NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with David Scott, astronaut and commander of Apollo 15, part 2 of 3
- Series
- NOVA
- Episode
- To the Moon
- Producing Organization
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip-15-cf9j38mp7m
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- Description
- 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.
- Raw Footage Description
- David Scott, astronaut and commander of Apollo 15, is interviewed about the Apollo missions. He discusses the choice of landing sites, and his inclusion in the decision, then describes the landscape around the Hadley Appenine. On the discovery of anorthosite, Scott shares the potential geological meaning of the rock, and the personal meaning of the rock. Scott also explains the benefits of the rover on the moon and his happiness with the machine, and explains what it is like to work on the moon. According to Scott, 1/6 G is the "best of both worlds" since zero-G is too weightless, but Earth-gravity is heavy. He also briefly speculates on Jim Irwin's heart problems, and explains the purpose of Apollo 9 as a "dress-rehearsal" for the lunar landing, and gives a sense of his role during Apollo 11 and 12. Scott became interested in Geology while training for Apollo 12, and explains what it was like to work with Lee Silver, who he said asked many questions which made people feel good when their answers were correct. Silver tended to also ask about "suites" of rocks in order to understand the story of a set of rocks or an environment, and with a time constraint, Lee Silver and his team was able to train the astronauts on geology, which Scott describes as holidays. Scott explains how the Apollo 15 landing site at the Hadley Appenine was selected, and discusses his feelings of being the first J-mission. The end of the interview is audio-only of Lee Silver (from tape 52256, ID "barcode52256_Silver_01") explaining his initial belief in the presence of iron and moisture on the moon in the green rock and orange soil, and of David Scott explaining the upside-down-ness of the LM in space, and Jim Irwin's heart problems.
- Created Date
- 1998
- Asset type
- Raw Footage
- Genres
- Interview
- Topics
- History
- Technology
- Science
- Subjects
- American History; Gemini; apollo; moon; Space; astronaut
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 00:25:47
- Credits
-
-
Interviewee: Scott, David, 1932-
Interviewee: Scott, David, 1932-
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-0b76dd01f3b (Filename)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Original
Duration: 0:25:48
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- Citations
- Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with David Scott, astronaut and commander of Apollo 15, part 2 of 3,” 1998, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 16, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-cf9j38mp7m.
- MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with David Scott, astronaut and commander of Apollo 15, part 2 of 3.” 1998. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. September 16, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-cf9j38mp7m>.
- APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with David Scott, astronaut and commander of Apollo 15, part 2 of 3. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-cf9j38mp7m