NOVA; Interview with Glynn Lunney, NASA engineer and flight director during the Gemini and Apollo programs, part 4 of 4 : To the Moon
Description:
Glynn Lunney, NASA engineer and flight director during the Gemini and Apollo programs, is interviewed about the later missions in the Apollo program. Lunney believes that a mixture of human ability and God's help saved the crew of the Apollo 13, and talks about the evolution of the Apollo program in terms of its geological content. Lunney explains why he wanted his flight controllers to understand geology and do geological training, and talks about his lack of disappointment in the mission reductions after Apollo 17 because of his work on other projects and the plateau of the enthusiasm for Apollo. Lunney ends by explaining the phrase "wine before its time" and how the space program fit the period of the 1960s. This remarkably crafted program covers the full range of participants in the Apollo project, from the scientists and engineers who promoted bold ideas about the nature of the Moon and how to get there, to the young geologists who chose the landing sites and helped train the crews, to the astronauts who actually went - not once or twice, but six times, each to a more demanding and interesting location on the Moon's surface. "To The Moon" includes unprecedented footage, rare interviews, and presents a magnificent overview of the history of man and the Moon. To the Moon aired as NOVA episode 2610 in 1999.
