This film from KHOU-TV Channel 11 in Houston contains a series of short news segments that would have aired as highlights to news stories. Many are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. The titles for each segment are the originals created by KHOU-TV. The clips on this reel all date from October and November 1965. This series includes news segments about the NASA paraglider program, a royal visit to the Manned Spacecraft Center, and a polo match. Also included is an interview with Bud Adams, the owner of the Houston Oilers professional football team.
The digital preservation of this collection was made possible by a grant to the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and the Houston Public Library from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
As the scope of the American space program grew, NASA’s Space Task Group realized it would need to expand into its own facility if it were to successfully land a man on the Moon. In 1961, the agency’s selection team chose a 1,000-acre cow pasture in Houston, Texas, as the proposed center’s location site, owing to its access to water transport and commercial jet service, moderate climate, and proximity to Rice University. In September 1963, the facility opened as the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC).
The Center became the focal point of NASA’s manned spaceflight program, developing spacecraft for Projects Gemini and Apollo, selecting and training astronauts, and operating the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. Beginning with Gemini 4 in June 1965, MSC’s Mission Control Center also took over flight control duties from the Mercury Control Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. As a result, the facility managed all subsequent manned space missions, including those related to Projects Gemini and Apollo, the Apollo Applications Program, the Space Shuttle Orbiters, and the International Space Station.
In 1973, the MSC was renamed in honor of the late President and Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson. (As Senate Majority Leader, Johnson sponsored the 1958 legislation that established NASA.) The Center continues to lead NASA’s efforts in space exploration, training both American and international astronauts, managing missions to and from the International Space Station, and operating scientific and medical research programs.
Kenneth Stanley “Bud” Adams was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on January 3, 1923. He moved to Houston after World War II, establishing a wildcatting firm that eventually grew into Adams Resources & Energy. In 1959, Adams became interested in owning an NFL team. Following an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Chicago Cardinals, he and fellow Texas oilman Lamar Hunt created an entirely new venture: the American Football League. Hunt owned the league’s Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs) while Adams owned the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans). The Oilers played in four AFL Championship games, winning two. The AFL operated from 1960 to 1969, after which it was incorporated into the NFL. Adams owned the Oilers/Titans franchise until his death in 2013. At the time, his 409 wins were the most of any current NFL owner.
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