than a scientific expedition. The Mercury Seven Astronauts were chosen to go into single combat with the Communists. The US got a late start; the Soviets launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit around the Earth three weeks before the US was able to launch Alan Shepard on a sub-orbital flight, and almost a year before they were able to get John Glenn into orbit.

Early in the Mercury Program, President Kennedy committed the nation to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth before the end of the decade. To answer this commitment NASA not only had to design and build the marvelous and expensive machinery to do the job, they quite literally had to learn how to fly to the Moon!

Project Mercury proved that America could get men into space; Project Gemini proved that men could work there. It was a training and learning exercise of the techniques needed for a Moon shot.

The Apollo Missions are covered in great detail, from the first launch of the Saturn V rocket through the first manned orbit of the Moon on Apollo 8, the "rehearsal Flight" of Apollo 10, and climaxing with the first landing on the Moon in the Apollo 11 mission. The remaining Apollo missions are covered as well, including the near tragedy of Apollo 13. Also included are some broadcasts from the Russian space program (Vol. 7)

For a great preview of this collection, see also the article: Space Recordings Article.  See also: Voyager Golden Record Recordings.