Video Broadcast : #128
December 12, 2020

Space Race between USSR and USA

Early lead by USSR

• First cosmonaut
  Yuri Gagarin
• Second cosmonaut
  Gherman Titov
• First female cosmonaut
  Valentina Tereshkova

NASA Projects

• Mercury Project
  for single astronaut
  We Seven (book by the seven astronauts)
  The Right Stuff (book and movie)
  
• Gemini Project
  for two astronauts
  
• Apollo Project
  for three astronauts
  
• Apollo 1
  Fire due to electrical system failure caused the deaths of three astronauts)
  Needed time to rethink safety measures
  
• Apollo 6 and Apollo 7
  after the program restarted
  
• Apollo 8
  Orbit the moon and return to earth
  in December 1968
  
• Apollo 9
  Tested the start/stop of Lunar Module engine
  
• Apollo 10
  Flew Lunar Module to a specified height above the moon
  
• Apollo 11
  Landing on the Moon
  in July 1969
  Neil Armstrong (Mission Commander)
  Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot)
  Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot)
  My poem sent to NASA
  Also published in the Guardian newspaper
  
• Apollo 12
  Longer stay on the Moon
  
• Apollo 13
  Power failure in Command Module
  Devised plan to use the power from Lunar Module to return safely to Earth
  Movie
  
• Apollo 14, Apollo 15, Apollo 16, Apollo 17
  Use of rover
  Extensive collection of lunar rocks
  One Geologist/Astronaut