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Author Topic:   DOX Productions/Science Channel miniseries' "Moon Machines"
Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
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posted 06-24-2008 11:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Science Channel release
Science Channel Launches Into Orbit With Second Annual Space Week Airing July 6-11 at 9 PM (ET/PT)

Gene Cowart alongside the Lunar Rover trainer from Moon Machines

Science Channel is reminding viewers that the sky isn't the limit, it's just the beginning. The second annual Space Week airs Sunday, July 6, to Friday, July 11, 2008, from 9-11 PM (ET/PT) on Science Channel and Science Channel HD. As Discovery Communications continues to commemorate NASA's 50th anniversary throughout 2008, Science Channel is immersing viewers in the awe-inspiring first triumphs of mankind's journey to the moon and the mysteries of deep space.

The limited six-part series Moon Machines anchors this year's Space Week programming, featuring a special look back at the extraordinary engineering feats that launched the United States into space and mankind onto the moon. Moon Machines documents the efforts of 400,000 people across America who, over the course of eight years, created the equipment used to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of a human lunar landing.

"As the home for space programming, Space Week in 2008 honors the largely unknown heroes of NASA's past - the people who not only asked why, but why not as they pushed the boundaries of science and technology to place humans on the moon," said Clark Bunting, president and general manager of Science Channel. "We salute these pioneers of space exploration and we hope we can help inspire the next generation of scientists."

Space Week will also feature an information-rich experience online at ScienceChannel.com with 3-D images of the Apollo vehicles from Moon Machines , an interactive time line of the formation of the moon, a feature on the looming "space race" among the United States, China and Japan, and the latest information on space exploration from the Discovery News service.

The complete schedule of 2008 SPACE WEEK premieres includes the following:

Sunday, July 6, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
*World Premiere

MOON MACHINES
"Saturn V"

This episode of MOON MACHINES immerses viewers in the incredible story of the mighty Saturn V moon rocket -- technology that joined the vision of World War II German rocket scientists with that of a generation of young, dedicated engineers from across the United States. With the backdrop of Russia's Sputnik launch and President Kennedy's ambitious commitment to reaching the moon, engineers and scientists would produce a 363-foot-tall rocket with more than one million working parts that delivered 7.5 million pounds of thrust. Saturn V was so large that even those who built it were amazed and could hardly believe its power.

Sunday, July 6, at 10 PM (ET/PT)
*World Premiere

MOON MACHINES
"Command Module"

In this episode viewers get a rare, unique look at what it took to build the Apollo Command Module. Construction of the module would require an amount of engineering ingenuity and perseverance never before achieved. The module would have to serve as a fully pressurized living chamber, providing three men with food, water, air, power, communication, navigation and protection from the hostility of space for a two-week trip to the moon and back.

Monday, July 7, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
*World Premiere

MOON MACHINES
"Navigation"

With computer software not yet invented and computing power less than a fraction of what is found in today's handheld devices, the challenge of navigating a 50,000-mile round trip to the moon during the 1960s was daunting. This episode examines how an elite group of scientists met the challenges of creating a spacecraft with an infallible navigation system and a sophisticated computer with detailed programs.

Monday, July 7, at 10 PM (ET/PT)
*U.S. Premiere

THE COMET'S TALE

Ancient civilizations thought they were gods; others believed they were harbingers of doom -- fiery, magical, mysterious streaks of light that dart across the sky. Today, there is still much to learn about comets. Science Channel examines mankind's new breed of space missions designed to explore what comets are really made of, the origin of comets and the surprising influence comets have on events on Earth.

Tuesday, July 8, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
*World Premiere

MOON MACHINES
"Lunar Module"

Building the lunar module in the early 1960s was a seemingly insurmountable challenge. The impossible demands of weight restrictions and the project's numerous setbacks might have brought the Apollo program to a halt altogether. Lunar Module documents the dedication of the project's scientists and engineers as a potentially show-stopping undertaking became one of the Apollo program's greatest triumphs.

