Voyage to the Planets and Beyond

Starring:David Suchet, Martin McDougall, Joanne McQuinn, Rad Lazar, Mark Dexter, Michelle Joseph, Mark Tandy, HÃ©lÃ¨ne Mahieu, Lourdes Faberes, John Schwab (II), Colin Stinton, Rodolfo JimÃ©nez, Antoine de Caunes
Director: Joe Ahearne, Christopher Riley (III)
Studio: BBC Warner
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Think of this BBC two-part TV special as Walking with Planets. One of the makers of the excellent Walking with... dinosaur programs looks forward--into the future--and upward--into space--for another presentation of story-driven science. This fake documentary follows an international crew of five on an extraordinary six-year spaceflight. We hear from Mission Control and view footage of the astronauts in training along with the flight photography and "TV broadcasts" (perfect for quickly explaining facts via Q&As). The flight is beyond ambitious: landing on Venus, Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, the rings of Saturn, an asteroid, and the far-off reaches of Pluto. Certainly, no real space agency would sign off on such a mission, but the dramatics work thanks to the deft handling by writer-director Joe Ahearne (Ultraviolet). Here's a fun way to learn about the crushing pressure of Venus or the risk/reward of slingshot-ing around the sun. With quick pacing (we are on Venus six minutes into the two-hour movie), smart choices (some of the astronauts' hardships are brutal), plus excellent special effects (the mile-long spacecraft Pegasus is a dandy), you have a program with which families can learn together and kids will want to watch more than once.

The DVD contains some great making-of features, plus a complete episode on the real-life space probes that have visited--and are still visiting--the planets. They are just as watchable as the main program. --Doug Thomas
Description
Imagine trying to capture an icy block from Saturn's rings or drill on the disintegrating surface of a comet. This program reveals for the first time the danger and spectacle of what it would be like for astronauts to land on and explore the other planets in the solar system. Their mission lasts for six years, extending the boundaries of what has been achieved in space travel to date. Combining the latest scientific thinking and the real-life experiences of astronauts with drama and spectacular CGI, Voyage to the Planets and Beyond propels us into the not-too-distant future.

DVD Features:Featurette:50-minute Robot Pioneers feature examining the history of space exploration25 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes Other:Fact filesPhoto gallery:

Average customer rating:

A Planetary Travelogue
Fantastic Effects and Real Science
SPACE TRAVEL W/O The Schmaltz
Wow.
I Liked the Extras more than the Program

Voyage to the Planets and Beyond
Starring: David Suchet , Martin McDougall , Joanne McQuinn , Rad Lazar , and Mark Dexter
Director: Joe Ahearne , and Christopher Riley (III)
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

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ASIN: B0007Z0O04
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Amazon.com

Think of this BBC two-part TV special as Walking with Planets. One of the makers of the excellent Walking with... dinosaur programs looks forward--into the future--and upward--into space--for another presentation of story-driven science. This fake documentary follows an international crew of five on an extraordinary six-year spaceflight. We hear from Mission Control and view footage of the astronauts in training along with the flight photography and "TV broadcasts" (perfect for quickly explaining facts via Q&As). The flight is beyond ambitious: landing on Venus, Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, the rings of Saturn, an asteroid, and the far-off reaches of Pluto. Certainly, no real space agency would sign off on such a mission, but the dramatics work thanks to the deft handling by writer-director Joe Ahearne (Ultraviolet). Here's a fun way to learn about the crushing pressure of Venus or the risk/reward of slingshot-ing around the sun. With quick pacing (we are on Venus six minutes into the two-hour movie), smart choices (some of the astronauts' hardships are brutal), plus excellent special effects (the mile-long spacecraft Pegasus is a dandy), you have a program with which families can learn together and kids will want to watch more than once.

Description

Imagine trying to capture an icy block from Saturn's rings or drill on the disintegrating surface of a comet. This program reveals for the first time the danger and spectacle of what it would be like for astronauts to land on and explore the other planets in the solar system. Their mission lasts for six years, extending the boundaries of what has been achieved in space travel to date. Combining the latest scientific thinking and the real-life experiences of astronauts with drama and spectacular CGI, Voyage to the Planets and Beyond propels us into the not-too-distant future.

