LibGuides: Space Exploration: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

COM Library has some great collections of primary sources. Primary sources are records created at the time of an event or experience, or as told by people who were present at the event. Must access on campus or login with your COM account for off campus access.

Want more on finding primary sources? Try Tips for Finding Primary Sources or Tips for Finding Primary Sources Open Access.

Featured Streaming Media

Try these videos to get started. Must access on campus or login with your COM account for off campus access.

Want more on finding media? Try Articles & Media.

First Man in Space (01:57) April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Footage captures his first impressions and excitement. A recovery team races to the Soyuz crew about to land in Kazakhstan.
John F. Kennedy Gives His "We Choose to Go to the Moon" Speech ca. 1962 During the cold war, the Soviet Union and the United States were engaged in a constant struggle to dominate the new field of space exploration. When the United States failed to be the first superpower to launch a manned satellite into space, the moon became the focus of the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In a 1962 speech at Rice University, President John F. Kennedy defended NASA's goal, saying "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills".