Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Review: Rocket Men


I was recently given the opportunity to view a documentary called Rocket Men which will be shown on PBS America on Thursday, January 23rd at 9pm. It's an interesting look at the men who were involved in the Apollo space missions. This documentary was right up my alley because I've always been fascinated by space exploration and have thought that astronauts have one of the coolest jobs on the planet  :-)  The idea of being able to travel upwards and out there into space has always captivated my imagination since I was a child. So I really enjoyed having a chance to view this documentary and listen to those involved recount what happened in their own words.

Even though I came along during the time of the space shuttle missions,  I've always been fascinated by the Apollo missions which really laid a blueprint for humankind to explore what's out there.

In the beginning of the documentary, the challenge set by President John F. Kennedy is highlighted. During the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, President Kennedy gave a speech that boldly set out the plan to get a man on the moon within the decade and this was accomplished. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the moon's surface. Armstrong's step onto the moon was the result of a huge amount of planning, training, testing, and research by a collection of aeronautical engineers and test pilots who mostly made up the Apollo program. They were all very young, with an average age of 26, but it perhaps may have been that youthful exuberance that fired their imaginations and helped them dream big.

The documentary highlights the importance of commitment to a single cause and how the seemingly impossible can indeed be achieved. It's extraordinary when you think about this group of people making something happen that had never happened before. They landed on the moon, walked around, and came back home again. The actions of these scientists and astronauts inspired those who were alive at that time and still inspire the generations after.

This is a very intriguing documentary and well worth viewing. I enjoyed it so much. It instantly calls to mind the quote from President Kennedy's speech as he set out the challenge to put a man on the moon.

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

-John F. Kennedy

I love this quote because it set in motion the determination to reach for this goal to get to the moon. It's also a favorite quote because it reminds me that sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and attempt things even when you don't know how you will do them. That is when you really get to dig deep into your potential.

Rocket Men will be shown on PBS America on Sky channel 534 and Virgin Media channel 243 at 9pm on Thursday, January 23rd. It's an intriguing look at these fascinating missions.


*Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this documentary for review purposes only. All opinions are my own.



4 comments:

BLOGZOOM said...



Dori,

they were very brave, because even today there is much danger of not getting back the space.

Hugs

watsum said...

Is it possible to purchase or download this BBC documentary someplace I hope - ??

Dori said...

Watsum,
I don't know if the documentary is available for download or purchase. It was shown on PBS so perhaps you can find out more from them. I hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Hey, loved this documentary. Bought it on Amazon.Co.uk