Customer Reviews

Inside the Space Station [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Out of about 45 minutes total, maybe 15 minutes are in space. Of this some is space station Mir, some is looking at Earth, and only maybe 7 minutes is actually "inside the space station". Most of the Video is things like survival training in Alaska, people designing robots for space, or computer simulations of what the space station is planned to look like. So it is mostly not what I was expecting/hoping for. But the short time that was in space was very good.

This show is basically a glossy promotional 'puff piece' for the very worthwhile but (in the past) troubled International Space Station. There IS some discussion about the tortuous political, financial and technical journey the Station went through before becoming a reality. But many of the problems are handled in a once-over-lightly manner, that brooks little negativity. Which is good, I suppose. ANY space endeavor needs support these days. I.S.S. truly is a geopolitical and engineering labor that has tested the resolve of 4 Presidents and no less than 5 Nasa Administrators. But it is finally coming together relatively nicely and after watching this well-photographed and slickly-made program, you'll wonder why there was so much moaning and where the years have gone. The Space Station is needed badly, because the benefits from space, at least for the short term, will come from near-Earth space. And then the Station needs to be completed A.S.A.P. because the Moon & Mars Awaits!

NOTE: **No running time is listed in the contents or technical information**. THIS IS NOT the same set of 3 documentaries that very recently premiered on the Discovery channel. It is only the 45 minute documentary of the above title. It is a good, informative though not entirely balanced program. This show is basically a glossy promotional 'puff piece' for the very worthwhile but (in the past) troubled International Space Station. There IS some discussion about the tortuous political, financial and technical journey the Station went through before becoming a reality. But many of the problems are handled in a once-over-lightly manner, that brooks little negativity. Which is good, I suppose. ANY space endeavor needs support these days. I.S.S. truly is a geopolitical and engineering labor that has tested the resolve of 4 Presidents and no less than 5 Nasa Administrators. But it is finally coming together relatively nicely and after watching this well-photographed and slickly-made program, you'll wonder why there was so much moaning and where the years have gone. The Space Station is needed badly, because the benefits from space, at least for the short term, will come from near-Earth space. And then the Station needs to be completed A.S.A.P. because the Moon and maybe Mars, Awaits!

In my opinion this video should be on the shelves of every school science library! It is truly an EXCEPTIONAL video that not only documents the construction of the International Space Station, but reaches beyond to help viewers understand the need for the space station and for future space exploration! The video's photography, music, and dialogue captivates the audience from the very beginning and never lets up until the closing credits. I showed this video to my sixth grade science classes and every one of my students agreed that it was one of the best educational and documentary type videos viewed.

While I was disappointed that this wasn't the full three hour doco shown on Discovery, I did enjoy this DVD immensely. It managed to capture the excitement of the project and illustrate some of the issues the designers and builders faced when creating the station.

Oh, by the way, to the guy who was concerned about all the foreigners involved in the construction, last time I checked it was the INTERNATIONAL space station. Get a grip.

Cheers

All I can say is thank God I checked this out of the library.

My little brothers, both twins, love space. I was going to check out an IMAX DVD that day, either about the space shuttle Columbia or about the space station MIR, but both of these space vehicles don't exist anymore, so I figured, why bother? But they love the International Space Station, and that was the reason for this DVD.

However, the whole family was shocked. Being Discovery Channel fare, many of the facts were really myths. My little brothers kept saying over and over, "Is this true?"

Oh well. Might as well cross our fingers for an IMAX film on the International Space Station in the future. At least THAT will have all the facts.

WARNING: DVD contains graphic footage of an injured man in space (non-ISS related on an unrated DVD).

This video jumps around a lot but always comes back
with many little known details that make it worth
watching. It looks very enjoyable on the space station.

Inside the Space Station (2000) was another fine quality space special on the ISS and is available for under $5.00. One topic especially interesting to me was a dedicated crew recovery system based on the X-38 lifting body research vehicle. This nifty looking craft was intended to be used as an emergency crew escape vehicle with the capacity to return an entire ISS crew. The Soyuz is limited to a crew of three and two Soyuz vehicles can't always be counted on to be in place and ready in an emercency.

Full scale X-38 drop tests were performed using the B-52 and dessert landings were successfully made. Unfortunately, this project was cancelled and a lifeboat suitable for the ISS will hopefully be developed in time for the inevitable crisis in space based on the future Orion.

While not an IMAX production, this Discovery Channel product incorporated some very clear space footage as well as a diagrams of each module, and a timetable for ISS construction. Many interesting extras including: space station overview, space walks, Robonaut, and many others. Narrated by Liam Neeson and all for under $5.00!

I saw this program with my 6th grade class. It was exciting to provoke the childrens' minds with questions like: Which "experiment" or program could possibly be utilized or have an application in your lifetimes, and how will it apply to you and others?" How about that PSA? (Looked like the Jetsons come to real life.) We were all fascinated and spellbound by the program. I just loved hearing Liam Nielson narrating. It was such an EXCELLENT program that I've purchased it for my own personal viewing.

This show left me very concerned with the way NASA handles national security and technology transfer issues.

There are foreign people everywhere in this program. For instance at some point in the show, NASA congratulates itself for having Europeans in the X-38 program. We even get to see French guys fooling around the prototype.

NASA would like to transfer reentry technology for future launchers (and missiles) to Europe, it would not behave differently.

Hasn't the Chinese spying in Los Alamos been enough???