<Narrator> At TowHaul, we value the creativity and hard work that built this country and improves our lives by supporting education towards careers in manufacturing and the trades.

TowHaul, proud sponsor of "Reconnecting Roots" and public television.

Support for "Reconnecting Roots is provided by the following: RPC.

♪ gentle acoustic guitar ♪ "Plain Values," a magazine on a mission to find joy in the simple things.

Muletown Coffee Roasters is all about slowing things down, digging into community, and encouraging good for goodness sake.

Taylor Stitch is responsibly built for the long haul and is proud to partner with brands that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.

Sharing a common passion for music and community in beautiful Paradise Valley, Music Ranch Montana's mission to support musicians and provide a place to enjoy it together is reflected in "Reconnecting Roots."

♪ ♪ Intergalactic planetary ♪ ♪ Planetary intergalactic ♪ <Gabe> America has long been a nation of explorers.

After charting the land from coast to coast, the only place to go from there was up.

How on Earth did we turn this impossible dream into a reality?

<Shane> Back in the '60s, when President Kennedy said, "We're going to the moon," it wasn't just NASA, it was the entire country that got behind it.

<Gabe> How the determination and spirit of America made us shoot for the stars and land on the moon.

♪ Intergalactic planetary ♪ ♪ opening music ♪ I'm Gabe McCauley.

Join me as we explore the greatness of America.

♪ Beautiful, for spacious skies ♪ ♪ Amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ Purple mountains majesties ♪ ♪ On the fruited plains ♪ ♪ We're home ♪ ♪ There's no place like home ♪ ♪ ♪ Home ♪ ♪ Home ♪ Tracing the roots of progress from then to now and how, this is "Reconnecting Roots."

♪ We're home.

We're home.

♪ If you're a fan of oversized picnic baskets, then chances are you love hot air balloons.

This century's old method of travel is known for its serene, breathtaking views.

Although it's mostly seen as a leisure activity now, balloons were the first way we could explore the atmosphere at a time when the sky was a complete mystery, full of wonder and fear.

(thunder rumbling) High-altitude balloon flights in the 1860s helped us learn how snow, hail, and rain formed, while testing the limits of the human body at high elevations.

But they also discovered the presence of cosmic rays and meteors coming from the sky above the sky.

♪ tense music ♪ So we began to wonder, how high can we go?

<President Kennedy> We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.

<Gabe> Within a span of just two generations, we went from riding horses, to cars, to planes, to landing on the moon.

We went to space and brought back knowledge used to make everything from weather satellites that warn us about deadly storms to heart defibrillators and cancer screenings.

By searching for new planets, we changed the one we live on.

And as I stand here looking down at Earth in a totally real not at all fake way, I can't help but ponder a question that I'll probably rephrase several times throughout this episode.

What is it about space that fascinates us?

Why are we so eager to explore it?

Because our curiosity about the stars has taken us a long way, literally.

♪ upbeat music ♪ So far 12 people, all Americans, have walked on the moon.

More than 500 people from around the world have been to space.

Human spacecraft have reached five other planets, one of their moons, seven different asteroids and comets, two dwarf planets, and have observed every significant body in our solar system.

♪ upbeat music ♪ Space is as important as ever, not just because space flight is becoming accessible to civilians.

So many things we rely on daily, communication, GPS, and national defense, are life-saving assets in orbit.

Five decades after inventing the real moonwalk, space exploration is in the midst of a renaissance fueled by big tech that has bigger plans for the moon and beyond.

♪ Houston is the home of Johnson Space Center, where I saw mockups of current space vessels, and one man brave enough to fly them, Astronaut Shane Kimbrough.

<Shane> I was the commander of the Dragon.

I've recently flown on Dragon this past year.

We made it back November 8th in '21.

<Gabe> Wow.

<Shane> So, yeah, it's a few months- <Gabe> Are you the most recent astronaut back?

<Shane> I guess that's true, yeah, our crew is.

Yeah.

We had four on our crew.

<Gabe> Wow!

<Shane> And we're the most recent returning.

<Gabe> So you're still glowing.

