1
00:00:07,590 --> 00:00:05,349
from its beginning the space program has

2
00:00:09,990 --> 00:00:07,600
given us images that are benchmarks of

3
00:00:12,310 --> 00:00:10,000
america's technological achievements

4
00:00:14,390 --> 00:00:12,320
capturing the symbolic moments and

5
00:00:17,430 --> 00:00:14,400
giving us an eloquent record of the

6
00:00:19,510 --> 00:00:17,440
human journey bill taub was able to

7
00:00:20,870 --> 00:00:19,520
capture the essence of the space program

8
00:00:24,070 --> 00:00:20,880
in his work

9
00:00:27,189 --> 00:00:24,080
from the time nasa began in 1958 through

10
00:00:29,429 --> 00:00:27,199
the last apollo flight in 1975

11
00:00:31,669 --> 00:00:29,439
he photographed every significant

12
00:00:33,110 --> 00:00:31,679
aeronautics and space event

13
00:00:35,270 --> 00:00:33,120
bill likes to joke that he was a

14
00:00:38,630 --> 00:00:35,280
photographer for nasa even before the

15
00:00:40,549 --> 00:00:38,640
agency was formed in the 1940s and 50s

16
00:00:42,389 --> 00:00:40,559
he worked as a wind tunnel photographer

17
00:00:46,310 --> 00:00:42,399
for the national advisory committee for

18
00:00:48,950 --> 00:00:46,320
aeronautics naca in langley virginia

19
00:00:51,750 --> 00:00:48,960
after hours bill worked alone setting up

20
00:00:52,790 --> 00:00:51,760
his bulky 8x10 camera in the cavernous

21
00:00:55,189 --> 00:00:52,800
tunnels

22
00:00:57,910 --> 00:00:55,199
this pioneering work let the public see

23
00:01:01,670 --> 00:00:57,920
aeronautical research as never before

24
00:01:03,910 --> 00:01:01,680
the first pictures that i made were

25
00:01:05,990 --> 00:01:03,920
more or less general wind tunnel type

26
00:01:08,469 --> 00:01:06,000
photographs

27
00:01:10,149 --> 00:01:08,479
and i would look at these and i would

28
00:01:11,510 --> 00:01:10,159
see a way to make them a little more

29
00:01:13,270 --> 00:01:11,520
artistic

30
00:01:17,030 --> 00:01:13,280
in 1958

31
00:01:19,590 --> 00:01:17,040
naca became nasa and bill taub was sent

32
00:01:20,870 --> 00:01:19,600
to washington dc as the agency's senior

33
00:01:22,870 --> 00:01:20,880
photographer

34
00:01:25,350 --> 00:01:22,880
he was assigned to the original seven

35
00:01:26,390 --> 00:01:25,360
astronauts covering all aspects of their

36
00:01:28,870 --> 00:01:26,400
lives

37
00:01:30,789 --> 00:01:28,880
alan shepard the first american in space

38
00:01:33,910 --> 00:01:30,799
looks back on the early days we were

39
00:01:35,429 --> 00:01:33,920
really pioneering in so many ways and

40
00:01:37,270 --> 00:01:35,439
and uh

41
00:01:38,710 --> 00:01:37,280
even the training exercises there was

42
00:01:40,230 --> 00:01:38,720
tension

43
00:01:41,910 --> 00:01:40,240
and i think bill captured that he

44
00:01:44,069 --> 00:01:41,920
captured the spirit of the occasion

45
00:01:46,950 --> 00:01:44,079
extremely well but he was a member of

46
00:01:48,550 --> 00:01:46,960
the family and not only in the early

47
00:01:50,870 --> 00:01:48,560
days but

48
00:01:52,950 --> 00:01:50,880
for over 30 years

49
00:01:55,429 --> 00:01:52,960
during much of the training closed-door

50
00:01:58,230 --> 00:01:55,439
engineering meetings and missions bill

51
00:01:59,670 --> 00:01:58,240
was the only photographer allowed access

52
00:02:01,749 --> 00:01:59,680
there was pressure to capture the

53
00:02:03,670 --> 00:02:01,759
moments that said it all

54
00:02:05,990 --> 00:02:03,680
john glenn made history the day he

55
00:02:08,150 --> 00:02:06,000
entered his mercury capsule

56
00:02:10,150 --> 00:02:08,160
taub knew he had to provide coverage

57
00:02:12,630 --> 00:02:10,160
that would satisfy photo editors all

58
00:02:14,790 --> 00:02:12,640
over the world he did

59
00:02:17,190 --> 00:02:14,800
during his career he received many

60
00:02:19,190 --> 00:02:17,200
awards among them photograph of the year

61
00:02:21,430 --> 00:02:19,200
for coverage of gordon cooper's flight

62
00:02:25,110 --> 00:02:21,440
in 1963.

63
00:02:27,910 --> 00:02:25,120
in 1969 the world watched as astronauts

64
00:02:30,630 --> 00:02:27,920
armstrong aldrin and collins carried out

65
00:02:33,350 --> 00:02:30,640
america's first mission to the moon

66
00:02:35,670 --> 00:02:33,360
they became instant celebrities

67
00:02:40,150 --> 00:02:35,680
after their return to earth they visited

68
00:02:43,190 --> 00:02:40,160
24 countries and 27 cities in 45 days