When We Left Earth

Released by: Image Entertainment
Released on: 9/30/08
Director: N/A
Cast: Gary Sinise (Narrator)
Year: 2008

The Movie:

When We Left Earth: The Nasa Missions was originally shown on The Discovery Channel in the first half of 2008 where, over six episodes, it documented the history of the American space program from it's birth in the 1960s through to the present day. While this might sound a little dry, it turned out to be so well put together that it turned out to be absolutely riveting viewing where viewers found it hard not to get emotionally attached and involved with what was happening on screen.

The series is put together using modern day interviews not only with the astronauts but also with the control room operators and scientists who made all of this possible. Alongside these interviews are archival clips timed to demonstrate exactly what the interviewees are talking about, much of this footage being made available to the public for the very first time in history.

The six episodes that make up the series are:

ORDINARY SUPERMEN - This debut episode shows how NASA selected seven pilots to become America's first astronauts. We see how NASA prepared for their first manned launches and what went into planning and executing those launches.

FRIENDS AND RIVALS - This second episodes follows a second group of American astronauts as NASA makes serious advances in rocket technology and space technology. It's here that they start planning to put a man on the moon for the first time in history.

LANDING THE EAGLE - With the Apollo Space Program in full swing, it's time for NASA to put a man on the moon but the fire that kills the astronauts of Apollo 1 puts a serious damper on their progress. Eventually, they're ready and the mission is launched.

THE EXPLORERS - With the first Moon landing a done deal, NASA decides to ramp things up by further exploring the scientific possibilities that this event has opened up and by figuring out how to successfully launch a space station into orbit.

THE SHUTTLE - With the advances in technology allowing the creation of the Space Shuttle to become a reality, NASA can now send larger crews into space for longer periods of time. We learn how the shuttle was tested and we see first hand the tragedy of the Challenger bring a dark cloud over the space program.

A HOME IN SPACE - Last but not least, we learn how the Hubble Space telescope is advancing human understanding of how the universe works. Additionally, we see how NASA has sent astronauts up into space to fix and repair the telescope and how NASA has decided to being work on an international space station for the first time in history.

The series proves to be just as entertaining as it is educational. There are times where, regardless of how much you know and how it all turns out, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat, fingers crossed, just hoping that these brave pioneers make it back to Earth in one piece. The timing, the editing, the use of sound and the use of those ever important archival clips are all perfect. The series is a fantastic technical achievement and it goes to great depths to ensure that the complexities of the science behind these events is explained in terms that are actually interesting without beating us over the head with dry minutia.

Visually the series is breathtaking, and again, the credit for this has to go to those who captured that archival footage in the first place. NASA gave the series creators unprecedented access to their vaults and they've chose some excellent clips. Anyone who has ever wanted to know what the Earth looked like from the confines of a ship orbiting high above the planet (admit it… you're out there!) will find much to love here, the footage is amazing and the series incredibly well done.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Each of the six episodes are presented in 1080p 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen, just as they were shown on the Discovery Channel in the first half of 2008. Considering that this series was pieced together using 16mm and 35mm footage from the 50s to the present, spiced up with recent interview clips, it's to be expected that not everything is going to look consistent. Some of the older clips are a bit beat up and show some obvious wear and tear while other clips look almost pristine. That said, most of the material is in pretty good shape and the newly shoot interview footage is very clear indeed. Colors are fairly natural looking throughout and detail levels are better than you'd probably expect them to be. Overall, viewers should be pretty happy with the way the series looks here.

Sadly, there's no high definition audio track here, but at least the English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix employed does a good job with the material. Optional subtitles are supplied in English SDH and Spanish. The rears aren't used for much more than music most of the time but spreading the score out does help build some emotional attachment to the material as it plays out. Dialogue is nice and clean and clear, it's well balanced and there aren't any problems with hiss or distortion. This mix doesn't really take full advantage of the Blu-ray format but it does a fine job with the material.

The extras are all presented in 1080i HD as well, though the audio is in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, again with subtitles in English SDH and Spanish. Image/Discovery have done a good job here compiling pertinent supplements and each of the first three discs contains some NASA archive footage that further documents the aspects of the space program explored in the episodes contained on that disc.

DISC ONE contains NASA film highlights from the Four Days Of Gemini 4, interviews from NASA's archives with Michael Collins and Joe Kosmo, and some great Mercury/Gemini mission clips.

DISC TWO contains NASA film highlights from the Apollo 13 mission, interviews with Al Bean and Gene Krantz, and some extra Apollo mission clips.

DISC THREE contains contains NASA film highlights from Skylab: The First 40 Days, interviews with Shannon Lucid and James Crocker, and clips from the Skylab, Huttle and Hubble missions.

DISC FOUR contains the following original NASA films: Freedom 7 (from 1961), Friendship 7: John Glenn (from 1962), Proud Conquest: Gemini 7 & 6 (from 1965),Apollo 8 Debrief (from 1968) and The Flight Of Apollo 11 (from 1969). If you enjoyed the archival clips used throughout the series, this is basically more of the same so do take the time to check it out as there is some beautiful material in here that isn't seen in the feature version of the series.

The Final Word:

Anyone with even a passing interest in either this strange period in American history or in the space program owes it to themselves to delve into this excellent and surprisingly suspenseful series.