<Shane> Well.

<Gabe> You got space radiation on you.

<Shane> Oh yeah, that's what it is.

(laughs) <Gabe> What do you think it is about space that fascinates us?

<Shane> Wow.

Well, it's the unknown for most people, right?

I mean, you don't get a chance to do that.

I think we as humans have always wanted to go to the next frontier, right?

We've been doing that for several decades now, as an agency, NASA has, and as you probably heard this year, some private citizens have been going up to space- <Gabe> Yeah.

<Shane> And getting their chance, so it's just going to open up those doors, I think, for more people to do that.

<Gabe> Yeah.

<Shane> And again, we just want to do things and see things that we haven't been able to accomplish in the past.

<Gabe> Do you think a part of that spirit was a part of what made America the first to make it to the moon?

<Shane> Well, that's certainly part of it, I think, for sure.

You know, back in the '60s, when President Kennedy said, "We're going to the moon."

<Gabe> Yeah.

<Shane> It wasn't just NASA, it was the entire country, honestly, that got behind it.

<Gabe> So why go back?

<Shane> Well, we're going back in a different way this time.

This is all really a stepping stone to get to Mars.

So everything we're going to learn on and around the moon will help us eventually get humans on the Red Planet.

♪ epic music ♪ <Gabe> According to Greek mythology, Apollo has a twin sister, the goddess of the moon, a fitting namesake for NASA's next phase of moon missions.

The Artemis Program is training crews for a new landing that could create a permanent installation with a gateway into deep space.

So tell me about Artemis.

<Cynthia> So right now there are three missions that are getting staged, Artemis One testing out the big rocket, the space launch system that the Orion capsule sits on, and it's gonna go out to the moon and back.

But Artemis Three is the one we're really, really excited about, 'cause that's where we're gonna actually land on the surface of the moon.

We're going back to the moon to live and work there, to spend time there.

It's not a one and done.

And so to do that, we need to develop systems, hardware, operations procedures that allows us to live there.

But it's inspirational too.

We need to make sure that we can open up space exploration for everyone.

♪ gentle music ♪ <Gabe> Just a few generations ago, the idea of space travel was mere science fiction.

The earliest known work of sci-fi goes back to 165 AD.

It's an ancient Greek story entitled "A True Story," which was completely made up.

♪ It's about a crew of seafaring heroes who are carried to the moon in a whirlwind.

(air whooshing) Historically, mankind can't help but imagine what waits for us beyond our atmosphere, and science fiction has always given us just the push we need.

♪ tense music ♪ In 1902, magician-turned-filmmaker, George Melies took us on an 18-minute voyage with the first science fiction film, "A Trip to the Moon," which itself was inspired by the writings of Jules Verne and H.G.

Wells.

There hasn't always been a clear distinction between science fiction creators and scientists.

In 1930, sci-fi writers founded the American Interplanetary Society, (cannon fires) where they conducted their very own rocket experiments.

Whoa!

♪ tense music ♪ Imagination and science were being married, which undoubtedly fueled the film and television industry.

In the mid-sixties, years before the moon landing, the world was introduced to a TV series that would inspire scientists everywhere.

♪ "Star Trek" theme song ♪ "Star Trek."

(Gabe grunts) Ow.

(transporter warbling) Red shirt?

Might as well have a big sign that reads expendable crew member.

"Star Trek" put a modern, grounded twist on ideas related to science and exploration, which resonated with budding space technicians.

It was so influential, NASA hired one of the main actors to help recruit people into the agency.

>> Hi, I'm Nichelle Nichols.

(device beeping) >> Gabe to Enterprise.

Can I get a different color shirt?

<Enterprise> Sorry, lad.

You're on your own.

(device disconnects) <Gabe> The imagination of entertainment challenged real life scientists and dreamers to make science fiction, science fact, well, or you know, just science.

(laser fires) (Gabe groans) Stupid...red...shirt.

♪ upbeat music ♪ (crowd cheering) <Gabe> Hello, and welcome to "Rocket to Me."

