Flash Review: When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions

"When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions" is a six part documentary of the United States' manned spaceflight program. Billed as the definitive High Definition chronicle of the space program, the program doesn't even come close to living up to the billing.

Far from being an authoritative review of the space program, "When We Left Earth" is little more than NASA-porn: quite pretty, but lacking in depth and substance, and - at times - featuring some glaring errors or omissions.

Part of the problem is due to the fact that the series is attempting to chronicle over forty-five years of history in six televised hours (less, in fact, when you count out the commercials). There is no real way to chronicle the space program in such a short period of time, but to make matters worse (at least for a nitpicker like me) footage is played fast and loose, and key events in the life of the space program are essentially ignored.

I was shocked when the overview of the maiden flight of the Columbia (STS-1) was dismissed in under two minutes with no mention of the fact that mission controllers were concerned about re-entry from the missing tiles on the ship. Other glaring omissions include the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Sally Ride's first mission, and the first Return to Flight of the shuttle era.

Sound clips and video footage was also featured from wrong missions (for example, External Tank, SRB, and vehicle footage from the post-Columbia era of retrn to flight shown in the early days of the shuttle).

Far from being a substantial history of the space program, it is little more than a titillating sketchbook-type overview of the space program, "When We Left Earth" is easily overshadowed by even older (outdated) series such as PBS' "Spaceflight".

What I Like on TV Tonight... Space, Space, Space!

Tonight at 8 PM Eastern, PBS's long-running science and technology program NOVA is airing "Astrospies", a behind the scenes look at American and Soviet attempts to militarize spaceflight in the 1960's.

Tonight at 10 PM Eastern on the Science Channel, "Tank on the Moon" airs. This program explores the Soviet Lunokhod automated lunar rovers, launched to our gray neighbor in the early 1970's.

Sadly, I doubt I'll be able to see the latter program - I don't get the Science Channel here in Indy. But I'll definately tune in for "Astrospies".

Go Atlantis! (Updated)

Today marks the first launch attempt for STS-122 aboard the shuttle Atlantis. Launch is scheduled for 2:45 PM Eastern Time today. Weather is currently the only factor that the launch team is concerned with, as previously pesky sensors have been behaving themselves today. You can follow the mission over at nasaspaceflight.com. Thanks to Chris Bergin and the team there for the image of the orbiter at the pad in this post.

Godspeed, Atlantis!

Update: 3:30 PM EST - Atlantis is safely on orbit in what may be the cleanest launch since the program returned to flight.

The Legacy of Sputnik

Fifty years after a beach-ball sized hunk of metal 'beep-beep'ed its way around the globe, instilling fear and terror in some, and wondrous hope in others, what is the legacy of Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik?

As a man of faith, I have often been asked what God thinks of spaceflight, and it is my belief that God has given us a magnificent sense of wonder and inquisitiveness. We must use it to the fullest advantage that we can, and that extends to exploring space.

Spaceflight today is entering its painful adolescent state. Still in some ways childish (spy satellites, anti-satellite weapons, etc...), while at the same time trying to be mature (observation telescopes, geological study satellites, missions to the planets and beyond). We are still growing into our identy as a spacefaring people.

People of faith must be involved in this great endeavor, however. To go to the stars without acknowledging God's creative hand and his awesome granduer in the fabric of space does only a disservice to people of faith who might seek to foreswear spaceflight as some evil, demonic attempt to build a modern Tower of Babel.

Space is the future of humanity (at least until the Lord returns), and we need to -as people of faith- be ready to move into the future with the rest of our species.

At the same time, the deep call of both God and space should renew our goals to set aside our petty, pathetic differences here on earth. The killing needs to stop, borders need to be torn down, warfare needs to cease, and the poor, orphaned, downtrodden of our civilization need -desperately!- to be cared for. Some say that the money for space should be spent on the poor. I agree, to an extent... but I'd prefer to see the money we use to build guns and bombs to kill (largely) the poor turned to helping them stand and exist in a modern world where everyone has an acceptable standard of living.


In a way, I think Saint Francis would be proud to share his feast day on the western calendar with the launch of Sputnik... for as Sputnik causes us to think of that newly-expanding frontier of Space, a part of the creation that Francis loved so much, so it forces us to think about the rest of his message - one where we live in harmony with nature and with our fellows.

Just some thoughts on this day, October 4th... the fiftieth anniversary of the 'beep' that changed the world.

Bad News Day for NASA

Well, it's been a couple of days for NASA in the news.

First comes word that a piece of space station equipment, slated to launch in August aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, has been sabotoaged.

Unfortunately, the second piece of news is far more disasterous to NASA's PR image. In the light of the Lisa Nowak scandal, NASA launched a review of astronaut behavior. It seems that the press is now going to have a field day with this one... as at least two astronauts entered the shuttle for launch after drinking within the twelve hours before launch.

How long until MSNBC, CNN, and other news agencies begin running the old Jose Jimeniz routines from the 1960's...

Space Updates: Endeavour's rollout and Dawn's Launch Delayed

The Dawn spacecraft, a NASA mission bound for Vesta and Ceres (two large planetoids in the Asteroid Belt) has been delayed, with a liftoff scheduled no earlier than the end of this week.

In the meantime, bad weather has forced a delay for the rollout of Space Shuttle Endeavour to Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in preparation for her August launch to the International Space Station. Rollout is now scheduled for around 10 PM EDT on Tuesday, July 10.

More information on both stories can be found at NASASpaceFlight.com or Space.com.

Photo: Space Shuttle Endeavor waits for rollout of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Rollout has been delayed until Tuesday night at 10 PM. Photo Credit: NASASpaceFlight.com

Space Shuttle Atlantis

The Space Shuttle Atlantis should be landing today, either in California or Florida. In your kindness and charity, please pray for her crew's safe reentry and landing.

"Almighty God, creator of the moon, the stars, and this island Earth, look with your kindness upon the crew of the shuttle Atlantis as they prepare to return to earth, and grant to them and their mission controllers alertness and right judgement for a safe return. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen."