NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with John Leland "Lee" Atwood, engineer, aerospace executive, and overseer of the Apollo program, part 1 of 2

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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 John Leland "Lee" Atwood, engineer, aerospace executive, and overseer of the Apollo program, part 1 of 2
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-15-cv4bn9z908
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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
John Leland "Lee" Atwood, engineer, former aerospace executive, and former overseer of the Apollo program, is interviewed about his role in the Apollo program. Atwood describes how he came to be CEO of North American and how the company got the government contract to create spacecraft for the Apollo program. Atwood details his memories of the Apollo 1 fire, as well as the causes and misunderstandings that resulted in the disaster, and the changes that were made as a response to the fire.
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
00:24:21
Embed Code
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Credits
Interviewee: Atwood, John Leland "Lee", 1904-1999
Interviewee: Atwood, John Leland "Lee", 1904-1999
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-85454056fb8 (Filename)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Original
Duration: 0:24:21
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Citations
Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with John Leland "Lee" Atwood, engineer, aerospace executive, and overseer of the Apollo program, part 1 of 2 ,” 1998, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed August 22, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-cv4bn9z908.
MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with John Leland "Lee" Atwood, engineer, aerospace executive, and overseer of the Apollo program, part 1 of 2 .” 1998. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. August 22, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-cv4bn9z908>.
APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with John Leland "Lee" Atwood, engineer, aerospace executive, and overseer of the Apollo program, part 1 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-cv4bn9z908