NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Dr. Gordon Swann, geologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Principal Investigator of Lunar Geology for Apollo, part 2 of 4

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This record is featured in “To the Moon Interviews.”
Series
NOVA
Episode
To the Moon
Raw Footage
Interview with Dr. Gordon Swann, geologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Principal Investigator of Lunar Geology for Apollo, part 2 of 4
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/15-rx93777880
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Description
Program Description
This remarkably crafted program covers the full range of participants in the Apollo project, from the scientists and engineers who promoted bold ideas about the nature of the Moon and how to get there, to the young geologists who chose the landing sites and helped train the crews, to the astronauts who actually went - not once or twice, but six times, each to a more demanding and interesting location on the Moon's surface. "To The Moon" includes unprecedented footage, rare interviews, and presents a magnificent overview of the history of man and the Moon. To the Moon aired as NOVA episode 2610 in 1999.
Raw Footage Description
Dr. Gordon Swann, geologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Principal Investigator of Lunar Geology during Apollo 14 and 15, is interviewed about the geology of the Apollo program. He discusses where they took the astronauts on training field trips, and explains how the training worked by teaching the astronauts a wide background of geology and teaching them to bring back a representative suite of rocks from the lunar site. Swann explains the use of the geologic suite or geologic picture in training, in which he had the astronauts explain the context of the rocks and take pictures of their locations. The tools at the astronauts' disposal on the moon were cumbersome but sturdy, and Swann describes the enthusiasm and ability of some astronauts including Neil Armstrong, Duke Young, Fred Haise, and others. Swann disagrees with Gerald Wasserburg, and voices his opinion that manned spaceflights were the best for geology, since robots cannot do everything that a man can, and the interview ends with his description of NASA's support for the program.
Created Date
1998-00-00
Asset type
Raw Footage
Genres
Interview
Topics
History
Technology
Science
Subjects
American History; Gemini; apollo; moon; Space; astronaut
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:11:10
Embed Code
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Credits
Interviewee: Swann, Gordon, 1931-2014
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: 52255 (barcode)
Format: Digital Betacam
Generation: Original
Duration: 0:11:10

Identifier: cpb-aacip-15-rx93777880.mp4 (mediainfo)
Format: video/mp4
Generation: Proxy
Duration: 00:11:10
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Citations
Chicago: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Dr. Gordon Swann, geologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Principal Investigator of Lunar Geology for Apollo, part 2 of 4 ,” 1998-00-00, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed January 5, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-rx93777880.
MLA: “NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Dr. Gordon Swann, geologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Principal Investigator of Lunar Geology for Apollo, part 2 of 4 .” 1998-00-00. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. January 5, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-rx93777880>.
APA: NOVA; To the Moon; Interview with Dr. Gordon Swann, geologist with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Principal Investigator of Lunar Geology for Apollo, part 2 of 4 . Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-rx93777880