NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James "Jim" Lovell, astronaut, commander of Apollo 13, and command module pilot of Apollo 8, part 1 of 2

1998

Jim Lovell, former NASA astronaut, retired Navy Captain, is interviewed about his experience during the Gemini 12 EVA mission with Buzz Aldrin, as well as his time on Apollo 8 with Frank Borman and Bill Anders. Lovell describes the entertainment available during Apollo 8, mainly the team's singing of the song "Put Your Sweet Lips a Little Closer to the Phone". Lovell also describes the medical concerns about landing and having to exercise his muscles. The video ends with a discussion of the beginning of Apollo 8 and the decision to fly around the moon, as well as Lovell's description of their first glimpse of the moon.

Part 2 ▶

License Clip

Series: NOVA
Program: To the Moon
Program Number: 2610
Title: Interview with James "Jim" Lovell, astronaut, commander of Apollo 13, and command module pilot of Apollo 8, 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: 0:23:21
Asset Type: Raw video
Media Type: Video
Subjects: Apollo; Gemini; Space; American history; Moon; Astronaut
Creators: WGBH Educational Foundation (Producing Organization)
Contributors: Lovell, James, 1928- (Interviewee)
Rights Summary: Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation
Citation: Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James "Jim" Lovell, astronaut, commander of Apollo 13, and command module pilot of Apollo 8, part 1 of 2,” 1998, GBH Archives, accessed December 26, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5693474631B944368381D616335F57A1.; MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James "Jim" Lovell, astronaut, commander of Apollo 13, and command module pilot of Apollo 8, part 1 of 2.” 1998. GBH Archives. Web. December 26, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5693474631B944368381D616335F57A1>.; APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James "Jim" Lovell, astronaut, commander of Apollo 13, and command module pilot of Apollo 8, part 1 of 2. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5693474631B944368381D616335F57A1

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NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James "Jim" Lovell, astronaut, commander of Apollo 13, and command module pilot of Apollo 8, part 1 of 2