WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.960 Welcome once again to the Doctor Sky Show, proudly heard 2 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:06.120 on new Voices dot com and how many radio affiliates 3 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:08.679 around the country that the Doctor Sky Show is aired on. 4 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:11.679 If your first time listener to the Doctor Sky Show, 5 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:16.239 our subject matter includes the realms of astronomy, space, aviation 6 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:20.320 and weather, all visible on the Internet at TRIPLEW dot 7 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:24.679 drsky dot com. Hey, Doctor Sky, Rose the world to 8 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:27.280 the Internet and around the world and other media we're 9 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:29.440 proud to have today is a very special guest on 10 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:30.519 our program. 11 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.560 An icon of radio and television broadcasting for well over 12 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:37.320 half a century and the longtime anchor and managing editor 13 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:40.240 of the CPS Evening News. It is a high honor 14 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:43.200 and privilege to welcome mister Walter Cronkite to a discussion 15 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:45.719 with Doctor Sky. Welcome, mister Kronkite. 16 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.679 Good to talk to you in one of my favorite 17 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:49.520 corners of the world. 18 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:51.840 Well, thank you very much for being interested in the 19 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:55.520 subject matter today, which of course goes everywhere from astronomy, space, 20 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:59.759 aviation and of course broadcast journalism. But first, if I may, 21 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.280 I'd like to let you enlighten all the listeners about 22 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:04.799 how did you first become interested in the space program 23 00:01:04.840 --> 00:01:06.560 from a journalistic. 24 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:10.400 Perspective, Well, I tell you I'm old enough to go 25 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:14.599 back a long way into the world of aviation. I 26 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:19.920 had my first airplane ride, and a walk over open 27 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:23.480 cockpit airplane with a Curtis O X five engine on it. 28 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:28.760 My father took me for a ride with a barnstormer 29 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:32.560 in Kansas City, Missouri, where we lived. Then He had 30 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:36.159 done some flying in World War One, and this, by 31 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:39.359 the time I was six years old, was just a 32 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:42.920 couple of years three years after we signed an armistice, 33 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:46.439 so it was fairly early on in the days of aviation. 34 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.799 And as a matter of fact, we had a little 35 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:54.480 unexpected landing on that flight. So my interest and excitement 36 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:59.040 in aviation was very came very early in my childhood. 37 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:02.840 I followed it and through my young years reading about it, 38 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:07.400 hitching rides whenever I could, and that naturally led into 39 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:11.240 an interest as we began to develop rocketry and a 40 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.599 new form of propulsion that gave us the promise of 41 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:18.919 getting out into space with human beings. My next personal 42 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:21.759 experience was it with it in World War Two in 43 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:27.520 London when we were being assaulted by Hitlers flying bombs 44 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:32.000 as they recalled and the deeper V twos that came 45 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:37.680 in with true rocketry. So I saw that firsthand. I saw, 46 00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:41.599 actually saw a launch from one hundred and fifty miles 47 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:45.840 away after we landed with the Airborne. As we correspondent 48 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:50.759 landed with the Airborne in the Netherlands and the Germans 49 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:55.280 were launching their V twos from vas and Are in 50 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:58.599 the Netherlands, the far west side of the Netherlands. We 51 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:01.000 were on the east side, hundred and fifty miles or 52 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:04.080 so away, and I could I could see the contrails 53 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:08.280 going up as they launched their rockets on London. So 54 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:12.120 my curiosity was immediately around, particularly when they bombed me 55 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:13.000 out of my apartment. 56 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:15.199 Oh Jesus in London. 57 00:03:15.639 --> 00:03:20.560 But as the space program began here, naturally I wanted 58 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:24.280 to follow as a story, and as the managing editor 59 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:27.599 of the CBS Evening News, I assigned myself to it 60 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:30.000 and that made it easy for me to cover it. 61 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:33.520 Mister Conway, moving on to the days of the Apollo program, 62 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:36.960 this is fascinating. Was President Kennedy really the driving force 63 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.080 behind us going to the Moon? And did you ever 64 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:41.680 did he ever share some of his passion about this 65 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:42.159 with you. 66 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:48.639 Directly President Kennedy. Well, it was mentioned once or twice 67 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:52.960 in conversations, and there was no question that he he 68 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:56.599 was very serious about it and had it. I don't 69 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:01.319 know whether I would call it a passion that would 70 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:04.759 seem to include a kind of inner excitement about it 71 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.719 that I didn't really see from Kennedy. But that does 72 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:12.319 not mean he didn't have it. It could simply mean 73 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:14.800 that I didn't have the kind of time to develop 74 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:18.160 that sort of a of a discussion with him. 75 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:21.680 What were some of your thoughts and feelings as you 76 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:23.879 reported in that very historic day. 77 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:27.480 I'm sorry, I'm just really understanding that. So what did 78 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:27.720 you say? 79 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:30.000 I was asking you what thoughts and feelings did you 80 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:32.879 have as you reported that man had finally landed on 81 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:36.480 the Moon after Neil Armstrong made that historic first effort. 