NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Alan Binder, Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, part 2 of 4

1998

Alan Binder, former Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission is interviewed about his job. Binder describes his work with various institutions and institutes to get a spacecraft designed for the Lunar Prospector Mission, and explains the objectives of the mission. Binder talks about the potential to discover water on the moon and the potential for colonization of the moon if water is found, although the water on the moon is probably in the polar regions or is trapped beneath the surface. Ideally, Binder would have a rover and then a man on the moon, and says that humans, and not robots, are necessary to building an infrastructure on the moon for colonization. Binder ends by explaining the technology of searching for water on the moon and talking about his hopes of returning men to the moon, although attempts to go to the moon were starting over the work of the 1950s and 1960s. The final minutes of the interview are audio-only of a discussion with Robin M. Canup (ID "barcode52077_Canup_01") on the discovery of other Earths and other forms of life in space, and from the Mission Control operations.

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Series: NOVA
Program: To the Moon
Program Number: 2610
Title: Interview with Alan Binder, Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, part 2 of 4
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: 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.
Duration: 0:22:43
Asset Type: Raw video
Media Type: Video
Subjects: Gemini; Moon; Astronaut; Apollo; American history; Space
Creators: WGBH Educational Foundation (Producing Organization)
Contributors: Binder, Alan (Interviewee)
Rights Summary: Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation: Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Alan Binder, Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, part 2 of 4,” 1998, GBH Archives, accessed December 26, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_46BA15285C2F45E3B8B2808822AED171.; MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Alan Binder, Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, part 2 of 4.” 1998. GBH Archives. Web. December 26, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_46BA15285C2F45E3B8B2808822AED171>.; APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Alan Binder, Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, part 2 of 4. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_46BA15285C2F45E3B8B2808822AED171

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NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Alan Binder, Principal Investigator of NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, part 2 of 4