Space Disasters
A tribute to the bold men and women who put their lives on the line in order to get a foothold in space, sometimes with disastrous results.
Episodes6
First Generation
Witness NASA's early missions and tragedies--in the sky and on the ground--as it pushed the limits of space exploration.
Failure at Re-Entry
From the Skylab PR disaster to space shuttle close calls and tragedies, look at the challenges and dangers of re-entry.
Fixing on the Fly
Troubleshooting in space can be a matter of life and death. From deep-space collisions to deadly chemical leaks, astronauts are forced to innovate to survive.
The Human Factor
The U.S. and Soviet Union's early space programs face incredible engineering challenges, but catastrophic losses are converted into victories of engineering and the human spirit.
When Weather Strikes
Flying through bad weather can be a harrowing experience, and for NASA, it can be doubly unnerving, as violent storms can strike from below the atmosphere or above it. Witness the true power of nature in space and on Earth as astronauts and ground crews battle to overcome the elements, including a severe lightning strike that crippled Apollo 12's computer system, the freezing temps that compromised the Space Shuttle Challenger, and the tempest of space debris that sent a dead satellite on a collision course with the International Space Station.
Failure To Launch
Sending spacecraft into orbit is an unforgiving business. Every launch is a long, controlled explosion that can turn into a fiery spectacle at the smallest error. Join us as we examine space exploration's most disastrous liftoffs, from America's "risky rockets" (the Vanguard, Atlas, and Titan II) to the Nedelin catastrophe, a massive explosion that Russia kept secret for decades. Then see how lessons learned from early failures led to soaring triumphs, including the most famous and powerful rocket the world has ever launched: the Saturn V.