Before humanity took its first steps on the moon and NASA was an established space program, the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) in Warminster was developing technology and techniques to help people reach the stars.
It’s a piece of history many Bucks County locals aren’t aware took place in their backyard, but one resident is on his own mission to change that.
Before the Moon is a new documentary dedicated to uncovering the often overlooked background of the NADC, the Johnsville Centrifuge, and the brilliant engineers, technicians, scientists, and astronauts whose work at the advanced research base changed history.
“I couldn’t believe something that important happened in a place I had lived around my whole life without ever knowing it,” said the filmmaker at the helm of the project, Jason Sherman, who grew up in Warminster.
The film is a very personal project for Sherman, whose passion for space began when he was just six years old after meeting NASA astronaut Rhea Seddon, but it wasn’t until years later that he discovered Bucks County’s role in spaceflight history.
Determined to share the story, Sherman jumped into his research, examining archives, collecting relevant documents, gathering any preserved oral histories, and sending out letters.
As the film developed, he was soon talking with NASA legends at the Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center, Gene Kranz, Chris Ferguson, Terry Hart, John Herrington, and Jerry Ross, who joined the documentary’s team of experts.
With each new conversation, Sherman began to realize just how significant the story was.
“New details would come up in interviews that I hadn’t found anywhere else, so I had to piece everything together like a puzzle, connecting the research with the firsthand experiences,” he said. “… honestly, what stayed with me most was that everyone I spoke to had their own story.”
When Sherman and his team eventually launched their Facebook page for the documentary, it wasn’t long before a community of over 34,000 members formed to show their support, and the account reached 10 million views.
With a recently launched trailer, merchandise, a companion book, and submissions to several film festivals, Before the Moon has become a dream come true for Sherman, growing from a simple idea into an epic story that’s out of this world.
“I hope younger generations see these stories and recognize that the people behind this work were not that different from them. They were curious, they worked hard, and they became part of something bigger than themselves,” Sherman said.
The project comes full circle, with a special private movie screening and Q&A taking place on July 18 from 1 PM to 5 PM at The Fuge, the very same building where astronauts trained all those years ago.
“To have the first official screening in the same place where they spun around preparing for space, it really does make me feel like an astronaut in my own way,” he said. “It’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to being in space, so I’ll take it.”
Learn more about the story behind the NADC and how to secure tickets for the private screening at Before the Moon.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on BUCKSCO Today in April 2026.