Tuesday, July 8, at 10 PM (ET/PT)
*Network Premiere

WHEN WE LEFT EARTH: THE NASA MISSIONS
"Project Mercury: Ordinary Supermen"

NASA selects seven men to become the country's first astronauts. They're all test pilots and they're all used to risking their lives, but none of them has ever literally ridden a rocket before. NASA and the Mercury Seven are on a journey into the unknown. No one knows for sure if the rockets will explode on the pad or if the astronauts can survive the stresses of traveling more than 17,000 miles an hour on a converted intercontinental ballistic missile. Six of the men ride into space, each launch taking NASA further forward in its quest to conquer space.

Wednesday, July 9, at 9 PM (ET/PT)
*World Premiere

MOON MACHINES
"Suits"

July 20, 1969 -- while the world rejoiced in man's first step onto the lunar surface, a small group of NASA engineers held their breath. Seven years earlier, NASA realized its inexperience in a vital area -- construction of the spacesuit. The suit had to be flexible enough to allow man to function with ease yet provide protection from huge fluctuations in temperatures and pressures, as well as micrometeoroids traveling at tens of thousands of miles a second. Suits tells the story of the men and women who designed and stitched together the most expensive clothing ever made.

MARS 2.0
*Network Premiere
Wednesday, July 9, at 10 PM (ET/PT)

MARS 2.0
explores the mysteries of Mars, Earth's nearest planetary relative. On May 25, 2008, a spacecraft called the Phoenix Lander is scheduled to touch down on the desert surface of Mars. The lander will pierce the frozen soil of Mars, digging into solid ice to perhaps find evidence of extraterrestrial life. As teams from NASA and the University of Arizona prepare for this risky landing, viewers learn what is known about the red planet and what bigger secrets it has yet to reveal. If the Phoenix survives its descent through the Martian atmosphere, scientists will get a glimpse of the surface of Mars at the highest resolution ever.

Thursday, July 10 at 9 PM (ET/PT)
*World Premiere

MOON MACHINES
"Lunar Rover"

In the early days of the Apollo project, grand ideas were devised for how to travel on the moon. With excitement running high and "GO" fever very much the buzz, engineers came up with all manner of vehicles for traversing the new frontier. But one by one the projects were shelved as each was deemed too expensive or too dangerous. Lunar Rover reveals the untold story of how a small team of engineers convinced NASA to build what ultimately became the Lunar Rover. The greatest challenge for the Lunar Rover team was to design, build, test and deliver the final flight-worthy product to NASA in less than 18 months.

Friday, July 11, from 9-11 PM (ET/PT)
*Network Premiere

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON

Science Channel presents the network premiere of the award-winning, critically praised IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON. Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the film assembles former Apollo crew members to share the never-before-heard human stories behind their superhuman accomplishments.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the world's number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman.

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-08-2008 12:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
collectSPACE review: In the Shadow of the Moon... Machines
The stars of David Sington's first Apollo-inspired documentary, the 2007 critically-acclaimed "In The Shadow of the Moon," were astronauts with famous names, such as Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan. The film, which makes its Science Channel debut on Friday, July 11 as part of the network's second annual Space Week, is airing alongside the second moon landing-themed project by Sington's production company, but this time, the spotlight is on the men and women who were behind the scenes, whose names -- Joe Gavin, Bob Seamans, Eleanor Foraker and Sonny Morea -- are not as well known or remembered.

garymilgrom
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posted 07-10-2008 07:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for garymilgrom   Click Here to Email garymilgrom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is a great series. I was real impressed by last night's episode on space suits, and learned lots. I can't wait for tonight's episode on the lunar rover.

This is worth watching the TV guide for!

Jay Chladek
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posted 07-10-2008 02:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I agree. I missed the Saturn V, command module and navigation episodes, but I caught the lunar module andsSpacesuit ones and they were very good. These are some of the best programs on the Apollo program I have ever seen, probably because they don't try to interject any drama for the sake of drama, but rather they just spell out what failure could cause.

