Wanted to put my two cents worth in anyway. I think my mom is one of those who thinks it was all a ruse. I can remember her saying to me that they didn't really go into space and circle around the earth. I asked "so what did they do. Go down in the dirt and go around and around?" I was 6 yrs old. She was pi$$in' me off even then. :)
This one took a LONG time. I was watching... and watching... and watching... and thought that well, maybe we’d have a host to talk with, like Frank Sheed many homes ago. We’ve had a couple remain around, kinganil and somebody else.
I remember the whole program, at least from Sputnik on. The astronauts were my heroes!