American Experience

S28E05 Space Men

During the 1950s and early '60s, a group of daring balloonists embarked on high-altitude adventures, facing the harsh realities of the space age well before NASA's renowned Mercury 7 captured the public's attention. Now largely overlooked, these pioneers were the first to brave the frigid near-vacuum at the edge of our atmosphere, pushing the boundaries of human resilience and creativity in a perilous environment.