Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo

Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo

By David Fairhead

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release Date: 2017-04-14
  • Advisory Rating: NR
  • Runtime: 1h 39min
  • Director: David Fairhead
  • Production Company: Haviland Digital
  • Production Country: United States of America
  • iTunes Price: USD 6.99
  • iTunes Rent Price: USD 1.99
7.2/10
7.2
From 37 Ratings

Description

At the heart of the Apollo space program and a remarkable decade of achievement was the team who worked in Mission Control.They were born against a backdrop of economic turmoil and global conflict. Some came from a rural lifestyle little changed from the 19th century. Others grew up in a gritty, blue-collar America of mines and smoke stacks. They ranged from kids straight out of college to those toughened by military service. But from such ordinary beginnings, an extraordinary team was born. They were setting out on what JFK called: “The most hazardous, dangerous, and greatest adventure upon which mankind has ever embarked” and through their testimony – and the supporting voices of Apollo astronauts and modern NASA flight directors – the film takes us from the faltering start of the program through the Mercury and Gemini missions, the tragedy of the Apollo 1 fire to the glories of the Moon landings.

Trailer

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Reviews

  • Apollo program never ceases to amaze me

    5
    By Hannabananana31
    Might be the best docu I've seen on moon landing
  • Fantastic Documentary.

    5
    By Latrine000
    Absolutely worth watching.
  • Magnificent Documentary

    5
    By Spacegary
    Absolutely first rate behind-the-scenes look at the men who developed and carried out the actions of mission control during the Apollo era. Goes into the Shuttle era too. Excellent interviews with the controllers who were at the seat for some of space history's biggest most exciting moments. Great score. Overall this is a winner.
  • Beyond brilliant

    5
    By scottkellyfa711
    As someone who grew up during NASA's Golden Age and who has been a fan of spaceflight since childhood, this has become my absolute favorite retrospective of that period, even surpassing Ron Howard's "In the Shadow of the Moon." We've heard the stories before; "Failure Is Not An Option" was a fitting tribute to these heroes. But this - this is a level of storytelling and videography that's simply on an entirely different level, and I'm grateful to the people who crafted it for capturing these stories, and these people, before they pass from living memory. Bravo! Bravissimo!
  • Great Stories of Heroes Tarnished by Deceptive Production

    1
    By Deceptive Production
    For a motion picture about the Tough and Competent, those that would be perfect in flight control, this film falls short in integrity. The best example is the use of footage from an Apollo 9 urine dump to represent the Apollo 13 oxygen tank venting. There are other examples. The audience deserves to have the confidence to know what they are seeing is correct, and this deception is unforgivable in a film of this type.
  • Relatively Disappointing

    2
    By wallemon
    I've been an Apollo mission enthusiast my entire life. Being born in '64, some of my first memories are of these missions. I was really excited to see this movie come out. Unfortunately, it's a lot of rehashed information. I thought it would focus more on the Mission Control team and the operations center. Instead, we're hearing the same old stories about Apollo 13, etc, etc. This is an interesting movie, but I would wait until it's a $3.99 rental.
  • Outstanding

    5
    By Lon Blumenthal
    The greatest generation won WWll. The next generation landed on the moon. The story of the flight controllers is just as gripping as that of the astronauts, maybe more. The further away from that time we get, the more outstanding their achievements.
  • A great documentary on mission control

    5
    By Rippystuff
    Having worked at the Manned Spaceflight Center at the end of the Apollo program, I found the book and the movie to truly capture the experience of working there. It was great to read about and see old friends, bosses, and acquaintances. It was sad to know so many who have passed on. I heartily recommend both the book and the movie.
  • Great documentary told from a different perspective

    5
    By Boiler_Up
    Most Apollo-era documentaries are told from the perspective of the astronauts...The view from mission control is awesome.
  • Mission Control

    5
    By John K Rochester
    The men in Mission Control who made the decisions and literally pushed all the right buttons finally get their stories told... Superbly !

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