Spacecraft Films

Apollo 11 in 100 Seconds...

The human brain is a magnificent engine for visual processing. Even short one-second shots can reveal an incredible amount of information. This piece demonstrates just how quickly the brain can process and recall one of the most spectacular voyages of exploration in human history - the mission of Apollo 11. Here the first lunar landing mission is presented in 100 1-second increments. Take a minute and a half, and enjoy the voyage once again.

 

What goes up... must come down...

Something today from the incredibly cool department. F-1 engines recovered from the Atlantic Ocean by Bezos Expeditions. The details here.

And the "up" part of the mission:

 

The Robert Goddard Material on "Liftoff"

Since we began doing our "Today In Space History" feature for the front page, I've used several clips from the extensive material contained on Robert Goddard from our Liftoff DVD set. I've been asked by several customers the source.

As Goddard was conducting his experiments he documented them extensively through motion pictures, which is an aid to engineering and development. We found the Goddard material at the National Archives in College Park, where nearly all of the Archive's motion picture holdings are located.

I've told the story of the Liftoff set before, but to paraphrase I originally intended to make a DVD of rockets exploding, then decided to expand it. As a result I decided adding this Goddard material I had run across would make an interesting introduction to a set on launch vehicles.

Unfortunately for history, the camera ran out of film just before the first liquid fueled rocket launched, although we do have film immediately before and after the launch.

We transferred all of the Goddard stuff we could locate at the archives, and used nearly all of it for the Liftoff set. Several years ago Clark University expressed an interest in seeing how we had used the material, and we supplied several copies for their Goddard Library. The library has an extensive online library of Goddard documents that I recommend for those with an interest in finding out more.

Some of my favorite clips are not only the rockets, but the people (toasting a successful launch with milk) and the cars. We're looking at film here from nearly 100 years ago now, and Goddard's work is fascinating to watch (as is the extensive A-4/V-2 material on the Liftoff DVD Set.)

 

10% Off Total Order

We've left the 10% off the entire order discount going, mainly for our international customers, who have seen an increase in shipping rates from the US. We're also offering a free shipping option for customers with orders over $125. To take advantage of the free shipping (for orders over $125), use the discount code "FREE" in the US and "INTERNATIONAL" outside the US. 

And as a reminder, ALL of our products are coded as Region 0 for worldwide play (they are unrestricted).

Happy Birthday, Wally!

This day in space history... today would have been Wally Schirra's 90th birthday. The only astronaut to fly on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, he was a great supporter and especially loved our Project Mercury set. His humor is missed. Happy Birthday, Wally!

 

Revisiting Our Apollo 1 Set

All of the material from our Apollo 1 DVD set is now on our streaming site, at spacehistory.tv. During the process of preparation I revisited the production of that set, looked through some notes and thought again about that journey. 

During the research for the Apollo 1 set I located the complete spacecraft communication audio, which was not restricted. It was, in fact, open to the public in a research room. My initial thought was that we would NOT include the uncut audio in the set.

As I listened to the material myself, on a sunny afternoon in a research room in College Park, MD, the Apollo 1 fire was transformed from a historical event into a human tragedy with definable features. I felt a deeper understanding of the human loss we suffered with Apollo 1 than I ever had before. Emerging soon afterward into the sunshine, I felt a melancholy guilt, and I decided hearing the accident in full, as it happened, was useful to understanding.

Therefore, we included the uncut audio on the DVD set and we've included it in the Apollo 1 streaming materials.

Since one can't "look away from a sound," we've also included an edited version of this material should you wish to refrain from hearing the very short but disturbing last transmission. 

Announcing Spacehistory.tv. Our new streaming site...

Seems as though for a couple of years now I've been asked about a streaming option for our products. I'm pleased to announce we are starting one now. Spacehistory.tv is now live, with our Live From the Moon and our Project Mercury products available for streaming. Apollo 9 will be added on March 3 (the 44th anniversary of the launch) and we'll be adding missions and products at the rate of 2-3 per week. 

The service is accessable through an overall subscription to the site for a year, as a rental of individual products, and as a rental if individual titles. 

We hope you enjoy another way to enjoy the proud legacy of the US in space. We welcome your feedback.