Product Description

The mission was impossible. The odds were astronomical. The results were spectacular. NOVA presents the fascinating story behind the Apollo space program, including the most remarkable feat in human history—the historic walk on the moon in 1969. Meet the unsung heroes, experience the dangers and discover a broader range of Apollo perspectives than any space documentary ever produced.

In this expanded two-hour special, you'll see rare footage, explore little-known facts and enjoy rare insightful interviews with the NASA scientists, engineers, geologists and astronauts who made the dream of walking on the moon a reality. Share the vivid recollections of Apollo astronauts Gene Cernan and Frank Borman, plus legendary Flight Director Gene Kranz. Hear courageous tales from the pioneering Gemini space program. And explore how past lunar discoveries continue to produce exciting revelations.

Special DVD features include: scene selections; access to the To The Moon Web site, featuring panorama views from six moon landings, interactive lunar puzzles, interviews with top Apollo astronauts, and more; access to the NASA and NOVA web sites; and English subtitles.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45617 in DVD
• Brand: Nova
• Released on: 2000-08-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com
This engaging two-hour documentary from NOVA detailing America's space program was produced for the 30th anniversary of the first moon shots. While no 120-minute film can tell all the stories of the space program, To the Moon is more comprehensive than other similar videos. The film details the method that Americans used to reach the moon: lunar orbit rendezvous (one ship circles the moon while another lands). This concept wasn't even on the drawing board at NASA, and the video chronicles the struggle of engineers and astronauts to work out a solution. The space footage focuses on Gemini missions that rehearsed rendezvous in space and the most extravagant Apollo missions (numbers 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17). The film reunites several astronauts for fresh perspectives on the importance of the program, including the knowledge gained about the geology of the moon. Generation X actor Liev Schreiber (Scream 2) supplies the narration for this video, which is a great companion to the From the Earth to the Moon miniseries. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Wonderful documentary and a lot I didn't know
Lest anyone think this is the same old story of the moon shot, "One Small Step For Mankind" and all that, Nova's "To The Moon" is actually two fascinating hours of many of the stories that have been overlooked about man's journey to the moon. Few people know about the man who advocated the method of travel, called Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous, or why he was unpopular even after his contribution led to man getting to the moon. Few people know why Kennedy vaguely said we should get a man to the moon "by the end of the decade." Few people know the history of the Gemini program, lost between the Tom Wolfe heroics of Mercury and the Cold War glories of Apollo. Few people know about the later astronauts--in fact, how many people can name an astronaut after the Apollo 11 crew? (If you saw "Apollo 13" this might not be as hard.) The clips of the last mission on the moon, with happy-go-lucky geologist Harrison Schmidt dancing around digging for moonrocks, is worth the price of the DVD alone. Highly recommended as an educational tool as well as a fun ride. Public schools would be wise to teach kids history in this lively way.

The Best Brief History of Apollo
Nova should be commended for producing this excellent documentary. The important decisions, such as the choice of Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, are covered in a comprehensible yet comprehensive manner. The background of Apollo, especially in the now almost forgotten Gemini program, is covered, as are the evolution of the Saturn launchers, CSM, and LM.

A natural focus of the DVD are the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions, which are covered in some detail, but other less memorable yet important (i.e., the 'Genesis rock', the Apollo 13 near disaster, etc.) areas are covered thoughtfully as well.

The editing and factual accuracy is absolutely superior, and the overall value is unbeatable. If you only own one documentary on the Apollo program, make it this one.

Comprehensive and unique
This NOVA documentary, originally aired in July 1999, features two hours of the American efforts to reach the moon at its finest. The footage of the famous Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights is very riveting, featuring interviews from astronauts such as Jim Lovell, Tom Stafford, Eugene Cernan, Buzz Aldrin, David Scott, and Wally Schirra, as well as with Robert Seamans, Christopher Kraft, and Gene Kranz. It is hard to accurately portray through a video the details of the American space program, but this video comprehensively contains all the candor and excitement of the American manned moon program. John Houboult's Lunar Orbit Rendezvous scheme is detailed, with his efforts to sell the idea to top NASA management. Then, it moves on to the Gemini flights, emphasizing the first rendezvous of manned spacecraft on Gemini 6/7 in 1965, Gene Cernan's EVA troubles that plagued Gemini 9, and Gemini 12. Finally, it details the Apollo program that placed man's footprints on the moon, focusing on the engineering flights of Apollo 8 and 11, and then the scientific and geologic flights of the lunar landing missions that followed, ending with Apollo 17. All this was very fascinating, and thrilling to watch.