Product Details

• Actors: Tom Clancy, Elon Musk, Rick Tumlinson, Gus Gardellini, Jeff Manber
• Directors: Michael Potter; Becky Neiman, Todd Jones
• Format: Anamorphic, Dolby, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Free Radical Productions
• DVD Release Date: July 21, 2009
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002HJHGUO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,175 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great story, but poorly executed documentary, August 2, 2009

By 

Max Ballenger (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orphans of Apollo (DVD)

I give Michael Potter three stars just for recognizing and choosing to attempt to document this story. The subtitle "The Greatest Space Story Never Told" is appropriate. I can't believe I had never heard of this, and had to order the DVD as soon as I came across it. However, Potter missed a prime opportunity to educate future space entrepreneurs.

Instead of trying to expose and discuss the flaws in thinking and execution that caused MirCorp to fail, the film focuses on glamorizing the "rebel alliance of entrepreneurs". Hip phrases such as "anarcho-capitalist" and romantic depictions of pirate flags abound. It would be great to see a real business documentary on this subject, a la [....] or Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. For now, those who wish to succeed where MirCorp failed will have to extract the key issues themselves.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Space Documentary Masterpiece! Michael Potter brilliantly conveys the story of MirCorp,a band of private space industry rebels, April 27, 2010

By 

Andrew Gold "My Own Space" (N. CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Orphans of Apollo (DVD)

Michael Potter makes a compelling argument over the importance of privatizing space through the story of MirCorp - a band of private space industry rebels determined to lease the Soviet Union's Mir Space Station and turn it into the most accessible and therefore valuable piece of real estate beyond our atmosphere. This documentary invoked the feeling that humans should have no boundaries. We are capable of understanding how the universe inherently works and we have the right to explore it privately. Giving the greater population a creative mechanism for reaching space will spawn new discoveries and can only help our species further improve our condition and our understanding of ourselves, our planet, and our position within the universe. To me, imagine what a child would think if he or she were to see the earth from the bay window of a spacecraft like Mir....how would this motivate them to savor their home planet, study it and preserve it for future generations? Michael hit the ball out of the park by demonstrating that there are people bold and brave enough to dream the impossible dream, to reach for unreachable stars, to show humanity how important it is think outside of the box for we are an uncontainable species. Giving mankind inexpensive access to space and giving him/her a habitat/lab for advancing science, i.e. biological research, is the first critical step to increasing the frequency of new discoveries and accessing the rest of the universe. The forces underlying the private sector are strong enough to exponentially dilate the space channel once it is open and available to the public. I look forward to the day when cheap space is mainstream and commend the members of MirCorp for their vision and Michael Potter for eloquently telling their exciting story. God Speed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flying the Jolly Roger, January 25, 2010

By 

James F. Mcenanly - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Orphans of Apollo (DVD)

I enjoyed this video, as it is an entertaining look at one of the earliest episodes in space business. It is nothing less audacious than purchasing the not-so-gently-used Mir Space Station from the Russians. The Ex-Soviets seemed to have a better grasp of free-market economics than NASA. NASA, on the other hand seems to be more interested in protecting their empire than expanding humanity into the cosmos. Imagine an organization run jointly by Major MajorCatch-22 and Darth VaderStar Wars Trilogy, and you have a pretty good idea at how NASA is portrayed. In the end, the Mir ended up in the ocean, but this did not deter our plucky brand of Rebels.
What is interesting to me is that I have heard first hand from many of the primary characters, including Rick TumlinsonReturn to the Moon (Apogee Books Space Series). In fact, part of the video was shot at ISDC 1997, in Milwaukee. I was at the event being taped( we were still using VHS tapes at the time.)
In the near future, when privately run spaceflights will be champagne affairs, it will be refreshing to remember the Red Bull days.