Us and Them

The Russians...

And so it begins...

October 5th, 1957... the Space Race has begun.

A proud year for the Soviets

October 4th... Sputnik. Soviet postcards that commemorate the event that started the space race.

This eight page booklet was published in 1957 and tells the story of mankind's first satellite, Sputnik. It also contains a 45 rpm record of the beep-beep noise that Sputnik made.

US vs Russia

1959

Exactly two years after the launch of Sputnik... Russia was on the way to the Moon.

Vostok 1

Cover for the "Vostok 1" launch on Apr.12,1961. Aboard Yuri Gagarin. 1st Man in Space. It is canceled at Vinnitsa on Apr.12,1961 and has a green "club cachet".

Russian Lander

Created in glass using a laser.

Luna 24

The Russians did eventually get a little Moon dust.

Strizh spacesuit gloves

Gloves used for training for the Russian space shuttle program... Buran.

A few of the 400,000

Here are a some of the men that made it possible to journey to the Moon.

JFK's goal

It was John F. Kennedy who sat the goal which led to an American flag being planted on the Moon.

John Kennedy's Father

This letter is written from Joseph Kennedy to David Marx, who along with brother Louis Marx, owned the Marx Toy Company. If you were a child in the 1950's or 60's you are well familiar with the play sets, trains, and action figures produced by Marx!
This letter reads in part... "When I heard all my grandchildren were coming for Christmas, I felt it was necessary to earn the right to have them every Christmas by furnishing them with some toys of a unique variety. I am ashamed to admit that I had no idea of what "a few unique toys" meant in the lexicon of Louis and David Marx. All I can say is that my own five children and various in-laws have given up reading and playing tennis to play with this fantastic assortment that you sent us. I am positive that I can scrape up the largest part of them and make them do for the next five years."
What a great glimpse into this famous family... It brings a smile to my face to think of the future president sitting down to play with "Rex Mars Space Port".

LBJ

Lyndon B. Johnson... perhaps the most influential supporter of the early space program. President Johnson is remembered for being tough, borderline abrasive, but this letter from him when he was a Senator, just a few months before the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the Space Race, to a young man shatters that image. In the letter Johnson writes... "There were just six in my graduating class in the little farm community of Johnson City -- two boys and four girls. I will never forget the mixed emotions with which we faced the future -- pride over our diplomas and a little apprehension over the road that was ahead of us."

Deke, Al, Jim, and Wally

Four great men, having the times of their lives.

From Guenter Wendt's personal collection.

The "Dictator"

Guenter Wendt had the title and position of Pad Leader. John Glenn would later call him the "Pad Fuhrer" which stuck as his unofficial title... but at his retirement party he was given one last title on this badge he wore that evening... Dictator! That's quite a reputation to have! Without a doubt this man is a national treasure.

Dave Scott, Alexei Leonov, and me

This photo was taken at an astronaut gathering in Burbank, California in 2004. Pictured are Dave Scott and Alexei Leonov, who together wrote a really great book... "Two Sides of the Moon". I just happened to be walking behind Alexei when the photo was taken.

Pocket protector

A vintage NASA pocket protector. If you look through photographs of the men who put the early astronauts into space you will notice the popularity of pocket protectors... just like this one. This one was well used by a space program engineer during the days of Apollo. LOC= Launch Operations Center and AMR= Atlantic Missle Range

NASA beta cloth

This extra large NASA beta cloth patch, with hemming, was made for the back of the suits worn by NASA white room technician.