Go higher, faster and farther with the Smithsonian as they explore the dreams of flight.
Social & External
Narrator
Words of Wilbur Wright
Newsreel Narrator
Self
The heroic romance of the profession is in the story about the life of test pilot Yuri Garnaev, who tragically died with his crew while extinguishing forest fires in France in 1967.
Let us take you to one of the most thrilling journeys mankind ever made. Be close witness to the complete mission of both of the Voyager Twins and explore regions mankind never saw before. Even at date the only available material of Uranus and Neptune are the innumerable recordings taken by these probes. All scientific findings made by the Voyager Twins exercised an influence on all following probe missions and actually made them possible.
Fred Davis introduces us to Canadian Air Force operations in Zweibrucken, West Germany. Follow Green Section as they perform drills and explain what it takes to be a fighter pilot.
The first effort to send human beings to the Moon coincides during Christmastime on Earth.
This is your window into the universe… Hubble was launched in April 1990 on board Space Shuttle Discovery. Its release into orbit over 500km above the Earth marked the birth of one of humanity’s biggest dreams; to place a telescope into space, high above the obscuring effects of the atmosphere, to gain the clearest view of the cosmos we could hope to see. But in the months which followed it was clear that the dream had turned into a nightmare, as Hubble’s mirror was found to have a flaw. Three years of heartache and huge human resolve followed, to mount a rescue mission to fix the flaw. The results were breath taking and produced the most complete view of the Universe we’ve ever had. This is the story of the men and women who conceived, built, fixed and operated Hubble – the most celebrated science instrument in history.
On an expedition through Latin America, Italian General Italo Balbo made the Atlantic crossing with his seaplane squadron, which left Boloma, entered Brazilian territory via Natal and now ended its journey in the capital Rio de Janeiro. Arrival of the fascist squadron at Enseada de Botafogo. People, many in boats, applaud the descent of the seaplanes. A group of officers searches the soldiers in profile. Italo Balbo, Ambassador Vittorio Cerrutti and Royal Consul Onorevole Mammalella watch the parade of troops. A group of officers with Col. Magdalena, "the intrepid hero of several aerial feats". At the Catete Palace, Balbo and Cerrutti are received by the President of the Provisional Government, Getúlio Vargas, and his ministers. The Italian delegation leaves the Catete Palace.
100-years of naval aviation, from wobbly gliders and the first shipboard landing in 1911 to modern supersonic jets and unmanned aerial vehicles. The film deftly interweaves archival footage, interviews with historical and military experts.
Guy Martin honours the Lancaster bomber crews of World War II, as he tries out several onboard roles including pilot, gunner and bomb aimer. Has he got what it takes to join Bomber Command?
When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969, America went down in popular history as the winner of the space race. But that history is bunk. The real pioneers of space exploration were the Soviet cosmonauts. This remarkable feature-length documentary combines rare and unseen archive footage with interviews with the surviving cosmonauts to tell the fascinating and at times terrifying story of how the Russians led us into the space age. A particular highlight is Alexei Leonov, the man who performed the first spacewalk, explaining how he found himself trapped outside his spacecraft 500 miles above the Earth. Scary stuff.
Now presenting an addendum to the legendary film "The Secret NASA Transmissions - The Smoking Gun," and presents details about UFO videos taken by NASA Space Shuttle Cameras and the facts around a secret independent study to monitor the digital video cameras on all NASA missions which has yielded startling results. Martyn Stubbs recorded over 2,500 hours of live NASA video during this project.
Investigators reveal how Boeing’s alleged priority of profit over safety could have contributed to two catastrophic crashes within months of each other.
We mark a new milestone in the chapter of human flight. Join Jetman Yves Rossy and his protege, Jetman Vince Reffet as they explore the limits in the city of dreams. "The real dream is to be completely free"
A documentary charting the rigors of the Russian space program, where the symbol of national pride would justify the most demanding training conditions.
Dallas Campbell explores the equation which attempts to calculate the number of planets supporting life in our universe.
With unique access to Nasa, Brian Cox follows Perseverance rover’s search for life on Mars during a critical seven-day period as it undertakes an epic journey across the red planet.
Over the centuries only few caravans dared to cross the northern route of the silk road that today lies in the territory of Kazakhstan. In this portion of Asian desert there was no place to build a majestic city nor anything else worth fighting for. Until in 1955 the Soviet government realised that those lands, far as they may be from the rest of the World, were just one step away from the Universe.