It's also nice to see a buddy of mine (David Weeks) get mention in the credits as they utilized his plan sets for some of the framing shots. I've got a couple of Dave's plan sets in my stash and they are a great resource for a modeling geek like me.

Jay Chladek
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posted 07-11-2008 01:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Lunar Rover episode was a really good one. Seeing that little model built to demonstrate the concept (complete with a GI Joe in a Mercury suit onboard) made me smile.

The icing on the cake though was seeing all of the footage Ed Fendell got of Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger lifting off from the surface of the Moon. Everybody shows the ascent, but I had no idea the camera also caught the pitchover maneuver as well. That was dang cool!

mercsim
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posted 07-11-2008 08:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mercsim   Click Here to Email mercsim     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I saw most of the episodes but missed a few. They are very entertaining, even with the typical errors and shot replacements.

SCE to AUX
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posted 07-17-2008 08:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for SCE to AUX     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Isn't it great that among the endless releases of recycled footage and stories that someone actually has the creative ability to come out with something well thought out and not stale.

Bravo Science Channel.

ringo67
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posted 10-27-2008 01:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ringo67   Click Here to Email ringo67     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Trolling through iTunes today I saw the Discovery Science Channel series "Moon Machines" is now available. Thought you all might want to know.

mikej
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From: Germantown, WI USA
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posted 04-29-2009 05:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mikej   Click Here to Email mikej     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I just noticed that Amazon has Moon Machines available for preorder with a release date of July 7, 2009.

stsmithva
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From: Fairfax, VA, USA
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posted 04-29-2009 06:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for stsmithva   Click Here to Email stsmithva     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Excellent! I was only able to watch one episode last summer, and regretted not seeing the rest. Thanks for the heads up.

Mike Dixon
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posted 04-29-2009 07:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mike Dixon   Click Here to Email Mike Dixon     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Second that... 'specially since I couldn't see any of the series.

Rizz
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posted 08-02-2009 02:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rizz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Picked up the DVD (widescreen edition) this evening at Borders for $20.

Four hours of footage including Saturn V, LM, CM, Rover, Navigation Computer and the Space Suit.

Lasv3
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posted 08-02-2009 03:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lasv3   Click Here to Email Lasv3     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Don't hesitate and buy it, very interesting, including the footage of the spacesuit vacuum chamber test near-disaster when it suddenly started to leak and the technician survived by miracle, or special "shaking assembly" for finished Lunar Modules to release and "shake-out" the debris forgotten and/or lost during the LM assembly - I had no idea this existed at all and could not believe my eyes to see this in action - really amazing. Great DVD.

mjanovec
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posted 08-03-2009 06:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I wouldn't hesitate to call this one of the Top 10 DVDs related to the lunar voyages, if not one of the Top 5. We've seen the basic story of the lunar missions told and re-told over and over again... often in varying degrees of quality. It's not often that we've seen the stories of these components of the moon program told to this level of detail (in documentary format, at least).

Plus, as a fan of the way DOX did the "In the Shadow of the Moon" documentary, this DVD is a nice companion to that film... showing the story from behind the scenes.

As Lasv3 said, don't hesitate to buy this!

Mike Dixon
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posted 08-04-2009 12:34 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mike Dixon   Click Here to Email Mike Dixon     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Simply brilliant stuff and a must have for anyone even half way interested in the program.

Blackarrow
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posted 08-10-2009 07:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've just received this DVD from Amazon UK. For any UK members who aren't sure whether the disc will play on Region 2 machines - don't worry. This is an all-region disc and it plays perfectly.

I agree with others who have sung its praises. This is a must for any Apollo enthusiast.

(One further point: having endured the "ten minutes of Apollo, five minutes of adverts" torture of watching this on Discovery Channel last year, I was delighted to be able to sit through the entire Saturn V episode without any commercial breaks. It was like watching a BBC documentary!)