DVD Features: Featurette:50-minute Robot Pioneers feature examining the history of space exploration25 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes Other:Fact files Photo gallery:

Customer Reviews:

A Planetary Travelogue.......2007-07-05

The producers of this movie have done a magnificent job of depicting a voyage to the planets. Though filled with science fact, this is however science fiction. (Such a voyage for real would be prohibitively expensive and logistically incredible.) Still, this is as close as you can get and is highly enjoyable. My only negative comment would be that it isn't long enough. I wanted more. It was that good!

Fantastic Effects and Real Science.......2007-01-18

OK let me start by saying that no country, or even groups of countries, would spend the trillions of dollars and euros that this mission would cost.
With that out of the way, I must say that the mission is believeable in every aspect except the landing on Venus. I am an engineer who has been involved with the various space programs for 30 years and the technology for this type of mission exists or is close to existing. Again the only technological hurdle is the Venus stuff but everything else, including the nuclear propulsion, rotating structure to provide partial "gravity", recycling of water and waste material, etc are either here now or will be available withing a decade. What is not avaiable is the national will to spend the kind of money a mission like this would require. We could have been back to the moon and to Mars 20 years ago if we had been willing to spend the cash. But imagine funding this type of mission. The hydrogen tankers at "strategic locations" along the trip alone would cost more than the Apollo program, even in today's dollars/euros.
As to this movie - bravo. The special effects were outstanding. You actually believed they were on Mars, Io and even Pluto. Even the Venus landing "looked" good, even if it wasn't very feasible. Everything about this movie was first class and I have enjoyed watching it again and again. Since we'll not visit any of these places with manned craft in most of your lifetimes (except Mars) this is the next best thing. The "planet scapes" of Mars, Venus, Io, Saturn's rings, Pluto and the Comet were just what I would espect to see. Life aboard the ship was as realistic as could be expected and the actors did a great job.
I recommend this to anyone with an interest in spaceflight and anyone else who would just like to be "wowed" by some fantastic scenery.

SPACE TRAVEL W/O The Schmaltz.......2006-07-23

I have to admit, i am practically addicted to this film, but for a variety of reasons, not all of which have to do with the "drama" of the show. Let's start out, on the hard science that backs up the show. For what we know today, from Hubble, the planetary probes, and solar activity, most of what i see in the show, DOES address the reality of space travel. It's a very practical show, because it addresses our technological shortcomings, to REAL interplanetary space travel. Even tho Bush has tried to play this game, that mankind can go to Mars, we can not at the present stage, because of the VERY REASON so often stressed in this film. 1. NEED OF A VERY FAST PROPULSION SYSTEM. We cant make it with our present rockets. Only something like a FUSION Nuclear engine, could give us the boost, to get where we are going FAST. 2. NEED OF SOME KIND OF ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY. Again, they have this sort of "Carnival ride" that allows the living quarters and workout space, to spin, providing the centrifugal gravity of 0.5 G. The space ship itself is a mile long, so that allows things like the SPACE DEBRY shield, and the centrifugal gravity quarters, to operate within the boundries of science. 3. SOLAR ACTIVITY PROTECTION. Again, they have a special invention, that provides the astronauts with something like an artifically produced VAN ALLEN radiation belt, around the inner core of the ship. They even has a space suit like that, which i was totally taken away by, from the pure inventiveness. 4. GAS STATIONS FOR LONGER FLIGHTS Another problem solved, was done via sending out huge HYDROGEN fuel tanks, around Mars and elsewhere, for refueling. Other problems with the scientific limits of the human body were delt with, as well as the problems of the vulnerability of the human body, physically and mentally.

