South Carolina astronauts, next on Venture.

Hello, I'm Angela Coxton.

Welcome to Venture.

The space age began in 1957.

Since that time, South Carolina has played an important role in the study of the heavens and the Earth.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Space travel.

An exciting, thrilling, yet sometimes tragic voyage into the unknown.

Being an astronaut means you accept the challenge and risks involved in such a mission.

South Carolina currently has more astronauts in the NASA program than any other state in the nation.

Four of the 157 who have participated to date.

Brigadier General Charles Duke, who grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina, walked on the moon in 1972.

Gen. Charles Duke> I believe when I landed, it was like, "Yahoo, Houston!

We are here finally."

And then the step in the walk on the moon was probably the most significant.

And then again, the view on the Earth, a view of the Earth was, is I can still see that in my mind's eye as we came around from the back side of the moon the very first time and saw that Earth rise.

And it was spectacular.

♪ Angela> Astronaut Charles Bolden, just this past year, served as pilot on the space shuttle, the Columbia.

Charles Bolden> We did liftoff, I think about 6:55 in the morning.

And, as a first time guy, I must say that I thought, ...and the other experienced guys had me quite well prepared for what we were about to encounter.

You know, it seemed pretty calm and collected there until the main engines lit, and I got a slight glow off the, from the outside.

But when the solid rocket rocket boosters ignited, I knew that I was in for a rude awakening, that all my preparation, ...I don't know whether it was going to stand me in good stead or not.

We, did the roll program and right away got an alarm.

So that put me at ease because I thought right away.

Oh, it's just like being in the simulator.

And that set the tone for the rest of the ascent.

It was very, very impressive.

As a first time, flier, we lifted off in darkness and then started seeing sunlight almost right away when we got heads down.

We finally got to an altitude of about 61 miles when we had the main engines cut off, and that was almost 8 and a half minutes later.

We did have only two alarms during the ascent.

Both of them turned out to be, old sensors and no, no real big problem.

The most impressive thing to me about the ascent from a, from a physical point of view was the, the force that was exerted by during the 3-G throttle down, close to the main engine cutoff.

I had planned to do a lot of reach and visibility checks and, in feeling the force on my chest, I just said, well, forget about that.

I'm going to sit here and enjoy the ride.

♪ Angela> Perhaps most remembered of the astronauts is Ron McNair, a native of Lake City, South Carolina.

He lost his life in the tragic Challenger explosion of this past February.

Gen. Charles Duke> He does epitomize what many of us were willing to sacrifice for the advancement of a cause that we believed in.

Charles Bolden> Brother Ron was leading me through my pledge program with Omega Psi Phi.

He helped teach me what perseverance meant because he made it very difficult for me.

And he said, if you don't want it.

If you don't want it, you'll never get it.

He said, anything you want, you've got to try real hard.

You've got to stick to it.

And that's what perseverance is.

And I think the final thing that Ron would tell you, the final word would be uplift.

And Ron would look out on this crowd and he would say, everybody here has something to contribute.

Everybody here has some talent, some gift from God.

I'm really going to be upset, is what Ron would tell you.

If you don't use that gift from God and reach down and touch somebody else and bring them up.

Gen. Charles Duke> As I, see the developments and the changes, like we had to go through in Apollo when the fire, at Kennedy in 1967, out of that will come a better spacecraft and a better program.

Angela> And to be part of that improved NASA program South Carolina's newest astronaut, Frank Culbertson, will be representing the state.

♪ Gen. Charles Duke> Not once, do I remember telling my momma that I was one day going to walk on the moon?

♪ What I do remember was Pageland, South Carolina and my grandparents.

♪ The values that they taught me.

Charles Bolden>In my early time, it was just that, that stuff was, was not in the realm of possibility for, for, you know, a young Black growing up in Columbia.

Gen. Charles Duke> We were taught by our relatives and friends to be young men of character and integrity.

Charles Bolden> You should all have a dream.

Some type of dream.

And I would ask you if you would persevere in the pursuit of that dream.

Never give it up.

♪ ♪ Angela> South Carolina's new state museum, being built in Columbia, will have a space science center where South Carolina... Carolinians and visitors can come to learn more about our state's role in space science.