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DVD Voyage to the Planets and Beyond
Think of this BBC two-part TV special as Walking with Planets. One of the makers of the excellent Walking with... dinosaur programs looks forward--into the future--and upward--into space--for another presentation of story-driven science. This fake documentary follows an international crew of five on an extraordinary six-year spaceflight. We hear from Mission Control and view footage of the astronauts in training along with the flight photography and "TV broadcasts" (perfect for quickly explaining facts via Q&As). The flight is beyond ambitious: landing on Venus, Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, the rings of Saturn, an asteroid, and the far-off reaches of Pluto. Certainly, no real space agency would sign off on such a mission, but the dramatics work thanks to the deft handling by writer-director Joe Ahearne (Ultraviolet). Here's a fun way to learn about the crushing pressure of Venus or the risk/reward of slingshot-ing around the sun. With quick pacing (we are on Venus six minutes into the two-hour movie), smart choices (some of the astronauts' hardships are brutal), plus excellent special effects (the mile-long spacecraft Pegasus is a dandy), you have a program with which families can learn together and kids will want to watch more than once.
The DVD contains some great making-of features, plus a complete episode on the real-life space probes that have visited--and are still visiting--the planets. They are just as watchable as the main program. --Doug Thomas
It's truly amazing what this film does. It's dramatic, it's intense, well acted, and incredibly realistic. This is what it really seems like visiting the planets in our solar system would be like. I was absolutely glued to the screen during this awesome space adventure. Once you reach the part where they have landed on Jupiter, you will be completely amazed at how real everything seems. This film just keeps sucking you in further and further. It starts off seeming like a documentary but ends up like a dramatic movie. I always wanted a true realistic outerspace movie to watch. "2001 Space Odyssey" was not it. That just lulled me to sleep. "Voyage to the Planets and Beyond" is an adventure that I look forward to experiencing again and again!
Voyage to the Planets and Beyond
I saw this docudrama on Discovery a couple of weeks ago. I loved it. It's entertaining as well as informative. The special effects are quite good and the "film" is well made. It makes you think that the time when such a journey is possible is not that far. I liked so much that I ordered the DVD. It's on the same level as the Walking with ... series.
Finally, after a lifetime of class "M" planets...!
I grew up with Star Trek, and as much as I love that show, this documentary/drama is a refreshing change. True, it may have had some sore points technically, but it gives a very good insight of just some of the aspects of what it would take to explore our very own solar system.
People think that just because we went to the moon so many times, it was almost routine; but nothing could be farther from the truth. There are those Apollo astronauts who admit to being glad to see the Apollo program coming to an end. They had wondered just how long our luck would hold out!
This show tells us a little of cutting ourselves off from the security of our world, the courage and dedication that such a grand endeavor calls for.
For years, we have been used to seeing humans exploring planets from interplanetary starliners like the Enterprise...but how many of us would take this journey on a relatively primitive ship like Pegasus? Always at the mercy of solar radiation, gravity, meteors, etc?
Finally! Someone has gotten it right! Regardless of your beliefs on life on other worlds, this is a truely epic adventure for all of humanity.
As the alien world unfolded before me, I was a little skeptical about the scope and purpose of this film. But after the first twenty minutes or so, I couldn't help but to become emmotionally attached to the AI probes as if they we're the children of us all.
If you have any sort of interest in cosmology or have even a shread of imagination, this excellent ride across the cosmos is for you.
I hope that each one of us carry's with them this sort of spirit in their souls. It will perhaps be the only way Earth's humanity will be remembered. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Pierre de Lespinois DVD Release Date: Released the 16 August 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Origins is a spectacular four-part miniseries, first presented on PBS's Nova, about the beginnings of the universe, our solar system, life on Earth, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life on other planets. It is not a stretch to say that Origins, among all television documentaries about the evolving cosmos, offers the most breathtaking dramatic visual representation of Earth's tumultuous history, and the clearest, step-by-step explanation of the formation of planets, the development of water and living organisms, and the forces that shape other parts of our galaxy and beyond.
Hosted by the engaging Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, Origins consists of four one-hour episodes. The... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Mark Davis (XI) - Lara Acaster - Alex Williams (III) DVD Release Date: Released the 07 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The partnership with NASA and IMAX films continues with a tour of the next step in space exploration: the International Space Station (ISS). Sixteen countries helped build this giant station (still being built upon the film's release in 2004). We see the first building blocks being constructed, including shots from inside the slick NASA shuttle launches to the friendly informalities of the Russian program. The crystal-clear pictures of the station and the Earth are the best aspects of this film. The entertaining footage delivers human elements, but sometimes the carefulness of experimentation makes for boring photography; a test of a super-cool jet pack has the astronaut moving mere inches. To the film's benefit, the narrator is Tom Cruise with a script tailored to his strong suits (the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Tom Cruise Director(s): Toni Myers DVD Release Date: Released the 19 July 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The following is from my Xanga site AeroGo, which gives helpful info to students and others interested in going into the aerospace field:
I don't try too hard to turn my kids into space cadets, but when this film came out I took all but the youngest to go see it, way down at Moody Gardens in Galveston.
For those familiar with Gerard O'Neill's concepts for space colonies, much of it will be familiar, but the film is well-scripted and the graphics are great, especially in 3D if you can find it. Apparently a lot of the graphics were from veteran space artist Pat Rawlings, and quite good, but my favorite is a scene of Saturn and rings, from its moon Enceladus, created by Fujitsu. I wonder if there's a poster of that somewhere.
Embodies the concepts of religion and science in myth, cosmology, history, architecture, culture through observation, interviews and evidence. This is a powerful movie that is not what you expect.
This is an excellent video to help dispell many misconceptions about science and origins of the universe. Graphics are excellent. Stephen Hawking is shown speaking to a California Institute of Technology group - with the audience asking critical thinking questions.
Viewers walk away with a better understanding of science, our current state of knowledge and the origins of science and the universe. Originally issued as a laserdisc, this is a DVD reissue. Consider this a classic to watch from time-to-time. Especially helpful for introductory science classes at the high... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 07 September 2004 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
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