When I was young, the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo launches out of Cape Canaveral were family television events without parallel. There was a sense of awe surrounding those NASA missions, culminating years later in the triumphant moon landings. We followed every one, minute-by-transfixed-minute, on a big old black-and-white TV with four legs, rabbit ears and an outsized wood-veneer cabinet. News anchor Walter Cronkite was the voice of space exploration in those days. It was as if he were right there in your living room, sharing the experience with you. Sometimes, in his folksy, understated way, he seemed as awestruck as any of us. I’m sure he was. The astronauts were household names: John Glenn. Buzz Aldrin. Neil Armstrong. Yes, even Yuri Gagarin. At that time, TV show...