Today, three eligible rocket scientist will vie for their place in intergalactic space history.

Please welcome the one lady they need to impress, Zolora.

<Zolora> Hello, hello.

Hi, earthlings.

(Zolora laughs) <Gabe> Zolora, what brings you all the way to Earth?

<Zolora> Well, thanks for asking, Gabe.

I'm here putting together a team of the universe's top scientists, and even though I live a few galaxies away, Earth has made quite an impression on us.

<Gabe> (laughs) I bet it has.

<Zolora> Yeah.

It's not all good, Gabe.

<Gabe> Okay.

All right, well let's get started.

Let's bring out our geniuses.

Considered the father of modern rocket propulsion, please welcome Robert Goddard.

(crowd cheering) <Robert> Hi, everybody.

<Gabe> Hailing from Los Angeles, California, where he helped found the famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jack Parsons.

(crowd cheering) <Jack> What's up?

<Gabe> And rounding out the group with us today is a German born engineer who arrived in the United States following the war, Wernher von Braun.

(crowd cheering) <Wernher> Hello.

Danke.

<Gabe> All right, Zolora.

Let's take it away.

<Zolora> Okay, first question is for Mr. Goddard.

How do you keep your rockets straight on a path to me?

(crowd laughs) <Robert> Well, I stabilized my early rockets with gyroscopes and steerable thrust.

(audience exclaims) Did they tell you that I launched the world's first liquid fueled rocket?

(crowd awes) <Jack> That's cute.

I developed the first castable solid propellant used to power aircraft.

(audience exclaims) <Robert> Did your buddies Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard help you with that?

<Zolora> What's he talking about?

(Gabe laughs) <Wernher> Because he conducted experiments in the occult.

(audience exclaims) <Zolora> Huh, okay.

Well, next question is for Mr. von Braun.

I'm looking here at your resume, and I don't see any previous employers before NASA.

What's up with that?

<Wernher> Really?

That's weird.

I don't- <Zolora> Did you have any previous employers?

<Jack> (clears throat) Hitler!

(audience exclaims) <audience member> Oh, my!

(audience exclaims) <Robert> I'm sorry, did you not see it written?

<Wernher> Stop it.

(Jack laughs) <Zolora> See who?

Did I miss one?

<Wernher> Stop it!

I didn't put the bombs in the V2 missile!

But I was the first to launch them into space.

Would you rather the Soviets have my science?

Huh?!

The Soviets?

(crowd chattering) Really?!

<Gabe> Let's hear a quick word from our sponsor.

>> As the Cold War with the Soviet Union started heating up, the space programs for both countries needed better rockets, not for launching nukes, but for satellites.

Which weren't exactly made for scoping out new stars, but for spying on the enemy.

And if they could figure out how to attach nuclear warheads to these rockets, even better.

Tensions were high, and when the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in October of 1957, America was shocked and didn't want to be left behind.

The space race was on.

The U.S. launched its first satellite just a few months after Russia, kicking off a serious rivalry that played out in front of the world on TV screens.

Each launch tried to top the previous, and before long, it wasn't just satellites they were sending out, but also animals.

Like chimpanzees.

(Gabe in character) We were important for making sure humans could go into space.

<Gabe> That's right.

The U.S. put together the Mercury Seven to spearhead the first human space flight program, although the Soviets beat us to the punch with the first person in space.

But everyone knew the biggest goal of them all, the dream scientists were aiming for, was- (Gabe in character) Walking on the moon.

<Gabe> In July of 1969, three American astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission left Earth and did what was thought impossible for centuries.

Neil Armstrong was the first to step out onto the moon, uttering a phrase that will live on for generations.

<Neil Armstrong> It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

<Gabe> An American flag was planted, and the space race was effectively over.

That's incredible, isn't it?

(Gabe in character) What I think is incredible is how you have conversations with a plush chimpanzee, which may represent your mind breaking from reality due to being alone in space for too long.

<Gabe> What?

(laughs) No.

