born november correspondent focusing space travel journalist covered manned space mission united_states beginning american space aboard freedom continuing mission space shuttle atlantis mission july present space shuttle launches manned launch mercury apollo eras total witness manned space launches early life grew family farm georgia entered united_states_air_force years age following air_force began broadcast journalism career albany georgia saw spent rocket sky wrote radio reports soviet_union launch artificial satellite career reporting career interested space program paid ticket florida watched attempted vanguard launch failed launch forget flames reported vanguard engine lit burning wait wait moment appears fire burning pad vanguard flames failed ladies gentlemen vanguard failed early year returned witnessed successful launch explorer january calling reports eventually hired radio station worked traffic reporter covering space program months later joined nbc time space program reporter eventually moving time years offered opportunity washington new_york turned offer preferring stay report quickly passion job like certain member space family general nasa official talking upcoming launch called project score earliest american satellites bit digging found president use satellite broadcast pre recorded christmas message outer space score launched broadcast story knowing military deny satellite space early days space program reporters different relationship today described relationship friend going dinner town book writes told record fact going american astronaut space noted report friendships possibly career said recounts conversation astronaut concerns apollo long fatal fire association unexpected bonuses carried gold coin moon flew flags patches later handed friends early 1980s nasa developed teacher space program similar program developed journalist space program finalists selected journalist space teacher journalist programs discontinued space shuttle challenger disaster following space shuttle challenger accident placed telephone friend retired employee nasa favor went looked accident information analysis later reported early findings consequently journalist report source destruction space shuttle challenger faulty rings won emmy award nbc coverage apollo moon landing following space shuttle columbia accident reporter break news internal nasa memo expressing concerns foam striking left wing ascent nasa awarded recognition journalist known covered flights present ceremony nasa officials shuttle commander honored recipient recognition role played shaping way nation views understands space age seventy seven longest serving network work continuously single subject started working nbc july covering space program continues capacity present missed mission launch despite suffering heart attack declared dead minutes following heart attack bypass surgery miss launches covers shuttle program space missions cable network nbc news reports covering missions contract nbc runs allowing complete coverage entire space shuttle program expressed hope return moon missions career author author seven books including memoirs fellow mercury astronaut journalist collaborated write book moon shot participant died book completed recent book live cape covering space race released august coincide 50th anniversary began launch october foreword written book attempts illustrate media changed coverage space programs early enthusiasm relative program today says wrote book looked career recalling people worked left claims told covered program going way beginning don tell story going received generally poor reviews space historians collaborated number non fiction works art myth science isbn journey time exploring universe space isbn wrote novelization pilot error episode million dollar man television series based novel warner isbn years stated stayed away space program associated commented items considered harmful newest book stating idea book hurt somebody attempts illustrate memoir telling private investigator approached audio tape allegedly contained proof affair involving astronaut told investigator speak superiors proceeded tape personal life married met covering participation florida beauty live children steve son scott died infancy following premature birth
Jay Barbree