40Th Anniversary Collection. On July 20, 1969 the lunar module ""Eagle"" separated from the Apollo 11 command module and began its slow descent toward the surface of the moon. Upon landing it delivered Neil Armstrong and E... more »dwin ""Buzz"" Aldrin into the pages of history, thereby fulfilling the promise of a president and the dream of a nation. Compiled from original NASA footage and introduced by NASA astronauts, this collection is a comprehensive history of man's exploration of space. Part 1: Starting in 1960 with the Mercury program that paved the way for Gemini, Apollo, the space shuttles and Skylab missions that may one day spawn inter-planetary travel for all. In hot pursuit of the Russians who had already put a man into space, NASA launched America's first man in space, Alan Shepard in 'Freedom 7' and John Glenn, became the first American to orbit the earth in 'Friendship 7'. The race to the moon was on! Part 2: The eagle has landed and America wins the race to put the first man on the moon, watched by over 1 billion people around the world! The Gemini 8 mission is aborted and a hasty return to earth followed, the Skylab mission shows what the future holds but not without it's own setbacks. It was however the Apollo 13 mission that tempered the glorification of space travel. The real story of how human spirit and ingenuity saved the crew and the mission from ending in tragedy. Part 3: As the 60's ended the Apollo mission program completes it's detailed exploration of the moon. Back on earth it was the Soviet-American space agreement that led to the world's two 'superpowers' collaborating to expedite the exploration of outer-space. The beginning of this new era saw the first Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1972. 'On The Shoulders of Giants' is a tribute to the Apollo mission program. Part 4: The successful launch of the Space Shuttle program showed the way forward for the future colonization of outer-space. The first reusable fixed-wing spacecraft to go into orbit and the first spacecraft to make its maiden voyage with astronauts aboard! This detailed look at the Space Shuttle program covers not only its development and first launch but demonstrates the program's potential in opening new frontiers in space.« less
