Engineer Jem Stansfield looks back through the Horizon archives to find out how scientists have come to understand and manipulate the materials that built the modern world. Whether it's uncovering new materials or finding fresh uses for those we've known about for centuries, each breakthrough offers a tantalising glimpse of the holy grail of materials science - a substance that's cheap to produce
Some of the best and most up-to-date communication satellites in the world are designed and built in Stevenage in Britain. With exclusive access to specialist manufacturer Astrium, this programme shows step-by-step how to assemble one of the most complicated machines in the world.The team is followed as they construct a massive communication satellite; from the inner carbon-fibre skeleton to t
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, Hero of the Soviet Union, was a Soviet cosmonaut. On 12 April 1961, he became the first human in outer space and the first to orbit the Earth. He received medals from around the world for his pioneering tour in space.Vostok 1 marked Yuri Gagarins only spaceflight, but he served as backup to the Soyuz 1 mission, which ended in a fatal crash. Gagarin later became deput
In Big, Bigger, Biggest: Space Station, Explore the world’s biggest space station.The International Space Station orbits 350 kilometres above our heads, hurtling around the Earth at almost 30,000 kilometres an hour.It is one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. Its crew performs vital experiments that will one day allow humans to live permanently in space.
Witness the relentless power of Earth’s worst weather, before traveling the universe to find the 17,500kmh winds and methane storms of space.
Tom Brokaw narrates this documentary on Martin Luther King Jr. For some of us, it’s hard to believe that Dr. King was assassinated 40 years ago this month at the age of 39. Dr. King knew he would die young – before he reached his 40th birthday. He knew in his heart he would be assassinated.The documentary includes interviews with and comments from Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Harry Belafont
Thomas M. Jessell, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, examines the neural circuits that control our movements. Neural circuits give us a glimpse of how brain wiring and circuit activity control specific behaviors, including the movement of our limbs. Consider baseball player Lou Gehrig's remarkable hand-eye coordination, or the purity of cellist Jacqueline du Pré's tone. Yet, both examp
As one of America’s most popular destinations, Yellowstone National Park has attracted millions of visitors. Here you will see all the sights: geysers, lakes, waterfalls, lightning storms and hot springs including Old Faithful!Located in northern Wyoming, Yellowstone abounds in wildlife from baby elk to the mighty bison and moose, each lending its individual beauty to the landscape. Amongst the
Of all the founding fathers Thomas Jefferson is the most complex and enigmatic, he is a man with an ever changing portrait one which is full of contradictions, he's a champion if individual liberty who owned slaves all his life, a fiscal conservative who lives deeply in debt, an agrarian idealist who thrives in big cities, a master politician who dislikes confrontation and fears governme