This past April, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen embarked on Artemis II, a ten-day exploration around the moon and back to earth. Apollo 17, the last moonshot mission, took place in 1972. Thus, a deep space mission had not been completed for more than a half-century.
Yet many space missions have advanced space travel during the intervening years. Once Upon a Time in Space follows the trail of the human space program — from the space shuttle to the International Space Station. During the lengthy post-Apollo period, there have been 135 space shuttle missions, construction and growth of the International Space Station, and a rise in commercial space ventures. At the same time we’ve seen shifting alliances as a 21st-century space race appears to be dawning for a renewed wave of moon landings.
It’s not often that you get to hear from people who have spent months or years in space. Once Upon a Time in Space will introduce you to some of the astronauts and other participators in the field who have lived through extraordinary moments in space travel history. Filmmaker James Bluemel allows the contributors who were there to do the talking throughout the four-part documentary.
Episode 1: “America First” — The first part focuses on the rise of the space shuttle, beginning in the 1970s. It features two astronauts who defied the stereotypes of the time. Anna Fisher became the first mother in space. The physician and astronaut took part in three major programs while enduring media scrutiny that questioned her decision as a mother to pursue the risks of space travel. Entering the shuttle program at the same time, physicist and astronaut Ronald McNair became a beloved celebrity. He will be remembered as the first African American astronaut and a member of the doomed Space Shuttle Challenger mission.
The three remaining episodes (“The Russian Thing,” “Politics Always Wins,” and “Friends Forever”) look at how America and Russia ended the space race by cooperating in joint ventures with crew members from many countries inhabiting modular space station Mir and the International Space Station. The documentary shows how these collaborations resulted in lifelong friendships based upon a powerful sense of belonging.
“For a little while I lived in a world that didn’t operate the same way,” said former NASA Flight Director Ginger Kerrick. “And it was beautiful.” Be sure to include this moving and meaningful series on your PBS watch list.
Watch Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. starting July 14 on WVPB.
A Note from Kathleen Brady
Dear Friends,
As we begin our next budget year, I would like to thank you for your past support of WVPB. This time last year there was a period of uncertainty and change for all public media organizations. However, you all did something extraordinary for public media. You gave. You became members for the first time. You became sustainers. You gave additional gifts. You increased your monthly gift. You showed up when we needed you the most. And for that, I am endlessly grateful.
voice letting others know how important WVPB is to you.
Thank you for choosing WVPB. Together, we can accomplish great things.
With appreciation, pp,
Kathleen Brady, CFRE
Acting Executive Director Member since 2014
Great Performances brings one of the great lyric operas to homes across the nation this August. Filled with heart-piercing vocal delivery and emotive music, this Metropolitan Opera production stars soprano Asmik Grigorian as Tatiana and baritone Iurii Samoilov as Eugene Onegin. Based on Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel, the opera reimagines Onegin as a bored Russian aristocrat who realizes his affection for Tatiana too late.
The Telegraph calls it “a beautifully detailed reading of…Tchaikovsky’s lyrical romance,” but at its core this is a story of regret and missed opportunity. Directed by Tony Awardnominee Deborah Warner, Eugene Onegin reveals Tchaikovsky’s many moods — tender, grand, melancholy — while reflecting Western European tradition and its distinctly Russian roots.
From timeless classics to innovative adaptations, Great Performances has brought iconic stage productions to American audiences since 1972, earning 67 Emmy Awards and six George Foster Peabody Awards. Check local listings for air date and time.
WVPB’s mission is to educate, inform, and inspire. This past year, our inspiration came from you. Your trust in us. Your support. Your
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The third season of hit critical-thinkingfocused Alma’s Way is back and continues to capture the quintessential sights and sounds of New York City. This season features a musical that was inspired by L. Frank Baum’s classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In the episode, Junior gets his tonsils taken out and he’s afraid he’ll never be able to roar like a dinosaur again. To help him feel better, Alma tells a music-filled story about a magical place called Oz. Young viewers will meet a girl who wants to get home, a little dinosaur who wants
a big roar, an artist with no inspiration, and a person who is the world’s greatest everything except for the world’s greatest friend. They journey together to ask the Rubber Band Wizard for help.
Throughout this season of Alma’s Way, Alma models how to think things through with kindness, optimism, and self-confidence for young viewers. “It’s so important that kids know they matter and for them to see themselves reflected in the characters on the screen,” says Creator and Executive Producer Sonia Manzano (Maria, Sesame Street ).
Watch weekdays at 12:30 p.m. on WVPB.