♪ ominous music ♪ (Gabe laughing) (laughing continues) (record spinning backwards) ♪ She packed my bags last night pre-flight ♪ ♪ ♪ Zero hour, nine AM ♪ ♪ ♪ And I'm gonna be high ♪ ♪ As a kite by then ♪ ♪ ♪ I miss the Earth so much ♪ ♪ I miss my wife ♪ ♪ ♪ It's lonely out in space ♪ ♪ ♪ On such a timeless flight ♪ ♪ ♪ And I think it's gonna be a long, long time ♪ ♪ 'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find ♪ ♪ I'm not the man they think I am at home ♪ ♪ Oh, no, no, no ♪ ♪ I'm a rocket man ♪ ♪ Rocket man ♪ ♪ Burning out his fuse up here alone ♪ ♪ And I think it's gonna be a long, long time ♪ ♪ And I think it's gonna be a long, long time ♪ ♪ <Gabe> After the Apollo 11 moon landing, our country entered a new phase of optimism, and we went back to the moon again, and again, and again, several more times with the Apollo missions.

And because of those rockets to the stars, astronauts became the new rock stars.

♪ upbeat music ♪ <Gabe> Welcome back.

Boy have we got a treat for you.

Let's bring out our special contestant, a real life astronaut.

<Zolora> Oh.

♪ upbeat music ♪ (crowd cheering) ♪ <Robert> Here, take my chair.

(indistinct) <Gabe> That was quite an entrance.

<Jack> This man is dripping with charisma.

<Gabe> Zolora, you have a question for our latest contestant.

<Zolora> So you've been to space?

<Astronaut> Oh, yeah.

<Zolora> Yeah, I pick him.

<Gabe> Then congratulations.

(crowd cheering) <Wernher> But, but he's not us.

He's...he's- <Jack> Everything we wish that we were.

<Gabe> You've also won a host of household items that originated from NASA.

Tell 'em what they've won, Gabe.

(Gabe in character) Well, Gabe, they've won a computer mouse, a Dustbuster, an air purifier, a wireless headset, and should they need them, invisible braces.

♪ <Gabe> Well, that's all the time we have for today, folks.

From our world to yours, good night.

(crowd cheering) ♪ upbeat music ♪ <Man On Radio> This is Houston.

<Astronaut> We're on our way, Houston.

<Gabe> After Apollo 17, there were no more moon visits, but there was still a lot of space to explore, so on the heels of Russia's Salyut Space Station, the U.S. launched Skylab, the first manned research space laboratory.

<Astronaut> Howdy.

(woman speaks Russian) <Gabe> Eventually, the '80s ushered in the shuttle era, with the world's first reusable spacecraft.

Now we could go back and forth to space to conduct research and implement satellites.

As the Cold War ended, our government's interest in paying for space programs fizzled.

After all, they wanted NASA to bolster our defense programs.

As government support waned, so did the public's enthusiasm.

But even during the height of the space race, some questioned whether we were too focused on the sky and ignoring the problems on the ground.

<Ralph Abernathy> I'm here to demonstrate in a symbolic way the tragic and inexcusable gulf between America's technological abilities and our social injustice.

<Gabe> Fatal accidents also hurt public and political enthusiasm for our space program, such as the Columbia and Challenger disasters.

Considering the advancements of robotic vehicles that can do the exploring for us, should we continue the risky pursuit of sending humans into space?

And what do we do about the space junk we're leaving behind?

When defunct satellites, rocket parts, and other pieces collide, they break up and clutter the orbit around Earth, which can cause even more collisions.

This is known as the Kessler Syndrome, and can make orbiting around Earth unforgiving to astronauts and satellites.

We're already seeing the consequences of space pollution.

The crew aboard the ISS has to regularly maneuver to avoid hitting space debris.

Ooh!

♪ tense music ♪ ♪ And speaking of the International Space Station, it continues to do scientific research necessary for long-term trips to the moon, and even Mars.

First started in 1998, the International Space Station has 15 countries working together, not against each other, a symbol of global unity 250 miles above Earth.

♪ gentle classical music ♪ ♪ What about you has changed since going to space?

>> What has changed is my appreciation for planet Earth.

