A real time recreation of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering first orbit, shot entirely in space from on board the International Space Station. The film combines this new footage with Gagarin’s original mission audio and a new musical score by composer Philip Sheppard. For more information visit http://www.firstorbit.org/

Famed for their ability to inflict Armageddon from outer space, asteroids are now revealing the secrets of how they are responsible for both life and death on our planet. Armed with an array of powerful telescopes, scientists are finding up to 3000 new asteroids every night. And some are heading our way. But astronomers have [...]

The Moon is such a familiar presence in the sky that most of us take it for granted. But what if it wasn’t where it is now? How would that affect life on Earth? Space scientist and lunar fanatic Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock explores our intimate relationship with the Moon. Besides orchestrating the tides, the moon [...]

This documentary explores the past, present and future of the star’s unique importance to Earth. The SOHO and TRACE satellites, as well as the Swedish solar telescope on Las Palmas, provide viewers with some of the best images of the sun ever seen, and the special program provides knowledge of the many scientific discoveries being [...]

Search For Life After an odyssey spanning millions of miles, the quest for the Holy Grail of space exploration begins – the search for life on another planet. In this episode, viewers get exclusive access to leading-edge laboratories around the world where the prototypes for new spacesuits and rovers are under construction.

Six Minutes of Terror When the first human sets foot on Mars, mankind will have evolved to become an interplanetary species. In the case of Mars, it’s more about the destination than the journey. In terms of risk and danger to crew, entering Mars’ orbit is where the stakes become immeasurable. A second spacecraft will [...]

The Human Factor Choosing the crew for the first mission to Mars could prove to be the most important casting call ever undertaken. Can humans endure the psychological extremes of a mission more than two years long? From determining whether a mixed-gender crew is feasible to testing team compatibility, this episode will examine the mental [...]

Staying Alive Preparing and protecting the crew from the deadly hazards of the journey to Mars will be critical to a successful mission. Viewers see firsthand how NASA and Russia are addressing the physiological challenges of extreme radiation and long-duration weightlessness, as well as the challenges of food supplies and astronaut communication with Earth.

Rocket Power We will go behind the scenes of the European Space Agency at work on spacecraft architecture and the interplanetary spacecraft that will transport the crew from Earth to Mars orbit. “Rocket Power” is the nuts-and-bolts-and-hands engineering episode that gives viewers an insider’s look at the most difficult engineering challenge ever undertaken.