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NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James W. Head III, Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, part 3 of 3

Part of To the Moon Interviews.

1998

James W. Head III, Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, describes the lunar samples from Apollo program. Head describes Dave Scott's retrieval of a rock sample with holes in it, which bolsters his argument for manned space missions. When Apollo 18 and 19 were cancelled, Head says that he was too busy to dwell on it, although it was disappointing, and he says that the Saturn V vehicle could have been used for further missions. Further learning was prevented by not continuing the Apollo programs, and Head lists some locations that were potential landing sites but never explored, and says that mankind should return to the moon. Head describes the use of the lunar samples from various sites to create a greater picture of the moon's history, and expresses his hope for humanity after working so collaboratively on the Apollo program. Head explains the excitement of the time and how his role at Bell Company helped him prepare for his position at NASA. Some parts of the video have been redacted for privacy.

Series

NOVA

Program

To the Moon

Program Number

2610

Title

Interview with James W. Head III, Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, part 3 of 3

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

0:23:00

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Gemini

Apollo

Moon

Astronaut

American history

Space

Creators

WGBH Educational Foundation (Producing Organization)

Contributors

Head, James W., 1941- (Interviewee)

Rights Summary

Rights Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James W. Head III, Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, part 3 of 3,” 1998, GBH Archives, accessed November 21, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_98AC32F81A43492CAA872C2A0D8A0763.

MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James W. Head III, Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, part 3 of 3.” 1998. GBH Archives. Web. November 21, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_98AC32F81A43492CAA872C2A0D8A0763>.

APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with James W. Head III, Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, part 3 of 3. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_98AC32F81A43492CAA872C2A0D8A0763