Channel: David Hoffman

Category: People & Blogs

Tags: military historyperson to personcbs television historypresident eisenhowernuclear weaponsrocketrylive televisionapollo programrussia space programrocketscivilian spacevon braunamerican militarydavid hoffman filmmakermilitary in space19581957stock footage spacenuclear weapons historysputnikouterspacewar in space1958 tvspace racetelevision historysoviet union historyjohn medarisnasa historyvanguardspace program

Description: The time is 1958. This video presents a primetime television special called Person to Person – live interviews in the homes of famous and important people. The idea of live television with cameras rolling through people’s homes was incredibly unique then and this Person to Person was presented just months after the Soviet Union – Russia – had launched Sputnik 1- the world’s first satellite in space and then just a month later Sputnik 2 with a dog on board. The United States felt threatened and General John Medaris and his wife were being interviewed because he had just weeks before, led the American effort to respond to the Soviet Union’s successes by launching its successful earth satellite – Vanguard. He was very proud, and he was, as you will see in this interview, picturing coming wars fought in space with troops and nuclear weapons etc. He wanted America to lead that effort. Why America did not pursue a military development in space but instead a civilian one is a long story but long story short, had it not been for President Eisenhower and his different vision for America in space, NASA which was created in 1958 would not have been focused on civilian space projects but on military ones. In order to fully appreciate the uniqueness of this moment captured on live television the more you understand how frightened America was by Russia’s successes in space the more interesting this video will be to you. I have this because I made a documentary theatrical feature film called Sputnik Mania about America’s reaction to Sputnik. General John Medaris was appointed to lead America’s response and because of his vision for military and space, he conflicted with the vision president Eisenhower had and it was Eisenhower who led the creation of NASA. Important moments in American history and in the development of America’s space program.