Top 10 greatest space videos ever
This page selects what we consider to be the top 10 greatest space videos ever published. The selection is completely subjective. You might not like all of them, but we hope you like some of them. Actually there are 12 videos shown. The last two are not exactly moments to celebrate, but they serve as a reminder of the challenges of space exploration.
1) NASA "Reach" commercial
This very cute and inspirational video was created in 2003 for an annual contest from the Texas Space Grant Consortia.
Planet Mars is within our sight and within our reach. Now we just need to muster the political will and resources to go there.
2) Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan
The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in in 1990. It is the most distant photo ever taken of our home planet. It was taken at the request of Carl Sagan - and he narates this video. I get goose bumps everytime I watch this clip.
3) Space elevator animation
An inspirational animation demonstrating the space elevator concept - a relatively cheap way to access space. The research behind this video was funded by the NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts in 2002 and 2003. The music is "Just Wave Hello" by Charlotte Church.
4) The Space Chair Project
The Space Chair Project is a commercial for Toshiba television screens. An armchair was flown to the edge of space by helium balloon. The balloon was built by JP Aerospace and flown from the Nevada desert in 2009. See also the behind the scenes video.
5) James May rides the U-2 spy plane
James May from the BBC TV series Top Gear rides to the edge of space in a U-2 spy plane. He flies to an altitude of 21,000 meters where the sky is dark and the horizon is curved. The music is "Flight" by Ty Unwin. See also the related space videos: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6
6) Tour of the ISS with astronaut Mike Finke
Astronaut Mike Finke gives a tour of the International Space Station in January 2009. One thing you really notice from this video is how few windows the ISS has. The video is in four parts. There is a brief view of Earth at the start of part 4. See all parts: #1, #2, #3, #4
7) STS-129 ascent highlights - space shuttle launch
An amazing compilation of footage of the launch of space shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) in November 2009. The video contains shots from the ground, the air, and all on-board cameras. Follow the flawless flight to orbit from many different angles.
8) Red Bull Stratos - Mission to the edge of space
Red Bull Stratos is an attempt to set a new record for the highest ever parachute jump. Renowned skydiver Felix Baumgartner will attempt to jump from at helium balloon at 36,600 meters sometime in 2010 or 2011. This is effectively a parachute jump from space.
9) Mars Exploration Rover 2003 animation
This animation shows the complete journey of the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers- all the way from the launch pad on Earth to touch down and operations on Mars. See also the actual rocket launch from an on-board camera and the future Mars Science Laboratory.
10) If Earth had rings like Saturn animation
This animation shows what Earth would look like if it had rings like Saturn. It explains how the view would vary from different places on Earth, and how the rings would be visible during night and day. Video by Roy Prol, music is Ave Maria sung by Barbara Bonney.
11) Home video of the Challenger space shuttle explosion
Home video of the space shuttle Challenger exploding in January 1986. This video only surfaced in 2009 when the camera man released it a week before he died. See also the live CNN coverage of the disaster.
12) Russian rocket explosion
The explosion at launch of the unmanned Foton-M1 mission from northern Russia in October 2002. One soldier on the ground was killed. Skip to 4'10" for spectators running for their lives - lots of expletives heard. See also the similar Ariane 501 launch fail.