Rocket Science

Rocket Science is a miniseries first released in 2002-2003, chronicling the major events in the American/Soviet space race, starting from the first hypersonic rocket planes through the development of human space flight, culminating with the mission by mission history of Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. The series features interviews with X-15 pilots Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield, astronauts Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gene Cernan, Frank Borman, James Lovell, Buzz Aldrin and Alan Bean, flight controllers Gene Kranz, Christopher Kraft and Sy Liebergot, authors Arthur C. Clarke, Andrew Chaikin, Robert Godwin and Robert J. Sawyer, and broadcaster Walter Cronkite, among others. While focusing mainly on the American side of the race, the series also covered major Soviet achievements through every key phase of the 1950s and 60s Space Race. The series was produced, written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Michael Lennick for The Discovery Channel, and narrated by actor Graham Greene. Music was composed by Eric Robertson. The series was released in 2004 in DVD-video format as a three-disc box set with total running time of 540 minutes.