NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with R. Walter Cunningham, NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot during Apollo 7, part 2 of 2

thumbnail of NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with R. Walter Cunningham, NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot during Apollo 7, part 2 of 2
This record is featured in “To the Moon Interviews.” This record is featured in “GBH Archives Open Vault.”
Series
NOVA
Episode
To the Moon
Raw Footage
Interview with R. Walter Cunningham, NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot during Apollo 7, part 2 of 2
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-15-p26pz52w4z
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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
R. Walter Cunningham, retired NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 7, is interviewed about his memories of learning about the Apollo 1 disaster, describes "go fever", and the effect of the Apollo 1 fire on Walter Schirra. After the fire, there was a considerable hiatus during which operational and technical issues on the spacecraft were addressed, and science became a big factor during the following Apollo 7 mission, which became an issue in the mission's productivity. Cunningham also describes the addition of geologist-astronauts, and other "hyphenated astronauts", as being only somewhat equipped to fly, and ends by talking about the importance of the Apollo program and why we should return to the moon.
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
00:22:40
Embed Code
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Credits
Interviewee: Cunningham, Ronnie Walter, 1932-
Interviewee: Cunningham, Ronnie Walter, 1932-
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-ab9927cc178 (Filename)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Original
Duration: 0:22:41
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Citations
Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with R. Walter Cunningham, NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot during Apollo 7, part 2 of 2 ,” 1998, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed August 13, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-p26pz52w4z.
MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with R. Walter Cunningham, NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot during Apollo 7, part 2 of 2 .” 1998. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. August 13, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-p26pz52w4z>.
APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with R. Walter Cunningham, NASA astronaut who served as Lunar Module Pilot during Apollo 7, part 2 of 2 . 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-p26pz52w4z