Not quite as unknown as some agencies would have preferred at the time and certainly well known in the eastern hemisphere.

ScarCrow is right though about the first US rush of rockets after Sputnik in 57. There was a lot of criticism for giving the world grandstand seats to the literal flops of it's sudden entry into the space age. The laughing stopped as the world watch the USA put it's full attention to a new task again to produce success and results that has benefited every person around the world in everyday life. As part of this new direction for mankind, NASA produced this shuttle program that gave us Hubble and made the ISS possible, to point at only a couple accomplishments. The knowledge advancements for the specie has been greater than any other individual effort in history and in less time. This happened in a different time with different people.


That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

__________________