Moon Machines
Encyclopedia
Moon Machines in the US and UK is a Science Channel HD
documentary
miniseries
consisting of six episodes documenting the engineering challenges of the Apollo Program to land a man on the Moon. It covers everything from the iconic Saturn V
to the Command Module, the Lunar Module, the Space Suit
s, the Guidance and Control Computer
, and the Lunar Rover
. It was created by the team who made In the Shadow of the Moon
in association with NASA
to commemorate the agency's fiftieth anniversary in 2008. It first aired in June 2008 and was released on DVD
a year later in June 2009.
from NASA's various film archives stored at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the Glenn Research Center
in Cleveland, Ohio and from the National Archive in Washington.
The miniseries is narrated by actor Bill Hope
.
rocket.
.
.
carried to the Moon on the Apollo J-class missions.
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
consisting of six episodes documenting the engineering challenges of the Apollo Program to land a man on the Moon. It covers everything from the iconic Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
to the Command Module, the Lunar Module, the Space Suit
Apollo/Skylab A7L
The A7L Apollo & Skylab spacesuit is the primary pressure suit worn by NASA astronauts for Project Apollo, the three manned Skylab flights, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project between 1968 and the termination of the Apollo program in 1975. The "A7L" designation is used by NASA as the seventh Apollo...
s, the Guidance and Control Computer
Apollo Guidance Computer
The Apollo Guidance Computer provided onboard computation and control for guidance, navigation, and control of the Command Module and Lunar Module spacecraft of the Apollo program...
, and the Lunar Rover
Lunar rover
The Lunar Roving Vehicle or lunar rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program during 1971 and 1972...
. It was created by the team who made In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Shadow of the Moon is a 2006 British documentary film about the United States' manned missions to the Moon. It premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Audience Award. In March 2008, it was the first film to win the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Best Film...
in association with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to commemorate the agency's fiftieth anniversary in 2008. It first aired in June 2008 and was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
a year later in June 2009.
Overview
The miniseries features interviews with around 70 of the 400,000 engineers who reportedly worked on the Apollo program during the 1960s and early 70s. These interviews are intercut with archive film, sourced by FootagevaultFootagevault
Footagevault is a stock photography company, founded in 2006. The company sells royalty-free and rights-managed video footage and audio clips. It currently specialises in the space flight and space exploration. Archive film sourced by Footagevault formed the basis of the 2007 documentary feature...
from NASA's various film archives stored at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the Glenn Research Center
Glenn Research Center
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center, located within the cities of Brook Park, Cleveland and Fairview Park, Ohio between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Cleveland Metroparks's Rocky River Reservation, and has other subsidiary facilities in Ohio...
in Cleveland, Ohio and from the National Archive in Washington.
The miniseries is narrated by actor Bill Hope
William Hope (actor)
William "Bill" Hope is a Canadian stage, film, television and voice actor.-Career:Most of Hope's stage work has been leading roles in a wide variety of regional, touring and West End theatres in England....
.
Part 1: the saturn V rocket
The first episode of the series documents the creation of the iconic Saturn VSaturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rocket.
Part 2: the command module
The second episode is centered around the construction of the Apollo Command Module and the setback of the Apollo 1 fire.Part 3: the navigation computer
The third episode details the story of MIT's work on the Apollo Guidance ComputerApollo Guidance Computer
The Apollo Guidance Computer provided onboard computation and control for guidance, navigation, and control of the Command Module and Lunar Module spacecraft of the Apollo program...
.
Part 4: the lunar module
The fourth episode features the Grumman project to build mankind's only true spacecraft - the Lunar Module.Part 5: the space suit
The penultimate episode focuses on the teams that created the remarkable Apollo pressure suitApollo/Skylab A7L
The A7L Apollo & Skylab spacesuit is the primary pressure suit worn by NASA astronauts for Project Apollo, the three manned Skylab flights, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project between 1968 and the termination of the Apollo program in 1975. The "A7L" designation is used by NASA as the seventh Apollo...
.
Part 6: the lunar rover
The series' final episode centers on the design and perfection of the novel Lunar Roving vehicleLunar rover
The Lunar Roving Vehicle or lunar rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program during 1971 and 1972...
carried to the Moon on the Apollo J-class missions.