Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets (2004) (TV)

Director:

Joe Ahearne

Writer:

Joe Ahearne (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

This two-part science fiction docu-drama examines the possibilities of a dangerous, manned space mission to explore the inner and outer planets of the Solar system. |

Plot Keywords:

Solar System | Aerobraking | Saturn | Part Narrated | Sun

Awards:

1 win

Cast

David Suchet	...	Narrator (voice)
Martin McDougall	...	Tom Kirby, Mission Commander
Joanne McQuinn	...	Zoë Lessard, Exogeologist
Rad Lazar	...	Yvan Grigorev, Flight Engineer
Mark Dexter	...	John Pearson, Mission Medic
Michelle Joseph	...	Nina Sulman, Exobiologist
Mark Tandy	...	Alex Lloyd, Chief Scientist
Hélène Mahieu	...	Claire Granier, Chief Flight Surgeon
Lourdes Faberes	...	Isabel Liu, Flight Dynamics Officer
John Schwab	...	Larry Conrad, CAPCOM
Colin Stinton	...	Fred Duncan, Flight
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Antoine de Caunes	...	Narrator (French version)
Rodolfo Jiménez	...	Principle

Also Known As:

Voyage to the Planets and Beyond (International: English title) (DVD title)
Walking with Spacemen (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

UK:100 min | Germany:100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Atacama Desert, Chile

Company:

Impossible Pictures

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: While the crew is on Mars, Mission Control watches a video of the rover on the surface. This is impossible unless there was a second vehicle.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Space Odyssey: The Robot Pioneers (2004) (TV)

A thought-provoking spectacular production of a future space voyage

The subject of this film has always been of interest to me so I viewed it both for its scientific, visionary and entertainment value. Every time a film about space exploration is made, expectations rise as new image technology enables productions to be more realistic and precise. The production team succeeded in doing this to the point where, for someone less aware, the event could have actually been taking place. The landscapes on the planets, from the hot surfaces of Mercury to the frozen rocks on Pluto were just as I imagined them. Until recently we had to use our imaginations based often on artistic impressions gathered from visual astronomical data. But now that probes like the Pioneer and Explorer series have actually been close enough to take real pictures, then what we saw in this film I assume, is close to reality.

I also was glad that Pegasis, the space vehicle, looked realistic and had a crew, it added some drama and again realism. They did not use silly-looking people dressed up in combat uniforms or looking like ex- army drop outs in the crew but members who could have easily been trained astronauts, carefully making sure that both gender and race were included. That is what a international crew would be.

The space walk in Saturn's Rings and the release of the dead astronaut into them was extremely poignant and established the dangers of long term space travel. The hazardous landing on the Comet and the subsequent expelling of black ice from it as turned into the sun, nearly destroying the space vehicle, further demonstrated the dangers. One problem that the film did not deal with was the time delay in signal propagation from Earth control to the space vehicle, although being stated as being many hours it seemed that there was a direct link which is not possible over such vast distances. Earth took control over the space vehicle to move it so its shield blocked the bombardment from the Comet's tail when some members of the crew were injured during the bombardment, thus saving it from destruction but they could not have done that so quickly. This technical issue of transmission time always gives producers of space films a problem and although it did not spoil the film for me, it needs to be addressed if films are to be realistic.

Finally and most importantly, films like this give us a vision of the future - one that is not so far away. It stimulates our imagination and invokes our quest for discovery. Most of the technology and knowledge to make such a journey is available. Reducing the costs and risks to an acceptable level is the challenge that confronts us. Earth is a home but not our prison, a point this film makes very well. Space exploration is there for everybody irrespective of nationality, religion, or culture and ultimately, maybe sooner than we think, we shall make the journey so vividly portrayed in this BBC production.