Product Details

• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: April 13, 2004
• Run Time: 1260 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001NBM58
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,898 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Documentary > Space Exploration

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Mankind's greatest adventure is remembered for the digital age. The DVD format changed the way we look at movies and especially TV series, with massive complete-season sets. That concept is spectacularly taken one step further with Spacecraft Films' definitive collections of the Gemini and Apollo space missions, stuffing in nearly every scrap of TV transmissions and on-board footage. The three- to six-disc sets use the full functions of the DVD format; see a liftoff in six different angles (some remixed with 5.1 sound) or listen to a mixture of air-to-ground communications, official NASA narration, or post-flight debriefings, most often carefully synched to the exact moment of footage seen. Like any good research paper, every bit of footage may not be interesting, but taken as a chronicle of history, it's irreplaceable.

The fourth landing on the moon was a big step up for the Apollo missions--color TV cameras, more flexible suits, and a rover to take astronauts David Scott and Irwin several miles around the Hadley Rille hills--the most dramatic terrain of any of the moon shots. With all the new technology came a lot more film (21 hours), much of which is the very watchable, yet grainy feeds that were seen on millions of TVs in July 1971. You also get the audio-only portions when the rover moves between the station stops--long moments of static, thankfully accompanied by many of the still shots by the astronauts. The clarity of the 16mm segments is always a welcome sight, although surprisingly little was shot on the moon. Two split-scene sequences of the lunar module leaving the moon are excellent. Those who are moon-shot newbies may scream for an editor, or at least a short documentary (or Walter Cronkite) explaining the terms, mission goals, who's who, or what the "Genesis rock" is (it's an ancient moon rock, far different from the others). Except for a quick CGI segment of the landing site and a DVD booklet, there is no outside explanation. --Doug Thomas

Product Description
In July and early August of 1971, NASA embarked on an ambitious and challenging lunar mission - the journey of Apollo 15 to the Hadley-Apennine region. The first of the "J" lunar missions, Apollo 15 took the first Lunar Rover to the surface, allowing the crew to explore the beautiful region of Mt. Hadley and Hadley Rille over 3 days. New science was conducted in orbit as well, with the addition of an array of photographic and scientific instruments in the Apollo CSM. This 6-disc set tells the amazing story of Apollo 15 through compelling sounds and images of the film and television record of the mission. From training on the Lunar Rover to the first live liftoff from moon, you'll be there for each moment of the TV downlink and each foot of onboard motion picture film. Included are the raw television transmissions from the flight to the moon, all three moonwalks, plus the lunar liftoff, Trans-Earth EVA, in-flight press conference and more. This set also contains multi-angle views of liftoff and coverage of recovery through the statements of the crew on the carrier deck. You'll discover Hadley Rille as you've never seen it before.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great presentation...considering the times., May 20, 2005

By	Mark Janovec "mjanovec" (Hudson, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is partly in response to a previous reviewer who criticized the television/video quality of the EVA material. But first, I will reiterate what others have said and highly recommend this set, as it chronicles one the most exciting lunar missions (and one of NASA's most exciting missions overall), a mission that is often forgotten by the general public in the shadow of Apollo 11 and 13. If you're a space buff and want to "re-live" these historic lunar missions in as much detail as possible, the Spacecraft Films sets are the only way to go. It's not material the general public will necessarily enjoy, since it is mostly presented raw and unedited. But for the general public, there are many greats DVDs to choose from (Nova's "To the Moon," "For All Mankind," etc.) that cover the Apollo program highlights and history.

Now regarding the video quality...one should note that Spacecraft Films did put a disclaimer on their website that some of the source material in this set was not in the greatest condition. One could be forgiven for not noticing that disclaimer since it does not appear to be repeated here on Amazon. We should remember that archival of videotape was not NASA's top priority in 1971, since nobody ever figured people would be wanting to watch complete lunar EVAs 30+ years later. (Funnily enough, they probably figured we'd have a fully functional moon base or would be stepping foot on Mars by now. But I digress.) In some instances, one color of the videotape would drop out from time to time. In some instances, they were forced to use kinescope footage whenever the videotape was in too poor condition (Note: kinescope is essentially a film taken of a television screen...at one point before video became the norm, it was the only way to archive "live" broadcasts...most surviving television footage from the 50s and 60s is kinescope). Whatever the case, they used the best source material possible.