People have critized this movie, because at each planet/solar system encounter, some type of CRISIS happened. WEll, OK, you do need some kind of drama to drive the film. Human interactions between the crew, and the ground crew, are not enough. However, with both a well written musical score giving a dramatic UMPH, good script writing, and total REALITY of depliction, it's easy to buy into the idea, that what you are REALLY watching, isnt a film, but rather a series of TV news reports, mixed with documentary material. That makes the whole thing WORK, tho not in the way a film like "APOLLO 13", or "VOYAGE TO MARS" works. There are not extended "interpersonal" dramas, outside of the normal ones expected, with tragidy strikes. The special effects are SO INCREDIBLE, that they literally filmed part of this movie in ZERO GRAVITY, on one of those parabolic planes, the infamous "VOMIT COMETS", used to train astronauts for the experience of weightlessness. Imagine watching these actors move around in the weightless enviorment, WITHOUT computer animation. ITS SO COOL. Because the awe, and queasiness, and joy, of weightlessness comes across so well, when BBC could have easily done the cheap thing ,and just used wires and blue screens with computer work. Also the scenes on Venus and Mars are beautiful. The encounter with the sun, as a gravity swing shot, was magnificent, because all these REAL FILMS of the sun from the SOHO observatory were used. The same with the VENUSIAN radar mapping of the planet used for that part, and so on and so on. Maybe the only part that sort of made me wonder, was WHY they went to Pluto. ALso, I sort of wondered what was up with the comet encounter. (Not really nessacary, tho it was a great dramatic ending.) If you DO line up each encounter with danger, starting at VENUS, then MARS, then the SOLAR SLING SHOT, then the ASTEROID BELT, then JUPITER's IO, then SATURN's RING, then THE COMET, each encounter that caused danger, is more and more catastrophic, and dangerous, than the last one. Sure, something happens on VENUS, but then again, that's NOTHING compaired with what happens later. So, suspense, and danger, and most of all, ADVENTURE is kept alive. NO, nothing like ancient cultures are found, or talking marians. I mean, DO WE REALLY EXPECT THIS? Much of what we still want to believe about our solar system, is based on our deep wish to know, that LIFE happens all the time. maybe the best thing is that we find out, that its RARE, and should be protected and cherished on our planet. I dont want to give out spoilers, so i better stop here.

In conclusion, i borrowed this film from the library, and i have LITERALLY watched this thing at least 7 times thru. I never NEVER do that with films. But between the actual footage of the planets and the sun, mixed with the reality of the mission, the space ship, and the documentary style, i just love this movie. This is the REAL documentary about Mankind's conquest of our solar system, that i may never see in my lifetime. AND, if our world doesnt get it together, and spend its money on science art and education, instead of braindead entertainment, war machines and pharmeceutical company lobotomies that allow us to complacently accept this boring NON life as "adequet", then we may NEVER get to explore the heavens. More than anything, this is a film that gives us HOPE, in a world that DOES survive, and thru international cooperation, finds the cultural and scientific motivation, to make great stides forward. THis is truly the future i wish my descendants, and not Hell on earth chewing on soilent Green. So, buy this to instill a bit of hope for a good future for humanity. Right now, we sure need to believe in it.

Wow........2006-04-21

I've seen a lot of educational movies about space exploration and the like, and this film really takes things to a new level. I really enjoyed the fictional documentary format, especially since they were in able to make it so believable for most of the movie. This is particularly impressive given the very modest budget of the movie.

More importantly, perhaps, the filmmakers did a good job of not dumbing down the content and of being (more or less) scientifically accurate in their depiction of the mission. One reviewer commented that the crew took a lot of risks in the movie that were "unrealistic" in the sense that they were risks that modern astronauts probably would not take. That said, the risks the crew took were not unrealistic in the sense that they were scientific fiction, which helped to greatly preserve the integrity of the film.

Overall, this film is a rare treasure in that it is botn entertaining and highly informative.

I Liked the Extras more than the Program.......2006-02-21

The main program is based on an interesting idea. It posits a crewed mission to most of the solar system with landings at most of the stops. While this is not technically achievable right now, at least as described in the program, it is based on technology that seems achievable in the near future. The encounters with the planets and other bodies are based upon science as we understand it right now. The facts presented by the program tend to be straightforward and there is little hype in the sense that one usually expects it.

