Before the Moon Blog
Exploring the past, present, and future of space.
Tag: Before the Moon documentary
-
From Typist to Trailblazer: Estella Gillette and the Women Behind NASA’s Early Missions In 1964, Estella Hernandez Gillette was just out of high school, newly naturalized as a U.S. citizen, and walking through the doors of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston — the beating heart of the Gemini program. What she found was a…
-
When you walk through the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, you’re not just looking at objects, you’re peering into the DNA of American invention. That’s where Clint Flack works as an Exhibit Specialist and Curator, installing exhibits, researching local history, and safeguarding the stories of Bucks County’s innovators. His perspective reveals how a quiet farming county…
-
Walking through the old Rockwell plant in Downey, California—home of the Apollo capsules, Space Shuttle orbiters, and parts of the International Space Station—was like stepping into a living museum. For Kirsten Armstrong, it was also the launchpad of a career that would put her at the forefront of space policy and strategy. Today, as President…
-
When people think of the Apollo era, one name rises above the rest: Gene Kranz. As NASA’s legendary flight director, he guided America through its greatest triumphs and darkest hours—from Apollo 11’s first lunar landing to the near-disaster of Apollo 13. Recently, I had the honor of sitting down with Kranz, and what he shared…
-
This post is from an informal pre-interview done with filmmaker Jason Sherman in preparation for an in person formal interview with NASA Astronaut Terry J. Hart for his upcoming film Before the Moon. When Terry Hart appears on screen, he doesn’t command attention with volume – but with clarity. Calm, precise, and humble to a…
-
Wait… What Does Butter Have to Do With Space? Let’s rewind. Before centrifuges spun astronauts and local factories built NASA hardware, Bucks County was already quietly solving problems—with steam, steel, and, yes… butter. The region’s inventors weren’t aiming for the stars. They were aiming to improve life on Earth. But their curiosity, craftsmanship, and willingness…
-
It Started With Corn. It Ended With the Moon. In the early 20th century, the land that would later host America’s most advanced aerospace research wasn’t full of jets, rockets, or spinning centrifuges. It was full of corn. Rows and rows of it. But beneath those furrows of farmland was a spark—a quiet legacy of…
-
On July 16, 1969, a rocket unlike any the world had seen thundered off the pad at Cape Kennedy. Four days later, two astronauts stepped into history. Fifty-six years ago this week, Apollo 11 launched humanity beyond Earth’s cradle, and nothing has been the same since. That moment—when Neil Armstrong’s boot hit the lunar dust—was…
-
They Weren’t on the Rocket—But They Saved the Mission When Apollo 13 suffered a catastrophic explosion en route to the Moon, the world held its breath. Oxygen was leaking. Power was draining. And carbon dioxide—the astronauts’ own breath—was building up inside the Lunar Module. If NASA couldn’t scrub the CO₂ fast enough, the astronauts would…
-
There’s something profoundly grounding about stepping into a room full of artifacts, photographs, and paper records most people have never seen. Yesterday, I had the chance to do just that during a visit to the Newtown Historic Association in Bucks County. Dave Callahan was nice enough to give me a tour of his well organized…