The film reminds us of our human drive to explore beyond that which we already know. From land to sea to air to space. Rather than focus on a more comprehensive history of Earth's space programs (like SPACE NEXT), Journey to Space portions perhaps half of its run time to the now discontinued, but celebrated shuttle program. If you haven't seen Hubble or Space Station, you'll enjoy the recap. However, if you have scene those films, you might find the clips a bit recycled. That said, I can watch shuttle launches in Imax over and over and over and never tire. (Happily, Journey to Space hosts several of those.)
The second portion of the film blasts even higher with a nicely simulated glimpse into the Mars-targeted missions. I greatly appreciated the segment on new space suit design. It's absolutely fascinating and inspiring. People are so creative and smart, if we don't end up killing ourselves down here, we might just have a chance to connect with our universe. You might be surprised (as I was) that NASA is not the only space program scheming a mission to Mars, and that other developers are planning 1-way missions, for which thousands of people have already volunteered. Amazing!
For decades, we've heard many argue that sending robots into space was cheaper, smarter, and even more efficient than lifting people off the Earth. This film production reminds us that there is something essential, something perhaps instinctual, about the human need to explore.
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