Apollo 204

[Michael Ubaldi]

Forty-two years ago, astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White II died inside the Apollo 1 spacecraft when pure, highly pressurized oxygen caused a spark from frayed wiring to burgeon into deadly flames. Wired observes (http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2009/01/dayintech_0127) the sober anniversary.

From the Earth to the Moon, a 1998 HBO miniseries sprung from the success of Tom Hanks' Apollo 13, is one of my (and if you know him, Expo's) favorite cinematic experiences (http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Moon-Signature-Tom-Hanks/dp/B000A0GYD2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1233094967&sr=8-1). It's a docu-drama, with each of 12 episodes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnICJD39I20) directed in a manner apt to each step of NASA's lunar program.

For those of you who don't mind spoilers, here is a portrayal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0W9bQ2Jg3A&feature=related) of Frank Borman's Congressional testimony of the final moments of the crew of Apollo 1.

[Ed Kirchgessner]

One of my favorite parts about From the Earth to the Moon is that while characters remain consistent throughout the series, Directors are swapped out from episode to episode. As a result, you'll experience vastly different storytelling and visual styles from one hour to the next -- each unique and special in its own way.

For those with an interest in the inner workings of NASA (in particular the way it addresses tragedies like the one Mike remembers above), I recommend a recent episode of NOVA -- "Space Shuttle Disaster." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/) This remarkably transparent look at the 2003 Columbia disaster examines both its causes and what NASA's brightest minds have done since to correct them. It looks like the entire episode is viewable from the link, so if you have a free hour to spare, enjoy.

[Michael Ubaldi]

One of my favorite parts about From the Earth to the Moon is that while characters remain consistent throughout the series, Directors are swapped out from episode to episode. As a result, you'll experience vastly different storytelling and visual styles from one hour to the next -- each unique and special in its own way.That's what I love.

And I'll check out that special, too.

[Pino]

One of my favorite parts about From the Earth to the Moon is that while characters remain consistent throughout the series, Directors are swapped out from episode to episode. As a result, you'll experience vastly different storytelling and visual styles from one hour to the next -- each unique and special in its own way.
That's also what I loved so much about Band of Brothers.

[Michael Ubaldi]

That's also what I loved so much about Band of Brothers.Yes! Much more consistent that From the Earth to the Moon, but still dynamic. "Crossroads" is, for me, a standout.