▁with ▁the ▁landing ▁on ▁the ▁Moon . ▁Francis ▁Thompson ▁and ▁his ▁partner ▁Alexander ▁Hamm id ▁were ▁at ▁that ▁time ▁generally ▁regarded ▁as ▁the ▁best ▁document ary ▁film m akers ▁in ▁the ▁USA , ▁having ▁won ▁fame ▁as ▁the ▁cre ators ▁of ▁the ▁hit ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 4 - 6 5 ▁New ▁York ▁World ' s ▁Fair ▁To ▁Be ▁A live !, ▁a ▁multi - screen ▁film ▁which ▁played ▁to ▁overflow ▁crow ds ▁and ▁gar ner ed ▁the ▁Academy ▁Award ▁for ▁Document ary ▁Short ▁Sub ject ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 6 . ▁The ▁NASA ▁film ▁had ▁the ▁working ▁title ▁of ▁Man ▁in ▁Space . ▁It ▁was ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁the atr ical ▁production ▁of ▁several ▁million ▁dollars ▁at ▁minimum , ▁with ▁fund ing ▁and ▁distribution ▁supplied ▁by ▁M GM , ▁and ▁would ▁have ▁included ▁a ▁re - en act ment ▁of ▁the ▁moon walk ▁on ▁a ▁sound ▁stage . ▁ ▁The ▁Francis ▁Thompson ▁company ▁even ▁conducted ▁pre lim inary ▁shooting ▁during ▁one ▁or ▁two ▁of ▁the ▁earlier ▁Apol lo ▁miss ions , ▁but ▁in ▁early ▁ 1 9 6 9 ▁because ▁of ▁res h uff ling ▁at ▁M GM , ▁the ▁project ▁lost ▁its ▁backing . ▁Both ▁Francis ▁Thompson ▁and ▁NASA ▁fr ant ically ▁sought ▁fund ing ▁elsewhere ▁but ▁nothing ▁resulted , ▁and ▁Thompson ▁began ▁to ▁turn ▁his ▁attention ▁to ▁another ▁project . ▁Six ▁weeks ▁before ▁the ▁launch ▁of ▁Apol lo ▁ 1 1 , ▁NASA ▁called ▁again ▁and ▁said ▁that ▁although ▁the ▁big - bud get ▁film ▁was ▁obviously