computer classes started on campuses and nasa spread the money around to mit and caltech and on and on. >> the greatest generation as tom brocaw christened them, cronkite who covered world war ii, they were in the cheering section. everybody was together. there was nobody against it really. >> not really. barry gold water wanted to go to the air force. didn't like civilian space. walter mondale and full bright thought it might be used for domestic programs, but it was a hangover of world war ii when we could all do big things that hurry up the economy approach. everybody thinks of nasa as the beginning of silicon valley and all of that. it's the last big act of world war ii. >> that's what i think. >> and fdr did grand cooley damn and are now had the highway project. >> they like the idea of leapfrogging. when i was growing up in the 50s, walt disney which was a great show for education, they had the german rocket scientist and he said the americans will be the first ones to get satellites out there. they pick up the paper one day and there is sputnik in 57. it took from 57 to the end