In 1977, NASA launched Voyager1 and Voyager2. They traveled to the lesser-known outer planets and some of the moons orbiting them. The planets' rare alignment made it an opportune time. Carl Sagan is the driving force behind the golden record of earthly sounds which became the media focus.
This is slightly better than most PBS hour long specials. It's actually 96 minutes and packs an emotional punch. The wide-eyed poetry of exploration is well presented. This is a lot things. It's an underdog story. It's a scientific documentary. It's an exploration thriller. It brings back all the great discoveries. This could be great for inspiring a high school science class.
The Farthest
2017
Action / Documentary / History
The Farthest
2017
Action / Documentary / History
Plot summary
Is it humankind's greatest achievement? 12 billion miles away a tiny spaceship is leaving our Solar System and entering the void of deep space. It is the first human-made object ever to do so. Slowly dying within its heart is a plutonium generator that will beat for perhaps another decade before the lights on Voyager finally go out. But this little craft will travel on for millions of years, carrying a Golden Record bearing recordings and images of life on Earth. In all likelihood Voyager will outlive humanity and all our creations. It could be the only thing to mark our existence. Perhaps some day an alien will find it and wonder. The story of Voyager is an epic of human achievement, personal drama and almost miraculous success. Launched 16 days apart in Autumn 1977, the twin Voyager space probes have defied all the odds, survived countless near misses and almost 40 years later continue to beam revolutionary information across unimaginable distances. With less computing power than a modern hearing aid, they have unlocked the stunning secrets of our Solar System on a journey as revolutionary as the first circumnavigation of the globe and humankind's first footprint on the moon. In this powerful, poetic and cinematic feature documentary, THE FARTHEST celebrates these magnificent machines, the men and women who built them and the vision that propelled them farther than anyone could ever have hoped. Launched from a fractious planet, these pioneers sail on serenely in the darkness - an enduring testament to the ingenuity of humankind and the untapped limits of the human imagination. Passionate organic storytelling with people, images, archive and opinion woven with daring and brio makes THE FARTHEST a genuinely cinema-scale adventure.
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compelling discoveries
The Voyagers that could...40 years on
This is a fascinating look at the incredible Voyager 1 and 2 journeys, and who would have have thought that 40 years on (it was launched 4 days after the death of Elvis),the two would be powering away, all lonely in outer space and beyond. All credit to the dedicated scientists who worked around the clock to get this thing working. We also learned much about the golden record on both Voyagers. We learn that the publicity about the golden record received, much to the consternation of the scientists, more attention than the tech aspects!! It was lovely seeing interviews with the people who provided the oral greetings, although funnily enough they sounded like Linus.
We learned that Voyager 2 launched first, but Voyager 1 was faster and overtook Voyager 2. Also the press conference for the launch was held at Frank Wolfe's Beachside Motel, in a hotel room separated from a Polish wedding reception LOL!!
But Voyager is in need for an update. So for Voyager 3 they should consider a new golden record. For instance they need a LGBTI next to the naked man and woman drawing. This will enthrall the aliens.
Talking about aliens, the Voyager 3 golden record should include a speech from President Trump, who has a lot of thoughts about aliens. The golden record should also include every episode of the Kardashians, a complete video of the OJ Simpson murder trial, MTV's the Real World and Road Rules, climate change reports, health reports about the rate of obesity, the Alien DVD collection with a special message from Ridley Scott),the Predator DVD collection, an E.T. plush doll, the complete ALF DVD collection, the Space Invaders video game, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Criterion Collection DVD of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, and The Martian DVD.
Also the Voyager 3 golden record must include the Death Wish DVD collection (including the Bruce Willis reboot),and the complete series of Third Rock from the Sun.
Also don't forget David Bowie's movie The Man Who Fell to Earth and his classic Space Oddity, and The Carpenter's Calling occupants of interplanetary craft.
A bit long, but worth it
The Voyager mission is one of the most interesting in of all NASA. Two spacecraft which have been functioning since their launch in 1977, the year I was born, are still sending data as they race outside of the Solar System. This film is telling the story of the mission and the people that worked in it and how important this mission was for the knowledge and identity of our species. The quote that stuck in my mind was "We've gotten away with it!", said by one scientist as he described his enthusiasm of the launch. I mean, here are these super smart people, planning ahead for decades one of the first and few real spacecrafts we humans have ever built, and what they feel is that they slipped it under the nose of their government and nation and species. I loved every one of the scientists that contributed to the show, their youthful enthusiasm so contrasting with their advanced ages, revealing the light in their hearts.
The film was a bit too long, at two hours, and maybe it would have been more powerful as a mini-series instead. It goes through the excitement when it first reaches Jupiter, then Saturn, then the bitter sweet moment when Voyager 2 reaches Uranus at the same time that Challenger explodes and finally Neptune. Another quote was about how small color dots from the Earth telescopes turn into worlds when Voyager goes past the planets.
I love all of these documentaries, which show who worked passionately to make things like these happen, to truly further humanity against all odds and against its mostly indifferent members, shows that really show the worlds around us and expand our horizons. If you love space, you should see this.