From the Earth to the Moon 

Dramatized portrayal of the Apollo manned space program.

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Nick Searcy, Lane Smith

Top Rated TV #187 | Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Tom Hanks	...	Self - Host / ... 12 episodes, 1998
Nick Searcy	...	Deke Slayton 10 episodes, 1998
Lane Smith	...	Emmett Seaborn 6 episodes, 1998
David Andrews	...	Frank Borman 5 episodes, 1998
Daniel Hugh Kelly	...	Gene Cernan 5 episodes, 1998
Stephen Root	...	Chris Kraft 5 episodes, 1998

Storyline

The twelve episodes follow the Apollo space program from a variety of viewpoints: (1) "Can We Do This?" maps the origins of Apollo and its Mercury and Gemini roots; (2) "Apollo 1" tells of the tragic fire and the subsequent finger-pointing; (3) "We Have Cleared the Tower" portrays the intense preparation for Apollo 7; (4) "1968" puts Apollo 8 into its historical context against events of the era; (5) "Spider" shows the engineering POV through the design, building, and testing of the LEMs with Apollos 9 and 10, (6) "Mare Tranquilitatis" shows the deeper considerations behind the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing; (7) "That's All There Is" portrays the camaraderie of the Apollo 12 crew; (8) "We Interrupt This Program" shows a by-now-indifferent media galvanized by the events of Apollo 13; (9) "For Miles and Miles" tells of Alan Shepherd's return to the manned program with Apollo 14 after being grounded between Mercury and Gemini; (10) "Galileo Was Right" show the non-piloting demands on ...

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Plot Keywords:

neil armstrong character | space program | the moon | apollo 8 | apollo 7 | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the episodes that take place in the 60's references a "Hail Mary" pass. That phrase originated with Roger Staubach in 1975. This refers to a desperate situation in which you have no choice but to take drastic and immediate action, relying on divine intervention to make things work out well. In football, it is when a quarterback is about to be overwhelmed by opposing players and throws the ball in the direction of a team mate in the hope that he will catch it.

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Goofs

In one scene showing the earth from space, the famous Apollo 17 photograph is used where North Africa and the Arabian peninsula are visible, but the photograph is backwards in a reverse image. The negative was flipped before printing.

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Quotes

Astronaut Eugene Cernan: That last footprint on the moon? Check it out. It's my boot size.

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Alternate Versions

For the DVD release, the series was cropped slightly at the top and bottom of the frame. This was done to create a presentation that would be enhanced for viewing on widescreen television sets.

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Connections

Referenced in On the Set of Sightlines (2003)

User Reviews

They don't come any better than this...

I'll be brief because this series speaks well for itself--especially on DVD. To the jaded it may feel guilty of many things: romanticism, idealism, patriotism (or jingoism, if you insist), but even if that were true it presents a series of stories that have never been told before. Perhaps in a hundred years the quaintness and primitiveness of what had to be done to visit our nearest neighbor, the moon, might be seen as amusing instead of inspiring--but I don't think so. See if you don't walk away feeling a little better after watching an episode or two, or all twelve. I dare you.

And don't think if you've seen Apollo 13 that you've seen it all. This series even makes the stories of the guys who built the lunar lander, the geologists who studied the moon rocks, and the wives of the astronauts as appealing and fulfilling as the triumphs and tragedies that are better known.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

From the Earth to the Moon

Filming Locations:

DeLand, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$68,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clavius Base, Go Flight Inc., Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1