With so much mythology surrounding the moon landing, its 50th anniversary presents the perfect chance to revisit this glorious astronomical achievement and the mammoth effort it took before astronauts Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Neil Armstrong could take the first human steps on the moon on 20 July 1969.
Over three parts, Robert Stone directs this magnificent documentary that reimagines the race to the moon. Presenting the Space Age as a ‘fascinating stew of scientific innovation, political calculation, media spectacle, visionary impulses and personal drama’, the series releases archival footage previously unseen by the public and focuses on many behind-the-scenes stories unfamiliar to most.
We meet lesser known contributors including leading rocket engineer Sergei Khrushchev, son of the former Soviet premier, then 25-year-old maths whiz Poppy Northcutt, who was the first woman to serve in NASA’s Mission Control, and Ed Dwight, Jr., the Air Force pilot selected by the Kennedy Administration to become America’s first black astronaut.
Revisiting this momentous occasion in human accomplishment for new generations, those who remember it from the first time round will also revel in the drama and sheer wonder of this singular moment in time.
