Higher and Faster

In this episode, OHS executive director Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn are joined by Oklahoma History Center director Dan Provo to discuss Oklahomans who contributed to the space program in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1961, when President Kennedy challenged Americans to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade, Oklahomans answered the call. Because of people like Gordon Cooper, Owen Garriott, and Bill Pogue, the first lunar landing was successful in 1969. Our special guest on the podcast is Gen. Thomas Stafford. Stafford grew up in Weatherford and was a commander on the Gemini IX and Apollo X flights in addition to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which is credited for easing tensions between the US and USSR. He also holds the Guinness Book of World Records entry for the highest re-entry speed of any manned space flight, which was achieved during Apollo X.