GBH Openvault

NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Michael J. Drake, Director of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex Program, part 1 of 2

Part of To the Moon Interviews.

1998

Michael J. Drake, Director of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, and Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex in the New Frontiers Program, is interviewed about the current state of affairs in lunar studies and the impact of Apollo. Drake says that computers, high-pressure technology, and inexpensive missions like the Lunar Prospector were having major impacts on the field of lunar studies at the time of the interview, and says that it is a wonderful time for the field, which he characterizes as being populated by young people. Drake also explains the origins of the moon and Earth, from the creation of the planetary bodies by impact and the creation of life on Earth. The idea of Giant Impact Theory was made popular at the Kona Conference by William Hartmann, and Drake talks about attempts to poke holes in the theory and the energy as the theory gained ground at the conference. Drake also talks about similar bursts of knowledge and interest during the Apollo program, which he says had a profound impact on new technologies, Cold War politics, and sciences. Drake says that ideally there would be future missions to the moon, since we have only scratched the surface of what can be learned. Video cuts out at 00:52:22, Drake continues talking about the primitive lunar knowledge of the 1940s and the new understanding of the solar system after the Apollo program.

Series

NOVA

Program

To the Moon

Program Number

2610

Title

Interview with Michael J. Drake, Director of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex Program, part 1 of 2

Series Description

NOVA is a general-interest documentary series that addresses a single science issue each week. Billed as "science adventures for curious grown-ups" when it first aired in March, 1974, NOVA continues to offer an informative and entertaining approach to a challenging subject. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won every major television award, most of them many times over.

Program Description

Alan Binder, former Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, is interviewed about the Lunar Prospector. Binder says that if moon travel became viable again, he would want to go to the moon, but says that in order to get financial and public support for space exploration, scientists need to sell the science of the moon. Another option, according to Binder, is to make travel to the moon commercially viable, and lists many benefits of going to the moon, including using it as a fuel source, or colonizing the surface for human habitation (audio cuts out from 00:07:30 - 00:09:00). Binder explains the work of the Lunar Prospector and talks about the necessity of having computers to do a lot of the work. On Apollo, Binder calls the program the most significant event of the 21st century, and talks about the roles of the Apollo program, the Clementine spacecraft, and hte Lunar Prospector. The interview ends with Binder's views on his relationship with NASA, which he characterizes as being needlessly bound up in beaurocracy and red tape.

Duration

0:22:17

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Apollo

Astronaut

American history

Moon

Gemini

Space

Creators

WGBH Educational Foundation (Producing Organization)

Contributors

Drake, Michael J., 1946-2011 (Interviewee)

Rights Summary

Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Michael J. Drake, Director of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex Program, part 1 of 2,” 1998, GBH Archives, accessed April 24, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4F1A8D4323784D1C8CE9E2299E3810E0.

MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Michael J. Drake, Director of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex Program, part 1 of 2.” 1998. GBH Archives. Web. April 24, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4F1A8D4323784D1C8CE9E2299E3810E0>.

APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Michael J. Drake, Director of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex Program, part 1 of 2. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4F1A8D4323784D1C8CE9E2299E3810E0