NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist, part 2 of 3

thumbnail of NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist, part 2 of 3
This record is featured in “To the Moon Interviews.” This record is featured in “GBH Archives.”
Series
NOVA
Episode
To the Moon
Raw Footage
Interview with Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist, part 2 of 3
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-15-mw2891327x
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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
Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist who popularized the theory that lunar craters were created by impact, is interviewed about the slow acceptance of the theory, and his work with the Apollo program. After publishing "The Face of the Moon", Baldwin wrote two later books on the same subject, and lists Harold Urey and Gerard Kuiper as converts to the theory. Baldwin also talks about Gene Shoemaker in positive terms, and expresses a wish to have gone to the moon. Baldwin then explains how he used information from WWII-era bombs to explain his theory that explosive impact was the best explanation for the cratering of the moon. The interview ends with a description of where he was at the Kennedy announcement of the plans to go to the moon, his time in business with a machinery company, and his receipt of the Smith Award.
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
00:22:59
Embed Code
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Credits
Interviewee: Baldwin, Ralph Belknap, 1912-2010
Interviewee: Baldwin, Ralph Belknap, 1912-2010
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-9f08ef283b4 (Filename)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Original
Duration: 0:23:00
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Citations
Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist, part 2 of 3,” 1998, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed January 28, 2026, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-mw2891327x.
MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist, part 2 of 3.” 1998. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. January 28, 2026. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-mw2891327x>.
APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Ralph Baldwin, planetary scientist, 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-mw2891327x