Space Worker; Wings Over Water

Unlike the Pacific Arts "surveys" reviewed above, these two programs have spec and engaging stories to tell. In Space Worker, viewers are given an inside look at the problems which plague various space industry workers, in lieu of the massive budgetary cuts which the space program has received of late. We meet Bill Thornton, a grounded astronaut, whose experiments in weightlessness have to be carried out on the "Vomit Comet", a refurbished aircraft that will simulate zero gravity in 30second stretches (a frustratingly short period). And there's Gentry Lee, whose brainchild Galileo, a planned mission to Jupiter, has been set back more times than he cares to remember. Moving from the outer limits to the inner limits, we see Andy Stofan lobby, in vain, in hearings before Congress, for appropriations for a planned space station; Dr. David Webb, a professor, who routinely stops at taverns to talk to blue collar workers-in his attempts to get grass root support; and Dave Zahren, who continually faces the blank stares and disinterest of today's students, as he travels the school circuit trying to pave the way for more support in the future. Space Worker is an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at the men and women who still hold on to the dream-even in the face of ennui on the part of the general public, and economic barriers in Congress. In Wings Over Water, the 75-year history of naval aviation is engagingly told, with particular emphasis on how naval aviation has had tremendous influence on American foreign policy. Teddy Roosevelt, seeing the Japanese fleet build up, established a naval base in the Philippines. The film argues convincingly that this was the initial step in a longstanding unease between the Japanese and American navies, which would eventually erupt in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In the second half of the film, we see the second Roosevelt (FDR) pour every available dime into the building of naval aircraft carriers-an instrumental move in securing 'he naval victories which the U.S. would rack up in the Pacific during the closing stages of WWII. Recently uncovered archival footage is combined with numerous interviews of key personnel (including Jimmy Doolittle) and sagacious narration to weave a spellbinding and credible story. Both Space Worker and Wings Over Water are highly recommended. (See HOW HITLER LOST THE WAR for availability.)