Millions remember the countdowns, launchings, splashdowns, and parades as the U.S. raced the USSR to the moon in the 1960s. But few know that both countries also ran parallel space programs, whose covert goal was to launch military astronauts on spying missions. In this program, NOVA delves into the untold story of this top-secret space race, which might easily have turned into a shooting war in o
Google or Wikipedia? Those of us who search online - and who doesn't? - are getting referred more and more to Wikipedia. For the past two years, this free online "encyclopedia of the people" has been topping the lists of the world's most popular websites. But do we really know what we're using? Backlight plunges into the story behind Wikipedia and explores the wonderful world of Web 2.0. Is it a r
The trouble with zombies is that they keep coming back, whether you shoot or maim them it doesn't really matter, unless you destroy the head they just keep coming. The living dead seem to saturate cinema, television and games these days and it is a cultural phenomenon which seems impossible to stop.An unholy congregation with limitless appetite, it's not a matter of if they will get you but ra
Evacuate Earth is a National Geographic Channel documentary that tells the what-if story of the evacuation of the planet Earth which is due to be destroyed by a rogue Neutron Star. The documentary goes into the technical and social complications of building an Ark to save humanity and other Earth life and moving them to a planet in another star system.
Every day, the world over, large amounts of high-level radioactive waste created by nuclear power plants is placed in interim storage, which is vulnerable to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and societal changes. In Finland, the world’s first permanent repository is being hewn out of solid rock – a huge system of underground tunnels – that must last the entire period the waste remains hazard
With the idea being born in the midst of unsettled times, this idea somehow evolved into a feat of unexpected excellence, giving rise to one of the most complex machines ever built and with a mission no less extraordinary, transporting humans to and from space itself and helping to construct the International Space Station or ISS. Now however after completing nearly thirty years of
Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consu
The ability to contemplate the meaning of the world around us brings out a constant desire to deepen our knowledge and broaden our horizons, this curiosity is fundamental to the development of our species and civilisation. From the advent of the wheel to the innovation of engines, from the cultivation of herbs to the development of modern medicine, from the abacus to computers human history is a r
A breakthrough documentary on the multi-billion dollar industry & the pioneers behind the blips on the screen.Decades later it’s all gone extreme! Go beyond the pixels and behind the scenes for the true story about video games.Hosted by Tony Hawk, world champion skateboarder and co-creator of such hit video games as “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” and “Tony Hawk’s Underground”.Video Game