U.S. Space Program and American Society (History Compass)

NASA Chief Historian Dr. Roger D. Launius highlights several of the many achievements -- and a few of the disastrous failures -- of the space program developed by NASA and sets excerpts from government documents and scientific reports within the context of American society at the time of each new program and launch. Documents and photographs take us from the early unmanned launches to key Kennedy and Nixon decisions, lunar landings, the Challenger accident, the ""Apollo 13"" movie, and to the Mars Pathfinder mission. Launius also introduces the ""Quest for Extraterrestrial Intelligence"" in an article by Carl Sagan.