Well folks, we've had multiple posts about such programs as Dexter and American Idol and John Adams, so I don't feel that it's too out of place to give another heads up and nod to the best documentary series on the NASA space race ever. I've seen the first two hours of "When We Left Earth" on The Discovery Channel, and it is absolutely phenomenal. As someone who has followed the space program very closely for decades, I am here to tell you that there are reels and reels of footage in this documentary miniseries that I have never seen before. It is stunning. In addition to the old footage from the 1960's, don't miss the up to date interviews with surviving Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts, including the most famous one of all, Neil Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong has been extremely spare when it comes to interviews over the years (almost reclusive), so the few that we see here in this special are rare and riveting.
Please also visit the Discovery website which has many interactive features about the space program, including blogs, an astronaut quiz and a chance to call in to an 800 number and leave your own memories. I left one myself about seeing Apollo 11 lift off in Florida when I was just a kid. They've got it listed there under "A 12 Year Old Gets an Apollo Treat". There are dozens of others, and it is wonderful to hear this auditory treasure vault of love for the space program from so many regular people. Go enjoy the website, and add your own thoughts to the mix.
I can't wait to watch the rest of this, it is truly one of the best Discovery specials ever. My only complaint, is that it was promoted as being in HD, and even though I have the HD Discovery channel on my Time Warner cable, they did not list it last night when it was supposed to air. Don't know what happened, but that was only a minor disappointment, as the space footage was still fantastic on the regular channel.
There was once a time in America when the most hopeful words you could ever wish to hear were "God Speed John Glenn". When We Left Earth brings that feeling back with perfect clarity. Check the Discovery website for times; more episodes are coming up on June 14, 15 and 16. Sunday night covered the Mercury and Gemini missions, next up: Apollo and the Space Shuttle.
I just listened to your story on the Discovery website -- wonderfully deliverered and fascinating and sweet! That's our Jane!! Wow! What a great idea that Discovery had -- I can't wait to sit down and listen to every single one of them! Thanks for pointing us to it!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I also can't wait to watch all the series and catch up on the ones that I missed. You are right..a series like this deserves to be written about again and again!