Fulfilling a life long dream to be an astronaut, James May was given the opportunity to fly to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane. To do this he first had to spend three days training with the United States Air Force at Beale Air Force Base and then learning how to use a space suit correctly. Following this he was taken on a 3 hour flight reaching the edge of space (an altitude of over
For thousands of years the holy lands of the Middle East have run with blood. Here the scars of battle fought between three of the great religions of the world are etched into the earth.But the deepest wound was made by a war between Christians and Muslims, that began in the 11th century and fought for 200 years. At stake: A tiny strip of land just a few hundred miles long, but with the greate
Warp speed, transporters, wormholes and lasers – they are all staples of science fiction books, movies, and TV shows. But the fantastic world of tomorrow is quickly becoming the futuristic world of today. While you may not be “beaming” to your next appointment any time soon, researchers are preparing for the first tests of a present-day “transporter.” And while scientists have long mocked Hollywoo
Gemini 8 (officially Gemini VIII) was the sixth manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. The mission conducted the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit, but suffered the first critical in-space system failure of a U.S. spacecraft which threatened the lives of the astronauts and required immediate abort of the mission. The crew was returned to earth safely. The only other time this happened
Get ready to re-think your ideas of reality. Join UCSD physicist Kim Griest as he takes you on a fascinating excursion, addressing some of the massive efforts and tantalizing bits of evidence which suggest that what goes on in empty space determines the properties of the three-dimensional existence we know and love, and discusses how that reality may be but the wiggling of strings from other dimen
In January 1976 news broke of a phenomenon. Pictures showed an upright bald ape called Oliver, who appeared to be a cross between a human and a chimpanzee; What scientists refer to as a humanzee.Oliver’s photographs shocked the world, and in the media frenzy that followed he became an international celebrity. In Japan his human-like behavior earned him cult status. In New York some journalists
In 1971 heavy rain fell across much of East Nebraska. In the summer paleontologist Mike Voorhies travelled to the farmland around the Midwest town of Orchard. What he was to discover exceeded his wildest dreams. It was a sight of sudden prehistoric disaster. Voorhies' digging revealed the bones of 200 fossilized rhinos together with the prehistoric skeletons of camels, lizards, horses and turtles.
This is a documentary about mankind's first major ocean crossing the groundbreaking first arrival in Australia. It holds the secrets as to how and why modern humans were able to dominate this planet and beyond. In this one hour film experts explore the mysteries that surround this historic journey - how and when it was achieved, was it a purposeful mission or simply an accident and exactly what it
Addicted to Plastic is a documentary focusing on the worldwide production and environmental effects of plastic. The host takes a 2-year trip around the world to give us a better understanding of the life cycle of plastic.It’s probably fair to say that we all believe buying goods (pencils, food, electronics, etc.) with less packaging is a good thing, and when we separate our trash and drop the pl