Once Upon a Time in Space delivers an in-depth look at the history of space exploration, including the human, emotional and political stories behind key missions.
The four-part documentary airs on BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184) tonight at 8pm SAST.
The series traces developments from the Space Shuttle era to the International Space Station, while considering how earlier missions shaped the current global space race.
Interviews with astronauts, engineers and their families provide personal accounts of the risks, achievements and sacrifices involved in space exploration. Once Upon a Time in Space revisits major moments in space history, including the Challenger disaster and the Soviet Mir space station.
The episodes include:
- America First, which follows NASA’s recruitment of a pioneering class of astronauts to fly aboard its new Space Shuttle.
- The Russian Thing, which examines Russia’s decision to welcome US astronauts aboard the Mir space station after the fall of the Soviet Union.
- Politics Always Wins, which explores the arrival of the International Space Station and its promise of a new era of cooperation in space.
- Friends Forever, which follows tensions aboard the ISS after war breaks out on Earth.
BAFTA-winning filmmaker James Bluemel directs the documentary, which comes from the team behind Once Upon a Time in Iraq and Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland. Bluemel has also written a companion book, Once Upon a Time in Space, featuring astronaut accounts and photographs from NASA’s archives and private collections.