Man Conquers Space

Space Artist and author Ron Miller’s fabulous article “The Great 1952 Space Program That Almost Was” concerning what is referred to now as Collier’s “Space Program” inspired today’s blog post.

The Universe - Deadly Comets and Meteors

Tau CetiTau Ceti©David A. Hardy

Asteroids and Comets Make Tau Ceti Lethal
In 2007 it was announced that there could be an Earth-sized planet in orbit around the star Tau Ceti. However, as there is also a very large dust-disc surrounding this star, any planet would be likely to have many comets in its sky, and be bombarded constantly with meteorites, as shown here. So probably not a very likely abode of life!  (Commissioned by RoE/PPARC.)

Today on Far Future Horizons we focus our attention on those cosmic juggernauts of doom and destruction that prowl the universe and threaten humanity's very existence - the asteroids and comets. These celestial objects have left their imprint on planet Earth and the other worlds of our solar system and have shaped the history of our solar system.

Initially this debris helped to build the planets through violent collisions. It is believed by many planetary scientists that during the Earth’s fiery infancy that comets and asteroids may have even seeded Earth with water and the building blocks for life.

Since the turbulent formation of the solar system, these space rocks have continued to impact Earth.

The Universe: How Big, How Far, How Fast

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another episode of the acclaimed documentary series The Universe and push the limits of your imagination as astronomers attempt to grasp the mind-boggling extremes of size, distance and speed within our universe by bringing them down to earth.

World War 2 as seen from Space

Today on Far Future Horizons we present a truly unique and ground-breaking History Channel documentary film that will follow the Second World War as it unfolded as seen from the vantage point of space revealing the full global impact of the greatest conflict ever fought.

World War 2 from Space is a feature-length documentary unprecedented in its scope, ambition and execution.

Man vs. Universe ~ Mars Is Ours

Today on Far Future Horizons we proudly present the third and final episode of Man vs. The Universe, titled “Mars Is Ours”.

Man vs. The Universe ~ How To Kill An Asteroid

Today on Far Future Horizons we proudly present the second episode of a new three-part series that will shed light on humanity's ever-expanding place in the universe – Man vs. The Universe, titled “How To Kill An Asteroid”.

Wonder Women: The Untold Story of American Superheroines

Dedicate to all the Superwomen, past and present, the World Over who influenced and shaped my life.

Today on Far Future Horizons we are proud to present as our feature documentary Wonder Women - The Untold Story of American Superheroines.

This feature documentary explores the concept of heroic women from the birth of the superhero in the 1940s to the TV and big screen action blockbusters of today.

Heroic role models are important in childhood development, yet there is a dearth of these for young girls. Wonder Woman provides a rare example of a female heroine who doesn't require rescue, determines her own missions, and possesses uniquely feminine values.

Turn me into a Superhuman

The Activelink Power Loader is a powerful robotic exoskeleton suit that gives its operator superhuman strength. ~ Copyright 2011 National Geographic Channel.

Who wants to be a superhero? Superhuman capabilities like running faster than a speeding bullet or being more powerful than a locomotive could be available at the push of a button. 

Carl Sagan’s Cosmos ~ Blues for a Red Planet

Carl Sagan with a mock up of the Viking Mars Lander

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the fifth episode of Carl Sagan’s highly acclaimed PBS documentary series – Cosmos: Blues for a Red Planet.

Percival Lowell

Is there life on Mars? Dr. Sagan takes viewers on a tour of the red planet first through the eyes of science fiction authors, and then through the unblinking eyes of two Viking spacecrafts that sent thousands of pictures of the stunning Martian landscape back to Earth in 1976. 

Though based on older Mars missions, Sagan’s analysis still holds true.

Man vs. The Universe ~ Mining the Moon

Today on Far Future Horizons we proudly present a new three-part series that will shed light on humanity's ever-expanding place in the universe – Man vs. The Universe.

The Science Channel's new special "Man vs. the Universe"  covers everything from a private race to the moon to how scientists are trying to protect the planet from the threat of dangerous asteroids. The miniseries  explores the new era of commercial and national space exploration..

The first installment of this brand new series looks at efforts underway to develop the technologies that will allow humanity to mine the Moon.

The Hunt for the Higgs Boson

Today on Far Future Horizons we join Professor Jim Al-Khalil and Horizon  to go behind the scenes at CERN to follow one of the most epic and expensive scientific quests of all time: the search for the Higgs particle, believed to give mass to everything in our universe.

The Science of Superheroes

In every age and across many cultures humanity has always been intrigued by legends and tales of people graced with superhuman strength and who were hybrids of Gods and mere men. With the advent of the industrial age, we saw the argumentation of human strength and speed by merging man with machine.

In the nineteenth century, the dawning of Darwinism and the emergence of Nietzschean philosophy led to the notion that selective breeding will allow humanity to direct the course of its own evolution towards the improvement of the species. The creation of the Übermensch came into vogue.

The word Übermensch is a German word, which when translated into English means Beyond-Man or the Overman. The next step in our cultural and biological evolution in becoming trans or post-human. However, for many of us the word Übermensch has come to mean Superman.

Will twenty-first century science and technology make possible the creation of a new breed of humans? Humans gifted with extraordinary intelligence, strength and agility.  Or even make possible the advent, of that mainstay of many a childhood (and dare I say it) perhaps even adult fantasy – the costumed superhero? 