It's crazy that it takes, for me at least, to get off the planet to really appreciate the planet, right?

But the perspectives we have, it's truly allowed me to appreciate our planet.

And we also see that thin layer of atmosphere that protects all of us down here from living and dying, and that's very humbling.

It's not a God's eye view, but it's pretty close, I think.

<Gabe> Commander Kimbrough is describing a phenomenon known as the overview effect, where observers in orbit over Earth are deeply moved by seeing the planet in its natural state, and sensing the relative insignificance of man.

Space Center Houston has a simulation, but Shane showed me how he experiences this cognitive shift in a real cupola.

<Shane> There's a nice big circular window here.

That's the one we really look out of.

And then these are just kind of get the Earth limb.

You can kind of see where you're heading.

You know, say we're flying in this direction, you can, okay, we're going to get a view of whatever city, and then when you get over it, you kind of get into this window to take a picture.

<Gabe> So you would be upside down right now - <Shane> Correct.

<Gabe> Technically?

<Shane> Yeah.

<Gabe> Yeah.

<Shane> But again, there's no up or down in space.

<Gabe> Yeah.

<Shane> So completely natural and normal.

<Gabe> I'm sure it's just like being in Australia.

You flush the toilet, and the water goes (Shane laughing) the opposite direction.

<Shane> We don't have that luxury of flushing up there, but I hear what you're saying.

(Gabe laughs) <Gabe> All right, so this is basically just a hangout spot.

<Shane> It's a really great place to hang out.

I used to spend about the last 30 to 45 minutes of my day just hanging out in here and watching the Earth go by, so it's a pretty relaxing place, for sure.

<Gabe> Yeah.

♪ gentle music ♪ Seems like we've barely scratched the surface on what's out there.

But I also hope we don't forget that we don't have to go to space.

We're floating in it right now.

♪ This world is a cosmic wonder orbiting around a fiery ball of plasma more than one million times its size, and at just the right distance for life to flourish.

♪ No matter how many light years we travel, this...will always be home.

♪ So as we reach for the stars, and even gaze at them, ♪ maybe we'll remember to thank our lucky ones too.

♪ <Richard Nixon> For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one.

♪ gentle music ♪ ♪ We were sailing along ♪ ♪ On Moonlight Bay ♪ ♪ 'Til you heard the sky calling ♪ ♪ One summer day ♪ ♪ You have stolen my heart ♪ ♪ And flown away ♪ ♪ Now I sing love's old sweet song ♪ ♪ On Moonlight Bay ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I look up at the stars ♪ ♪ From Moonlight Bay ♪ ♪ And I know you're somewhere up there ♪ ♪ Above the fray ♪ ♪ When you see the Earth rise ♪ ♪ Each passing day ♪ ♪ Do you still sing love's sweet song ♪ ♪ On Moonlight Bay ♪ ♪ You have stolen my heart ♪ ♪ And flown away ♪ ♪ Now I sing love's old sweet song ♪ ♪ On Moonlight Bay ♪ ♪ ♪ gentle music ♪ ♪ >> Connect with me, Gabe McCauley, and "Reconnecting Roots" by visiting reconnectingroots.com, where you'll discover music, blogs, behind the scenes, our podcast, and more.

Join our email list and never miss a beat.

♪ ♪ music fades ♪ >> Support for "Reconnecting Roots" is provided by the following: RPC.

♪ gentle acoustic guitar ♪ "Plain Values," a magazine on a mission to find joy in the simple things.

♪ Muletown Coffee Roasters is all about slowing things down, digging into community, and encouraging good for goodness sake.

Taylor Stitch is responsibly built for the long haul, and is proud to partner with brands that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.

♪ Sharing a common passion for music and community in beautiful Paradise Valley, Music Ranch Montana's mission to support musicians and provide a place to enjoy it together is reflected in "Reconnecting Roots."

>> At TowHaul, we value the creativity and hard work that built this country and improves our lives by supporting education towards careers in manufacturing and the trades.

TowHaul, proud sponsor of "Reconnecting Roots" and public television.

♪ ♪