JPSastro
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posted 08-10-2009 07:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JPSastro   Click Here to Email JPSastro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I feel that without a doubt "Moon Machines" is a #1 on my list of MUST have in one's Apollo related DVD collection. It is well very done a couple of flaws. (Apollo 13 footage in the Apollo 8 section, Jim Lovell assembling the CO2 scrubber as example). Otherwise VERY informative.

Moon Machines puts a face on the Apollo project. Seeing the behind the scenes just makes it so much more the awesome. Nice to see the intensity, dedication and integrity of all those that made it happen. If you don't own this DVD... get it!

Paul78zephyr
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posted 01-18-2012 11:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul78zephyr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My son (almost 9) and I have just finished watching this on DVD. We borrowed it from our local public library which had it in their 'teen' DVD section. I was fascinated by the interviews with the actual engineers/managers that ran the programs. There was alot of footage of tests and such that I had never seen before. I had very little knowledge of Sonny Morea and his career prior to watch this video. I knew he was part of the F-1 engine program but I did not know that he later became manager of the lunar rover program. All in all this is a very good DVD in my opinion.

jjknap
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posted 01-18-2012 07:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jjknap   Click Here to Email jjknap     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I agree!

DavidD1957
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posted 09-04-2012 09:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for DavidD1957   Click Here to Email DavidD1957     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am a huge fan of Apollo and just found out about this Moon Machine DVD. I loved it and want to see more of this type of information.

It is great to hear from the people who made it happen. So many people just don't understand how complicated it was to land of the moon. The effort and engineering was enormous. President Kennedy really have guts to set a huge goal with only 15 minutes of space flight.

A tragic loss recently with the passing of Neil Armstrong. I was honored to shake his hand in 2009 and get a great photo with him. I met a total of eight moon walkers and loved to hear their stories.

This generation of heroes will not be around much longer. We need to capture their stories now and this Moon Machine DVD is a great addition to my collection.

garymilgrom
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posted 09-04-2012 11:16 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for garymilgrom   Click Here to Email garymilgrom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Note these shows are available for rent or purchase at the iTunes store too.

ilbasso
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posted 09-04-2012 02:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ilbasso   Click Here to Email ilbasso     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I carry them around with me on my iPad and iPod...always fund to watch on a plane!

Gonzo
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posted 01-02-2013 12:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Note these shows are available for rent or purchase at the iTunes store too.
Excellent... and just $1.99 per episode. That's under $12 for all six...

Before I get it on my phone though, are all six episodes on the DVD? The write up for the DVD on Amazon only lists four.

onesmallstep
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posted 01-02-2013 04:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, all six episodes of Moon Machines are in the DVD set; I own one myself.

dogcrew5369
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posted 01-03-2013 08:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dogcrew5369   Click Here to Email dogcrew5369     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Right now I have all the shows DVR'ed. I just hope lightning or something doesn't fry my box.

arjuna
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posted 01-03-2013 10:24 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's an excellent series - well worth the price in whatever format.

Gonzo
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posted 01-04-2013 04:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Agreed. I've seen parts of it. Excellent series indeed. I just wanted to make sure that I got all of the series to decide between downloading it on iTunes or buying the DVD.

Thanks guys!

OWL
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posted 02-13-2013 12:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for OWL   Click Here to Email OWL     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have recently received the Chris Riley produced Moon Machines DVD. I would urge all collectSPACE members to take a look at this production which is viewed from the Design/Scientific and Engineering perspective.

The episodes include the development of the Saturn V, Command module, Navigation Computer, Lunar Module, Space Suit and the Lunar Rover.

The production is filmed in a similar format to "In The Shadow Of The Moon."

Well done Chris a truly remarkable documentary.

Editor's note: Threads merged.

David Carey
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posted 02-13-2013 12:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David Carey   Click Here to Email David Carey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Having just finished watching the DVD (missed all the original broadcasts) I'd second the recommendation.

I'm also finally getting around to reading David Woods' book "How Apollo Flew to the Moon" which makes for a nice companion to read in parallel.

Good stuff, both, for those who enjoy the machinery and techniques angle.

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