MSNBC’s Awe-Inspiring “Astronauts” Special

MSNBC premiered a majestic special, “America’s Astronauts: From Mercury to Apollo to Today,” Sunday at 9pm. The two-week old special was put on the backburner after NASA scrubbed the first launch attempt of Space Shuttle Discovery.

The press release wasn’t kidding when it called the show dramatic: “It was an outstanding documentary — it deserves a lot of praise,” a viewer e-mails in. “While all the other cable news networks were busy with business as usual, MSNBC seized the opportunity to do an in-depth special about NASA’s astronauts.” The footage “must have been buried deep inside the NBC News archives, because honestly, I had never seen it before,” the e-mailer added.

Host Chris Jansing, primetime specials EP David Kelley, director Carrie Wysocki and senior producer Helen Young should get bonuses…