Product Details

• Actors: Robbie Robertson, Eugene Shoemaker, Carolyn Shoemaker, David Levy
• Directors: Eitan Weinreich
• Writers: Eitan Weinreich
• Producers: Nicolas Noxon, Nina Parmee, Stephanie Ito
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• DVD Release Date: July 29, 2003
• Run Time: 55 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009B8F9
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,668 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "National Geographic Video - Asteroids - Deadly Impact" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 05/24/2005 Run time: 60 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's That Up In The Sky?, September 6, 2004

By 

Holy Olio "holy_olio" (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic Video - Asteroids - Deadly Impact (DVD)

It's astonishing that as recently as 1963 the preponderance of opinion was that Meteor Crater was not caused by an impact.

After the last lunar landing impact was established as the overwhelmingly dominant process at work on the lunar surface, but such impacts on Earth were generally still denied.

Despite the fact that the Alvarez theory gained ground from 1980 until the middle of 1994, impact as a common occurence continued to be denied. After the SL9 impact on Jupiter (well covered in this video) the last significant resistance to the K-T impact as the mechanism of extinction for the dinosaurs was swept away. That this catastrophe on another world brought about an overnight change in the sciences was appropriate.

Now there are many impact craters recognized AS impact craters found throughout the world and not just in some comfortably remote location like the Moon or Jupiter. It is now much cheaper to read constrasting views about such events since the anti-impactors' books have appeared in the remainder lists.

Oddly enough, there's still the occasional attempt to deny impacts, such as the 12th century impact on the Moon observed from England, and the attribution of Martian impact craters to volcanism. Perhaps that odd resistance to the idea of impact will someday soon die out. When it does, good riddance.

Asteroids Deadly Impact is my favorite National Geographic video of all time, and I believe I've seen them all. Perhaps it would be a much better world if people would tune out the daytime (and nighttime) tv garbage and watch stuff like this. Certainly would be worth a try.

The video covers the history of impact geology by recounting the career (through 1994) of the now-deceased Eugene Shoemaker, including his finds in the Ries Basin (an impact crater), Barringer Crater (impact crater which we know as "Meteor Crater"), and of course the comet(s) Shoemaker-Levy 9 and his role in the Apollo missions.

This DVD version was a welcome addition to my video collection. The extra features are a bit of a dud (NG ads, and a sort of quiz about impact that eventually loops around to the beginning) and there are some slight changes in the soundtrack (if memory serves), but it's the same show as on VHS, without the degradation of picture quality.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable show about fascinating topic, November 21, 2008

By 

kdea473 - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: National Geographic Video - Asteroids - Deadly Impact (DVD)

I recently watched this video and was very impressed. I was not familiar with Eugene Shoemaker prior to the video, despite his important role in space exploration. It was a wonderful reminder that behind all of the famous faces of the space program, there are many dedicated scientists who spend years following their passion. I enjoyed learning about how his wife had joined him in his life-long quest.

Unlike one previous reviewer, I did not find the video to be disjointed. Perhaps the title and/or cover image are misleading, since there is a great focus placed on the individuals involved (not just on asteroids).

I highly recommend this for anyone interested in geology or space, including adults, homeschoolers, students, etc.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Danger of Our Place in Space, March 12, 2007

By 

W. L. Culbertson (Bryan, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic Video - Asteroids - Deadly Impact (DVD)

I use this movie regularly in the introduction to astronomy college course I teach. It is a very engaging story, first about Gene Shoemaker, then about Gene, his wife, Carolyn, and their friend David Levy. The movie works on several levels. First, it introduces the subject of cratering and its role in the formation of the planets (and its ongoing effects!). It also shows clearly how science is done, and how one man's quest can change the course of scientific ideas. As a particular bonus, the film makes clear the joy and excitement these people find in doing science and figuring things out. Although I have shown it many, many times, I always find myself being drawn into watching it just one more time...