As for the way the footage was shot, keep in mind that this was all done live "on the fly" and was never intended to be a slickly produced video of the lunar activities. With the television camera mounted on the rover, it was controlled from the Earth in order to allow mission control (and the general public) to follow the Scott's and Irwin's activities. Hours and hours of EVAs are bound to have their moments of poor lighting (it was the moon, after all), occaisonal poor framing, quick zooms, etc. as they camera operator tried to keep up with the astronauts. These weren't Hollywood directors, but instead were NASA employees and astronauts trying to document their activities as best as they were trained to do. In comparison to Apollo 11, having a color camera that traveled with the astronauts and could be controlled from Earth was a "giant leap" forward in how the missions were seen back home.

The reason for shooting television/video instead of film is obvious when you think about it. Film must be returned to Earth and processed before you can view it. And a film camera can't be remotely operated with any ease, since the remote operator cannot see what results he is getting and doesn't have a viewfinder. Apollo 16 astronauts DID carry a 16mm film camera with them on their EVAs, but only shot short segments in order to conserve film. They still used television for the majority of the EVA stops, because it allowed viewers back home the chance to watch the proceedings live.

When one considers the available technology in 1971, it's just plain amazing that images this great could be broadcast live from the moon's surface. Any defects or flaws are understandable and don't really diminish from the great accomplishments of the Apollo 15 mission.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Producer..., March 14, 2006

By	Mark Gray "Mark Gray" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

I've always said that there are people who get what we're doing, and people who don't. I'm writing this explanation for those who might misunderstand some of the reviews, most especially "data dump" below.

First of all, there is no video feed one can record "straight from" in 1971. The material on these sets is scattered among various centers in various conditions of preservation. The work that goes into bringing it all together, including new transfers of all of the film material (which you should compare to the previous grainy transfers of the filmed material), is expensive, time consuming and difficult. The 6 DVDs are packed with the video and audio material collected, including all of the TV and motion picture film from the mission, as well as all the stills from the surface, plus training, preparation, launch, recovery, a 3D representation of the landing site showing the traverses, and more.

Apollo 15 had a 16mm camera taken on the surface on the LRV. It jammed repeatedly. There is very little 16mm film footage from the surface on Apollo 15. (Nor is there 16mm footage of the trans-Earth EVA, it jammed too). ALL of the 16mm film shot on Apollo 15 is included on the set. Apollo 16 had a 16mm camera which took nearly all of the film you've seen from the LRV and it was the only time footage was taken of the LRV driving on the moon. Apollo 17 did not carry a 16mm camera out on the surface during their EVAs. If one is going to criticize, one should at least make half an effort at some research to back up their claims.

The only motion picture film from the CM in lunar orbit is included. (very little).

Our sets were designed to present this information without a filter, so that it can be used by serious researchers and those with a serious interest in the record of the U.S. space program. For this reason, on purpose, the material is left in the original form. We do perform noise reduction and color correction on the TV and make new digital transfers of the film. But the material on this mission is from 1971. This was a time when just to change a channel you would get up, clunk the thing over a few channels, adjust your rabbit ears and try and get the best possible picture. And the TV was from a quarter of a million miles away, analog, with low signal strength.

In actuality, how lucky we truly are to have any chronicle of these voyages of exploration. In contrast to the complaints about the picture quality of the time, I find the footage extraordinary.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apollo amater histrorian , December 7, 2004

By	Gil Salame "Gil Ricardo Salamé Páez" (Venezuela) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an essential tool for every Apollo researcher. The complete downlink series has the entire TV footage , plus training and a few stills. You can appreciate every detail of the EVA's and the Rover routs. The deployment of the ASLEP, The troubles with the drill, and the famous episode of the Feather and the Hammer. The chapter sections are chronologically arranged, and subchapters allow you to review film magazine pictures, assembled moon landscape panoramas, and the separate 16 mm films. You get the pre-flight tests, suit-ups, multi angle launch views of the Saturn V rocket, mid flight downlinks, news conferences, splashdown recovery and even CM lunar survey film footage.
Spacecraft films have made a wonderful job. The set contain every footage of the mission, no the mix of several Apollo mission footage, generally trying to represent one entire flight. You have to acknowledge that in some part there is not Audio with out documental music, The voice are the original.
You will have over 12 hours of the Entire Apollo 15 Mission