There is some hype. It seems that with every step of the mission some crisis takes places. These are not built up in an overly dramatic fashion and the crises are based upon real and known problems with the particular venue. The atmosphere of Venus is crushing and corrosive; the crisis there involves the suit which succumbs to this environment sooner than expected. There are no nasty surprises waiting for the crew such as little aliens with ray guns or exotic viruses. The crises are foreseeable and generally illustrate a technical point.

It seems as if throughout the entire show, they are building up for a "big discovery" about life. I kept waiting for the revelation, just knowing they were going to find something on Mars, or in the seas of Titan. That it never came was a minor disappointment in a "dramatic" sense but a great joy in the sense that the program refused to take a leap beyond facts as presently understood.

The show was well done but, all in all, not too interesting. I was only going to give it 3 stars until I watched some of the extra features. The "making of" segments were very interesting in that they described how the various extra terrestrial environments were re-created. I found that interesting. Best of all, though, was a half hour program on the actual robotic probes which have been sent by Earth. I have always loved seeing footage from these probes and I enjoy it still. It was nice to see the way these programs were used to build the hypothetical Pegasus program depicted in the feature. This is what gave it the extra star for me.

Average customer rating:

Voyage to the outer planets and beyond
Gustav Holst meets Isaac Asimov
Fairly Entertaining

Voyage to the Outer Planets & Beyond
Starring: Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Allied Artists Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Voyage to the Planets and Beyond
My Fantastic Field Trip to the Planets
Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos
The Creation of the Universe
Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space

ASIN: B000085EFA
Release Date: 2003-01-23

Customer Reviews:

Voyage to the outer planets and beyond.......2004-04-07

A FIVE STAR PROGRAM. And the new NASA extras are great for teaching my classes.
The program was first released on VHS,(I bought it then)and now the new DVD has additional footage that most people have never seen.
My science lessons are made easier when we discuss the planets.
I can show the children each section, planet by planet.
Also, the music fits, and the descriptions written out on the screen are perfect. What a great tool to teach with.

Gustav Holst meets Isaac Asimov.......2002-11-19

This video which combines footage from NASA with the music from
Holst's "The Planets" is a feast for both the eyes and ears.
Even my children were kept interested for the entire program.
It was also good to see Isaac Asimov. Most people don't know
what he looked like. He was both informative and funny.
A great school item.
I hope they put this on DVD, so I can really pump up the sound.

Fairly Entertaining.......2002-01-08

The idea of combining images of the planets with passages from Holst's "The Planets" was a good one, and the resulting video is rather interesting. Some of the footage is quite good (particularly the time-lapse images of Jupiter, and the representations of the rings of Saturn and the Martian surface. However, there are a couple of flaws which seriously mar the finished product. The animated footage of the surface of Venus is very amateurish, and there are some glaring typographical errors ("Matian" for "Martian", and "shrowded" for shrouded". This is an entertaining video, but certainly not essential.

Voyage to the Planets and Beyond/Hyperspace

Average customer rating:

Fascinating Material
GOOD FOR NEW COMERS!
Good Production

Voyage to the Planets and Beyond/Hyperspace
Starring: David Suchet , Martin McDougall , Joanne McQuinn , Rad Lazar , and Mark Dexter
Director: Joe Ahearne
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Space Exploration | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( V ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

NOVA - The Elegant Universe
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ASIN: B0007Z0O0Y
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Material.......2007-03-26

I wish I had had access to materials like this in my youth. Probably would have had a career in science.

GOOD FOR NEW COMERS!.......2007-01-11

They were surprisingly good. I used them to explain concepts to a 60 year old with no "new world" skills and we both enjoyed the set very much. I have seen many films of this type and these put for some facts and ideas that were new to me. Over all there great moves, buy them!

Good Production.......2007-01-07

Voyage to the Planets and Beyond is a DVD well worth watching if you think about human travel to other planets and what the challenges would be to walk about Venus, Mars, or the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. The production demonstrates the stress of such long duration space flight would most certainly result. In fact, the human factor is quite light as compared to what will confront humans on such voyages in this century. The video is quite educational for high school and college level to understand the solar system and human spaceflight generally. I purchased it and would do so again.

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