Guest: Robert Zimmerman.

Last week, test pilot Michael Melville became the first person to reach space in a privately funded program. The designers of the craft, called "SpaceShipOne," have their sights set on a prize offered to anyone who can put a crew of three into space, bring them back safely, and repeat the feat within two weeks. Many people believe that Melville's flight, and the presence of contests like these, are opening the doors to space tourism. Today on Focus we'll explore the commercialization of space with award-winning sicence writer Robert Zimmerman.

A discussion about the future of America's space program with expert John M. Logsdon, Director of the Space Policy Institute, George Washington University. 

In this interview on Focus, we explore the dramatic history of Sputnik's launch, the instantaneous impact it made on the next decade to come, and the developments that brought America into the space race.

Guest: Timothy Ferris.

Some of the most iconic scientific figures in history have directly built on and influenced our understanding of astronomy. Today on Focus, we're joined by Timothy Ferris, author of the recent book Coming of Age in the Milky Way. He's researched a number of brilliant scientists who struggled against political and religious forces in their studies of the universe. He'll talk about the history of astronomy and more on the show.