Before Tom Hanks took us from the Earth to the moon, the adaptation of Michner's Space ran in the spring of 1985 on the CBS network.
Most movies, TV shows have concentrated on the original seven astronauts, or the Apollo spaceflights, Space shows the early history of rocket development through the work of Michael York's Dieter Kolf is based on Wehrner von Braun, who headed the team which developed the concept and the rockets which lofted American men into space. The mini-series concentrates on Harry Hamlin's John Pope, a Navy aviator, who ends up a Gemni astronaut. Lot's of good stuff on the often overlooked Gemni program, which was used to write the playbook to get us to the moon. Hamlin eventually is part of the Apollo program, and lands on the moon which is where the series diverges -- Hamlin is part of an accident on the moon and ends up dying in an explosion. Great drama, but we know it didn't happen. James Garner is great as a senator who bolsters the space program.
I wish somebody would release this on video. Seems there would be a market for it given all the recent space related programs and movies of late.