Blueprint For Space: Science Fiction To Science Fact

Hosted by astronaut Alan Shepard, this impressive overview of the history of spaceflight focuses on the contributions of German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, one of the creators of the V-2. Following WWII, von Braun came to America and worked on the Redstone, Jupiter, and Jupiter-C rockets. After the successful launching of Sputnik 1 in October of 1957, U.S. interest in space exploration accelerated and von Braun became an integral part of the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Blueprint For Space also compares the early visions of science fiction writers such as Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback's Amazing Stories authors with the known facts about space exploration and finds interesting similarities. The final third of the program is devoted to an overview of the Apollo missions, computer-animated results from notable satellite missions (Galileo, Magellan, etc.), and current speculation on the possibility of making Mars into a living planet. Interestingly, many of the Mars possibilities being considered were first advanced in 1956 in a book called Exploration of Mars by Wernher von Braun. An excellent one-volume overview of the history of space exploration, Blueprint for Space is highly recommended. (Available from: Finley-Holiday Film Corp., P.O. Box 619, Whittier, CA 90608; (800) 345-6707.)