There are different stories about the impact of Sputnik, the Soviet satellite that circled the Earth in 1957. The one that most are familiar with is one of shock, followed by a mad scramble to strengthen science and math programs in schools. Less well known is the narrative that Sputnik was celebrated, a symbol of progress. And it was progress, not panic, that spurred education reform that was already in process. What happened to turn an initial celebration into a flood of fear and anxiety? Producer Richard Paul takes listeners back to a time when national defense was built on control of the skies, and by extension, space. Leading space industry historians Roger Lanius and Margaret Weitekamp for the Smithsonian National and Air and Space Museum, Howard McCurdy from American University, and Robert Smith of the University of Alberta detail the full impact of Sputnik. Using archive material from some of the key players, such as Lyndon John and Werner Von Braun, and interviews with scientists from the time period, Paul lays out the context for the policies that created the U.S. Space Program. He shows how the Democrats set in motion a strategy to ride a rocket to the White House.

Rocketing Ahead is part of a Soundprint and rlproductions special series called Out of This World, produced with support from the National Science Foundation.