Today we take a closer look at the science behind our favourite comic book heroes and see just what it takes to become a real life Man of Steel and Cape Crusader.

DaVinci ~ The Lost Treasure

Today on Far Future Horizons we present DaVinci - The Lost Treasure, a BBC/National Geographic Channel documentary concerning the quintessential Renaissance man Leonardo daVinci.

Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World - The Great Siberian Explosion

Today on Far Future Horizons we would like to offer for your viewing pleasure the following episode from Arthur C Clarke’s Mysterious World - The Great Siberian Explosion.

This episode concerns the Tunguska impact event of June 30th, 1908 and first aired on British television on October 14th , 1980 and has to rank as one of my all time favourites alongside Carl Sagan's Cosmos Episode 4: "Heaven and Hell" which we presented yesterday.

Carl Sagan's Cosmos - "Heaven and Hell"

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the fourth episode of Carl Sagan's landmark television series Cosmos: "Heaven and Hell". In fact, of all the thirteen episodes this has to rank as one of my most favourite . 

It was from this episode that I first learned about the eyewitness account of a lunar impact seen by Canterbury monks on June 18, 1178 which some researchers believe resulted in the formation of crater Giordano Bruno. This event was recorded in the chronicle of Gervase. Another topic covered in this episode was the Tunguska explosion of June 30, 1908. Some researches such as Bill Napier and Victor Clube have linked these two events together as being a by-product of the Beta Taurid meteor shower; both events coincided with a peak in that shower.

Carl Sagan's Cosmos – The Harmony of the Worlds

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the third episode of Carl Sagan’s highly acclaimed PBS documentary series – Cosmos.

Join us as we follow Carl Sagan in tracing the life of Johannes Kepler, the last scientific astrologer and the first modern astronomer.

Johannes Kepler was the author of one of the first science fiction novels ever written - Somnium (The Dream).

Carl Sagan's Cosmos – One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the second episode of Carl Sagan’s highly acclaimed PBS documentary series – Cosmos.

Join us as we follow Carl Sagan on an odyssey through time and space as he uncovers the origin of life and its evolutionary history from its humblest beginnings.

Origins – Back to the Beginning

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the fourth and final episode of the highly acclaimed PBS documentary series "Origins" hosted and presented by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The final installment of this series, “Back to the Beginning” explores how the colossal, mind-boggling forces of the early universe made it possible for habitable worlds to emerge.

The clues begin with a race among scientists to capture lingering echoes of the big bang’s ferocious energy in a microwave “whisper” from deep space. 


The race pits underdog astronomer Tony Readhead and his improvised detector in the high Andes against NASA scientists and their state-of-the-art satellite probe. Tyson shares his excitement with viewers as computer animation of the big bang’s echo emerges on the screen. It’s as close as we can get to a “photograph” of the primordial universe.

Origins – Where Are All the Aliens?

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the third episode of the highly acclaimed PBS documentary series "Origins" hosted and presented by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The third installment of this series is titled “Where are all the Aliens?” and focuses on the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe.

Is the Earth unique and the only world in this vast Cosmos where matter has evolved into life and self awareness?

Cosmos - The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the first episode of Carl Sagan’s landmark PBS documentary series – Cosmos.

Join us today as we follow Carl Sagan on a voyage through space and time in a “spaceship of the imagination”.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter, with Sagan as presenter. It was executive-produced by Adrian Malone, produced by David Kennard, Geoffrey Haines-Stiles and Gregory Andorfer, and directed by the producers and David Oyster, Richard Wells, Tom Weidlinger, and others. It covered a wide range of scientific subjects including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.

The Fabric of the Cosmos Episode 4

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the fourth and final episode of Dr. Brian Greene’s acclaimed NOVA documentary series the Fabric of the Cosmos. This instalment explores the possibility that the Universe, in which we live, is but one of an infinite multitude of Universes that make up an infinite Multiverse.

The Fabric of the Cosmos Episode 3

Today on Far Future Horizons it gives us great pleasure to present the third episode, of Dr. Brian Greene’s acclaimed NOVA documentary series "The Fabric of the Cosmos" that explores the the weird realm of quantum physics. 

Jules Verne's Master of the World

Today on Far Future Horizons we present for your viewing pleasure an animated cartoon based on Jules Verne’s last novel the Master of the World. This novel featured the ultimate transformational vehicle that allowed the novel’s villain, Robur complete mastery of the world in all its realms – land, air and sea.

The True Story behind the Hunt for Red October

Today on Far Future Horizons we will reveal the true story that inspired Tom Clancy’s best selling novel The Hunt for Red October (1984) and the motion picture that was produced in 1990 and starred Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan. 

An American Adventure - The Rocket Pilots

Today on Far Future Horizons we present An American Adventure the Rocket Pilots.

Origins - How Life Began

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the second episode of the highly acclaimed PBS documentary series "Origins" hosted and presented by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Origins is a spectacular four-part miniseries, first presented on PBS’s Nova, about the beginnings of the universe, our solar system, life on Earth, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life on other planets.

The second installment of this series is entitled “How Life Began” and focuses on the mystery of how life came into being.

In today’s episode we join the hunt for hardy microbes that flourish in the most unlikely places in the quest to unravel the mystery of life’s origins.

The Fabric of the Cosmos Episode 2

  

Today on Far Future Horizons it gives us great pleasure to present the second episode, of Dr. Brian Greene’s acclaimed NOVA documentary series "The Fabric of the Cosmos" that explores the nature of time.