Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-12-2016 10:18 AM
PBS's American Experience will premiere Space Men on March 1, 2016.
In the 1950s and early '60s, a small band of high-altitude pioneers exposed themselves to the extreme forces of the space age long before NASA's acclaimed Mercury 7 would make headlines. Though largely forgotten today, balloonists were the first to venture into the frozen near-vacuum on the edge of our world, exploring the very limits of human physiology and human ingenuity in this lethal realm.
Posts: 1310 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
posted 02-12-2016 11:01 AM
Great to see this documentary cover the 'pre-astronauts' that flew in Projects Manhigh, Strato-Lab, Excelsior and others. Other than Capt. Joe Kittinger's leap from a balloon gondola in 1960, the most dramatic mission came exactly one day before Alan Shepard's Mercury flight when two Navy officers, wearing the same type of suit Shepard would use in his flight, set a new record for the highest altitude reached by any American aboard the Strato-Lab V.
Sadly, one of the crew drowned during recovery operations, and the next day their record was broken by Shepard's flight aboard Freedom 7. Nevertheless, JFK presented the Harmon Trophy to the crew for their achievement.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-25-2016 10:17 AM
Via Francis French, who was interviewed for this documentary, here is the poster for "Space Men":
BMacKinnon Member
Posts: 230 From: Waterford, MI. USA Registered: Jul 2007
posted 02-25-2016 04:13 PM
Both Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather were from Michigan and we have a display honoring both of them at Michigan's Military and Space Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth.
Two unsung heroes that are finally getting some national recognition again.
FFrench Member
Posts: 3161 From: San Diego Registered: Feb 2002
posted 11-23-2016 12:54 PM
It was a great, great pleasure to be a part of this outstanding show.