No Americans have been launched into space from U.S. soil since 2011, although they have hitched rides on spacecraft from other countries. But recent years have brought exciting new ideas, notably privately funded commercial rocketry, as deep-pocket entrepreneurs have pledged to back and build rockets to be used for research and space tourism. Filmmaker Christopher Riley’s PBS-aired NOVA documentary explores alternatives to large-scale NASA launches, including re-usable rockets, vertical landing space craft, and even rockets launched from aircraft. The film chronicles the history of rockets, from the pioneering research of Robert Goddard, to the catch-up space race efforts of the U.S. missions to the Moon, as well as the never-ending search for lighter, cheaper, but also safe fuels to boost the heavy payload. Space travel is quite expensive, off limits to all but a few entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson. Visionaries like Musk are inspired by science fiction and the adventuresome spirit of the space program’s early days, but there are still big risks to consider alongside the potential rewards in the next generation of space exploration. Manned flights to Mars may remain decades away (if ever), but missions to the Moon and space tourism could begin in the 2020s. Combining illustrative examples with insights from experts, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
Rise of the Rockets
(2019) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. SDH captioned. ISBN: 978-1-5317-0950-1. Volume 34, Issue 5
Rise of the Rockets
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: