Growing Up with Rockets

Few people in Cocoa Beach, Florida, even knew what a missile was when the United States began its embryonic testing program at the nearby spit of coastline named Cape Canaveral. But before long the excitement surrounding every launch began to infect the entire nation, and the desolate Cape became the focal point for that grandest expression of the American Dream: the manned exploration of outer space. Nancy Yasecko was only a child when her father joined the missile program, fully expecting Cocoa Beach to become a boom town "just like Dayton, Ohio", and her wry eyewitness account of the space race fondly recalls that unique era when science fiction became science fact, when astronauts and their rockets were, more than at anytime since, a part of the fabric of everyday life. The film has plenty of value as nostalgia but, even more important, it provides an invaluable reminder during NASA's post-Challenger nadir of the original adventurous spirit that heralded the space age.

This documentary shares memories of young people who grew up in Cocoa Beach, part of the Space Coast, during the exciting 1960's and 1970's. I lived in Cocoa Beach during this time, and I knew a couple of the girls in this documentary. Thanks to the producers for an interesting look back. It's hard to believe Apollo 11 was 50 years ago, and the kids in this doc, including me, are in our 60's now.