Where no man had gone before

May 1, 2011 Erik Ernst Leave a Comment

Watch The Space Age: NASA’s Story at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in May on Wisconsin Public Television.

Described as the final frontier, space exploration has fascinated humans for centuries. It was the focus of science fiction until technology advanced and the space race heated up as countries around the world tried to achieve a number of firsts beyond the bounds of Earth. In the United States, those efforts have been led since 1958 by NASA.

The organization has taken men to the moon, sent observing crafts to the far reaches of the solar system and has uncovered countless new technologies along the way. For myself, the shuttle program has been the physical manifestation of space exploration for most of my life. So, as that program reaches its final stages, this in-depth program about NASA’s history comes at a bittersweet moment. But, even though the shuttle program is set to come to an end soon, our adventurers’ spirit and explorers’ instincts will not. I hope this transition marks the beginning of a new generation of exploration.

While the final mission of the Shuttle Endeavor has been delayed, take a look at the shuttle’s mission overview in this interactive feature.

NOVA Space science Shuttle public television Program Schedule History