Space Disasters
The tragic launch rehearsal that nearly ended the Apollo Moon Program. The Mir Space Station collision of 1997. The re-entry failure of Space Shuttle Columbia. Each NASA and Soviet space mission is a high-stakes project with an ever-present risk of failure. This series pays tribute to the bold men and women who put their lives on the line in order to get a foothold in the heavens...sometimes with spectacularly disastrous results. We also show how the close calls and catastrophes of our past paved the way for the breakthroughs of today.
- 2020-2020
- 1 season
- Smithsonian Channel
- Documentary
The tragic launch rehearsal that nearly ended the Apollo Moon Program. The Mir Space Station collision of 1997. The re-entry failure of Space Shuttle Columbia. Each NASA and Soviet space mission is a high-stakes project with an ever-present risk of failure. This series pays tribute to the bold men and women who put their lives on the line in order to get a foothold in the heavens...sometimes with spectacularly disastrous results. We also show how the close calls and catastrophes of our past paved the way for the breakthroughs of today.
Season 1 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 2020
Episode 1
First Generation
Sat, Oct 17, 2020 44 mins
Witness NASA's early missions and tragedies--in the sky and on the ground--as it pushed the limits of space exploration.
Episode 2
Failure at Re-Entry
Sat, Oct 24, 2020 55 mins
From the Skylab PR disaster to space shuttle close calls and tragedies, look at the challenges and dangers of re-entry
Episode 3
Fixing on the fly
Sat, Oct 31, 2020 55 mins
See how astronauts and Mission Control have made some incredible fixes thanks to quick thinking and nerves of steel.
Episode 4
The Human Factor
Sat, Nov 7, 2020 55 mins
See how little things like a stripped screw or a faulty toilet can become big emergencies when they happen in space.
Episode 5
When the weather strikes
Sat, Nov 14, 2020 55 mins
From X-class solar storms in space to severe lightning strikes on Earth, see how weather poses constant threats to NASA.
Episode 6
Failure to launch
Sat, Nov 21, 2020 44 mins
Sending spacecraft into orbit is an unforgiving business. Every launch is a long, controlled explosion that can turn into a fiery spectacle at the smallest error. Join us as we examine space exploration's most disastrous liftoffs, from America's "risky rockets" (the Vanguard, Atlas, and Titan II) to the Nedelin catastrophe, a massive explosion that Russia kept secret for decades. Then see how lessons learned from early failures led to soaring triumphs, including the most famous and powerful rocket the world has ever launched: the Saturn V.