Moon Week on SBS

SBS turns to Moon Week this week, perhaps in tribute to 2019’s 50th Anniversary of the moon landing.

Here are their highlights including S2 of docu-drama Mars.

Moon Landing
7:30pm Sunday 29 December
It was a monumental event in 1969, when the world came together to see if we could complete our greatest adventure ever. Sourcing incredible news archive from around the world as well as exclusive NASA footage, this documentary will re-tell the extraordinary ambition, bravery, anticipation and achievement that captured the world’s imagination some 50 years ago. With testimony from those who were there, the documentaries will tell the story of this historical feat in forensic detail, giving the viewer the feeling of following the event in real time. The film will immerse viewers in what happened during the dramatic launch and landing on the Moon.

Space Shuttle: Triumph And Tragedy
9:10pm Sunday 29 December
A look at NASA’s iconic, reusable spacecraft, featuring the thoughts of some of the men and women who designed, built, and flew them. This series recounts how the shuttle missions changed the world, and mankind’s relationship with space.
Series One, Episode One:
NASA engineers look back on how they pushed technology to new limits when they created the Shuttle.
Episode Two:
Following the Challenger disaster, the Shuttle is saved by the fall of the Soviet Union. President Clinton is persuaded to cooperate with Russia’s Mir space station, and this eventually leads to the creation of the International Space Station.

Back To The Moon
8.30pm Monday 30 December
On February 6, 2018, the world watched as the first Falcon Heavy rocket blasted toward the heavens. It was the most powerful rocket to leave Earth since the iconic Saturn V lifted 12 Apollo astronauts to the Moon over four decades ago. With millions watching via web-stream and Twitter, it became clear – 21st century crewed space travel is making a comeback, and we are going Back to the Moon. In the 50th anniversary year of Apollo 11’s historic moon landing, this documentary looks ahead to the hoped-for dawn of a new age in space travel. This time, governments and private industry are sharing the work of reaching our nearest celestial neighbour. But why go back? The reasons are varied. The Moon can serve as a platform for basic astronomical research, as an abundant source of precious materials like rare metals and hydrogen fuel, and ultimately as a stepping stone for human missions to Mars, the Asteroid Belt, and beyond. Join the next generation of engineers that aim to take us to the Moon, and discover how our legacy of lunar exploration won’t be confined to the history books for long.

Life Of Earth From Space
This series delivers a cinematic, blue chip view of the entire life history of our planet, as you’ve never seen it before. The key editorial feature is an all-seeing CGI eye, bringing a new visual approach to the story of our planet. With the latest Hi Res imagery from the International Space Station, Gyro-stabilised 4K drone cinematography, and new techniques in 3D digital mapping, we can seamlessly move between altitudes – and geological eras.
Series One, Episode One: Wednesday at 8.35pm
Approximately sixty tonnes of cosmic dust and ancient meteorites rain down on Earth every day. Most burn up on entry, but some leave a lasting impression. Many are the left-over building blocks of Earth itself, packed with clues from the past. One of the most famous impact sites is Barringer Crater in Arizona.
Episode Two: Thursday at 8.30pm
This episode combines satellite views with scientific expeditions, new research, and fascinating insight on the grandest of scales to tell this remarkable chapter of Earth’s story.

Mars (6 parts)
MARS features a unique blend of nail-biting scripted drama and feature film-calibre visual effects, intercut with documentary verité and interviews from present day scientists and innovators who are leading the research and development of space technology. The series unpacks what the greatest minds in space exploration are doing today, and dramatises the world they are creating as they pull off mankind’s greatest feat – interplanetary travel and colonisation.
Season Two, Episode One: We Are Not Alone Wednesday at 10.25pm
Scientists at IMSF’s outpost on the Red Planet brace for the arrival of a new set of colonists – miners commissioned by Lukrum, a for-profit corporation.
Episode Two: Worlds Apart Thursday at 10.20pm
The tenuous coexistence between the two Mars colonies – now sharing a common water and power source – threatens to dissolve as elsewhere, tragedy strikes.
Episode Three: Darkness Falls Friday at 10.20pm
A solar flare knocks out communications on the planet’s surface as a wilful Marta takes a bold risk in the name of her research.