CHASING THE MOON On AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Sundays, July 26 - Aug. 9 at 11 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Mondays, July 27 - Aug. 10 at 7 a.m. on KPBS TV + Wednesdays July 29 - Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2

CHASING THE MOON, a six-hour documentary series about the space race, from its earliest beginnings to the monumental achievement of the first lunar landing in 1969 and beyond, premiered in 2019 on PBS.

CHASING THE MOON thoroughly reimagines the race to the moon for a new generation, upending much of the conventional mythology surrounding the effort. The three-part series recasts the Space Age as a fascinating stew of scientific innovation and PR savvy, political calculation and media spectacle, visionary impulses and personal drama.

With no narration and using only archival footage — including a visual feast of previously lost or overlooked material — the film features new interviews with a diverse cast of characters who played key roles in these historic events.

Among those included are astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Frank Borman and Bill Anders; Freeman Dyson, the renowned futurist and theoretical physicist; Sergei Khrushchev, the son of former Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, who played a prominent role in the Soviet space program as a rocket engineer; Poppy Northcutt, the 25-year-old “mathematics whiz” who gained worldwide attention as the first woman to serve in the all-male bastion of NASA’s Mission Control; and Ed Dwight, the Air Force pilot selected by the Kennedy administration to train as America’s first black astronaut.

While other documentaries have largely painted a familiar narrative of goals set, obstacles overcome, disasters averted and missions accomplished, CHASING THE MOON tells a vastly more entertaining and surprising story. As the film reveals, the drive to land a man on the moon was fueled as much by politics as it was by technology and was a controversial undertaking during a volatile time.

READ THE BOOK: Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, will publish the book “Chasing the Moon,” by Stone and writer/researcher Alan Andres, to coincide with the PBS premiere. The book will include and expand on the stories examined in the documentary. 

READ AN EXCERPT: From Vision to Reality: Chasing the Moon" by Robert Stone and Alan Andres

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President John F. Kennedy (with sunglasses) is briefed by NASA officials at the Saturn rocket at Pad B, Complex 37, Cape Canaveral, Fla. Nov. 16, 1963.

Courtesy: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, Nov. 16, 1963

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Ed White, the first American to walk in space, on Gemini 4 mission. June 1965.

Courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, June 1965

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Apollo 8 crew members paused before the mission simulator during training for the first manned lunar orbit mission. Frank Borman, Commander (center); James Lovell, Command Module Pilot (right); and William Anders, Lunar Module Pilot (left). Dec. 17, 1968.

Courtesy of NASA

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The Apollo 8 crew stands in the doorway of a recovery helicopter after arriving aboard the carrier USS Yorktown, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission. Left to right, are astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders. Dec. 27, 1968.

Courtesy of NASA

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Poppy Northcutt became the first woman in an operational support role to work in NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston with the flight of Apollo 8. Photo taken in 1968.

Courtesy of ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

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The crewmen of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission leave the Kennedy Space Center’s Manned Spacecraft Operations Building during the prelaunch countdown. Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Commander; Michael Collins, Command Module Pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module Pilot, ride the special transport van over to Launch Complex 39A where their spacecraft awaited them. July 16, 1969.

Courtesy of NASA

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NASA officials (left to right) Charles W. Mathews; Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director, Marshall Space Flight Center; Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight; and Air Force Lt. General Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director celebrate the successful launch of Apollo 11 in the control room at the Kennedy Space Center. July 16, 1969.

Courtesy of NASA

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Former President Lyndon B. Johnson (left center) and Vice President Spiro Agnew (right center) view the liftoff of Apollo 11. July 16, 1969.

Courtesy of NASA, July 16, 1969

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Left to right, Neil Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot. 1969.

Courtesy of NASA, 1969

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Apollo 11 astronauts, left to right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., share jokes with well-wishers on the other side of the window of their Mobile Quarantine Facility aboard the USS Hornet. July 24, 1969.

Courtesy of NASA

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A group of NASA and Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) officials join with the flight controllers to celebrate the successful conclusion of Apollo 11. July 24, 1969.

Courtesy of NASA, July 24, 1969

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The Apollo 11 crewmen, still under a 21-day quarantine, are greeted by their wives. Looking through the window of a Mobile Quarantine Facility are (left to right) astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins. The wives are (left to right) Mrs. Pat Collins, Mrs. Jan Armstrong, and Mrs. Joan Aldrin. July 27, 1969.

Courtesy of NASA

EPISODE GUIDE:

PART 1: “A Place Beyond the Sky”
Sunday, July 26 at 11 p.m. on KPBS 2
Monday, July 27 at 7 a.m. on KPBS 2
Wednesday, July 29 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2

This episode begins in 1957 and tracks the early years of the space race as the United States struggles to catch up with the Soviet Union. The episode reveals breathtaking failures and successes of the nascent American space program and demonstrates the stakes and costs of reaching the moon.

PART 2: “Earthrise”
Sunday, Aug. 2 at 11 p.m. on KPBS 2
Monday, Aug. 3 at 7 a.m. on KPBS 2
Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2

This episode covers 1964-1968, four heady, dangerous years in the history of the space race, focusing on the events surrounding the Apollo 1 and Apollo 8 missions. As Americans moved through the 60s and reflect on the challenges ahead, many begin to wonder: What exactly is it going to take to beat the Soviets to the moon?

PART 3: “Magnificent Desolation”
Sunday, Aug. 9 at 11 p.m. on KPBS 2
Monday, Aug. 10 at 7 a.m. on KPBS 2
Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2

This episode covers 1969-1970, takes Americans to the moon and back. Dreams of space dramatically intersect with dreams of democracy on American soil, raising questions of national priorities and national identity. The final episode also considers what happens to scientific and engineering programs — and to a country — after ambitious national goals have been achieved.

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Credits: A Robert Stone Productions film in association with ARTE France for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Written, Produced and Directed by Robert Stone. Producers: Daniel Aegerter, Keith Haviland, and Ray Rothrock. Music by Gary Lionelli. Edited by Lindy Jankura and Robert Stone. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is a production of WGBH Boston. Senior producer is Susan Bellows. Executive Producer is Mark Samels