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HomeVideoA Ring-Side View of the Heavens, from "Space Men"

A Ring-Side View of the Heavens, from “Space Men”

Radioing he had “a ring-side view of the heavens” Air Force officer David G. Simons made history in 1957 high aboard his Manhigh II balloon. He rose 101,500 feet above Earth, writing later he could barely comprehend the beauty of the sky. He was celebrated by The New York Times as “The First Space Man.”

“Space Men” premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.