82 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:42.319 Well, I've said before that I had just as much 83 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:44.519 time to prepare for a man's landing on the Moon 84 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:49.040 as NASA did. I covered the development of NASA even 85 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:51.480 before it was NASA, when it was all part of 86 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:55.079 the Air Force program in rocketry, and so I had 87 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.399 all that time to prepare for it. Wally Cherral, the 88 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:04.600 astronaut from the original Mercury Program, who was my technical 89 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:11.920 assistant in the Mysteries of space flight at the anchor desk, 90 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:15.439 and he kept asking me all night as we were 91 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:17.720 waiting for the landing up there. He said, what are 92 00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:19.720 you going to say? What are you going to say? 93 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:22.639 And I said, well, Wally, I never planned anything like 94 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:24.959 this in advance of what I'm going to say. I 95 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.160 know the facts that I want to include, but as 96 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:31.240 to how I phrased him exactly, I don't know what 97 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:34.199 I'm going to say, but don't worry about it. I'll 98 00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:39.480 be saying something. Well, when they announced that man was 99 00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:45.160 on the Moon, all I could say was wow, golly gee, 100 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:47.079 there you go the immortal words. 101 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:50.160 That's very, very interesting. I've also had the privilege and 102 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:52.600 honor of interviewing Captain Sharh and I would agree he's 103 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:56.439 a wonderful person and we share some thoughts on some 104 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.199 of the same concepts about going to spaces I'm sure 105 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:01.879 he's helped you over the cost of course of time. 106 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.240 But of all the astronauts that you've interviewed in that area, who, 107 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:07.319 in your mind stands out as probably some of the 108 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:09.560 more interesting or intriguing individuals. 109 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:14.120 Well, Wally himself was one of the most interesting, simply 110 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:19.720 because Wally has a great sense of humor and we 111 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:22.600 weren't getting a lot of that out of the space program, 112 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:26.000 not on the air or in interview situations, where the 113 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:28.480 astronauts were all trying to be as serious as they 114 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:33.160 possibly could about this very great load that they were 115 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:36.560 carrying of successfully getting us out to the Moon and 116 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:40.360 back safely in that decade, and the space flight was 117 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:42.920 an Euroic effort on their part, they had every right 118 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:44.800 to play it the way they wanted to play it. 119 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.639 But Wally would get on the air and I not 120 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:49.720 quite play it as seriously as some of the others, 121 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:51.879 which made him a lot of fun to be around. 122 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:53.079 All right, more down to Earth. 123 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.439 Yes, well, yes, if you want to make that punt, 124 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:57.199 let's do it. 125 00:06:57.759 --> 00:06:58.040 Sure. 126 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:03.120 Yeah. But but all all of them were interesting. I 127 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.680 think it would be hard to pick one above the other. 128 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:09.079 They each had their own personality, they each had their 129 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:14.480 own interest in particular aspects of spaceflight, and and u 130 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:18.680 to the same question, you could get several answers about 131 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:24.199 motivation and and now they felt about the flight itself. Uh, 132 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:29.439 there was a there was a wonderful story that that 133 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:33.879 Wally Sharra told me as a matter of fact or 134 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:37.199 that that is the answer he gave me when I said, 135 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:40.720 come on, Wally, when we hear about your original flights 136 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:42.680 in his mercury and he was the third man of fly, 137 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:48.519 I think I remember he uh he, I said, come on, Wally. 138 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:52.600 You know all you guys are so serious, and when 139 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.439 we ask you about what you're really thinking of as 140 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:59.079 you lay there on that couch with your with your 141 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:03.199 face to the sky and that little tiny capsule, uh, 142 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:05.480 the what were you really think? You know, you can 143 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:07.439 keep telling us how brave you all were, and you 144 00:08:08.199 --> 00:08:11.079 had all this redundancy building and there wasn't any concern 145 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.439 about it. And he said, well, I can tell you 146 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:17.040 what I thought. He said, waiting on that and that 147 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:23.759 little redstone rocket there to go up, he said, when 148 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:27.920 the ridge anyway? Lying there in the capsule mercury capsule, 149 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:31.199 He said, I looked at all those instruments. I looked 150 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:33.919 at all the buttons. I looked at all those toggle 151 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:36.759 switches that I had to hit at certain times. And 152 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:38.799 I had all that plumbing that I could see the 153 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:44.480 important fuels that were being used. And he said, I 154 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:46.919 looked at all that lying on my back waiting for 155 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:49.840 that rocket to go up, and I said to myself, 156 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:53.759 good gosh, just think this whole thing was built by 157 00:08:53.799 --> 00:08:54.639 the lowest bidder. 158 00:08:55.799 --> 00:09:00.200 Yes, and that's absolutely correct, and amazingly it worked. That's 159 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:03.320 what we look at in the history of the space program. 160 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:06.000 Just a few more questions that I think our audience 161 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.360 would certainly love to have your opinion and perspective on. 162 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:10.960 But with the recent mission of Dennis Tito, the first 163 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.279 official quote tourist in space, what is your feeling about 164 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:17.440 private citizens going to the space and would you yourself, 165 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:20.440 if I'm correct, to yourself worse related to go up 166 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.960 as a future tourist or sometime in history. I think 167 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.679 I've heard that that you were looking to do that. 168 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:30.159 Oh. Yes, the government was going to send a up 169 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:34.799 journalist as the first civilian in space after the two 170 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:38.159 members of Space committees from Capitol Hill. They were going 171 00:09:38.200 --> 00:09:41.600 to play their politics first, and a journalist was going. 172 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:45.320 And they were in the process of eliminating those who 173 00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:48.399 they didn't think were qualified, getting down to a few. 174 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:51.360 I think they were down to about ten or twelve 175 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:54.840 while I was still in the running, and we were 176 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:58.559 antssipating one of us being selected and one selected as 177 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:04.279 a backup, taking all the training and going unfortunately for 178 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:09.960 the teacher, maybe fortunately for us, but unfortunately perhaps for history. 179 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:15.559 The teacher, of course, was lost on the shuttle. Yes, 180 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:21.679 very President Reagan was trying to build votes with the 181 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:25.919 Teachers' union, and I had lived in a speech in 182 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:28.600 Chicago at their convention, and I'm going to see that 183 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:31.240 the teacher is the first who goes into space. So 184 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:35.240 poor Christophercauliffe was were the ones selected for the Challenger flight, 185 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:38.440 which was the flight that the journalists would have been on. 186 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:42.600 But despite that, I think most journalists would go in 187 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:47.399 a minute to space. It's a great story and I 188 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:49.720 would go today if they only let me. 189 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:52.440 Oh, that would be wonderful. As you know, Arizona State 190 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:56.039 University's School of Journalism and Telecommunications is named in your honor, 191 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.639 Can you give some advice for students listening here that 192 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:02.159 would like to pursue a major and a career in broadcasting. 193 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:05.039 To hear it from yourself, I think would be most impacting. 194 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:08.679 Well, my advice to them as it would be to 195 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:13.559 learn the arts of journalism long before they tackled the 196 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:18.759 practicalities of broadcast. I think they learn to write and 197 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:23.559 to report, and to understand the principles and ethics of 198 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:28.440 good journalism. They can write for a newspaper or magazine 199 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:35.080 or the internet, or broadcast the techniques of broadcasting. While 200 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:41.120 there are, particularly in television, some fundamental cosmetic situations that 201 00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:46.519 have to be faced. Unfortunately, the person who has the 202 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:53.120 compl capability of following these journalistic principles is the one 203 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:54.279 who is going to succeed. 204 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:58.440 Wonderful advice, And this one last closing question or two, 205 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:02.360 if possible, What are some of your latest projects that people, 206 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.279 whether it be on the internet, radio, or television, can 207 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:07.759 stay in touch with some of the activities that you're 208 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:08.480 now involved in. 209 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:14.080 Well, I do a lot of speaking, public speaking, and 210 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:19.240 and some magazine writing, and I write forwards to friends books. 211 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.840 I may be the foremost forward writer in the United 212 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:27.840 States today. But the that's a joke. Of course, I 213 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:29.879 didn't hear you laughing, So I have to be careful. 214 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:33.240 No, no, no, I'm just patiently listening. I do understand. 215 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:39.000 Well, I've got very busy, and of course I still 216 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:43.120 have contacts. I still play the reporter role, whether I 217 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:45.240 actually on the air or not. I pick up the 218 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:49.639 phone and golf sources in government, private business. When a 219 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:53.120 story interests me and prove a little bit, make some 220 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:56.320 capital out of it with my speed, with my talks around. 221 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:59.960 It's very fascinating. I just want to thank you, mister 222 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.720 Crunkite for taking the time to join me doctor Sky 223 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:05.120 here on our program today, and I'm sure our audience 224 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.320 is most thrilled with hearing directly from you as we 225 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:11.879 have some of the historic portions of the space program. 226 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:15.080 And I myself remember, at age forty five today, back 227 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:17.600 in nineteen sixty nine, on that very historic date when 228 00:13:17.639 --> 00:13:20.759 you told all the world about our first human being, 229 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:23.759 Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon. I remember, like 230 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:26.480 many of us, watching in a small black and white television, 231 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:29.000 and even to this day, I find it incredible that 232 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:31.720 we really did go there. But it really is a 233 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:33.519 high honor and privilege, and I want to thank you 234 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:37.000 for coming on. What doctor Sky is doing is past. 235 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:39.919 My best wishes to all my friends out there at 236 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.840 ASU and the journalism school there. It's a great program 237 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:47.480 they've got and I'm very happy to say that it's 238 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:50.960 winning a lot of plaudits around the journalism world. You 239 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:54.120 know that as a former professor in the business. 240 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:56.799 Yourself, well, thank you very much, and mister Kronkite, it's 241 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:58.600 a high honor and I do hope we can speak again. 242 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:02.480 And your words are most exciting to the listeners out 243 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:05.840 there and most motivating. Thank you, sir, and godspeed to 244 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:07.720 you and look forward to speaking to you soon and 245 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:12.399 a rapid recovery to you. Please, thank you sir, as 246 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:16.519 doctor Sky always encourages you. Please always remember to keep 247 00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:18.360 your eyes to the skies.