Desert Moon

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared Americans would walk on the Moon by the end of the decade. But at the time, scientists couldn't even say for sure whether the Moon's surface was solid or just a thick layer of dust. As the space race heated up, University of Arizona astronomer Gerard Kuiper established the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, one of the world's first research institutions dedicated to the solar system. Desert Moon recounts how Kuiper's burgeoning laboratory helped map the Moon, send robotic probes to its surface, and select astronaut landing sites.

Credits: A film by Jason Davis

Narrated by Captain Mark Kelly

Produced by Jason Davis and Shipherd Reed

Production assistant Hannah Bergeron

Funding provided by Arizona Space Grant Consortium, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium