Best Space Documentaries

Journey to the Edge of the Universe, a documentary on National Geographic and Discovery Channel, shows a space trip from Earth to the edge of the universe. Alec Baldwin narrated the US version; Sean Pertwee narrated the UK version. The 91-minute film aired December 7, 2008.

Orphans of Apollo, directed by Michael Potter, co-directed by Becky Neiman, and edited by Todd Jones, shows entrepreneurs trying to privatize the Mir space station. It tells the story leading to MirCorp development. Prominent NewSpace entrepreneurs and space advocates, backed by Walter Anderson, appear.

Millions of asteroids and comets, or 'stray bullets,' streak through the skies yearly. Tons of small meteorites hit our planet. Sixty-five million years ago, a massive cosmic collision wiped out the dinosaurs. Scientists think an asteroid just one mile wide causes global catastrophe. Geologist Eugene Shoemaker and his wife Carolyn remapped the heavens using their finds of over 30 comets and hundreds of asteroids.

This documentary series traces mankind's exploration of the solar system.

Astronauts get stuck in a spacecraft.

Never-before-seen footage and audio place you inside NASA's most famous mission. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins take a historic trip to the moon.

Mission to Mir is a 1997 documentary film about the Mir Space Station.

Actor Morgan Freeman narrates an examination of black holes, supernovas, and other universe wonders.

Personal accounts from those on the International Space Station show a huge achievement in technology, global teamwork, science, and human courage.

Al Reinert directed "For All Mankind"; Brian Eno scored it. The film shows NASA's Apollo program in the 1960s and '70s. It uses real NASA footage and astronaut interviews, giving the view of those who braved the moon journey. Reinert reviewed over six million feet of film of these historic moments while making the movie.

The Dream Is Alive, an IMAX movie from June 1985, covers NASA's Space Shuttle program. Walter Cronkite narrated the film, and Graeme Ferguson directed it.

The film shows re-enactments of tragic events.

This is a look at SpaceX and its mission.

"Destiny In Space" shows the challenges future generations face exploring the universe. Audiences see the space shuttle orbit 200 miles above Earth on the giant screen. The film focuses on the human-robot partnership in space, featuring fly-overs of Mars and Venus.

Toni Myers wrote, produced, edited, and directed the 2002 Canadian-American 3D short documentary, Space Station 3D. Tom Cruise narrates this film. It is the first IMAX 3D production filmed in space.

Timothy Ferris wrote the documentary Life Beyond Earth. PBS aired it in 1999.

Andrei Ujica wrote and directed the 1996 documentary film Out of the Present.

Jose Escamilla wrote and directed the 2006 documentary film UFO: The Greatest Story Ever Denied.

Moon Shot chronicles the space race. It shows astronauts Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton's view through film, photos, and interviews about the lunar landing.

Artavazd Peleshian wrote and directed the 1983 documentary film Our Century.

Patricio Guzmán wrote and directed the 2010 documentary drama, Nostalgia for the Light. Astronomers from around the world meet in the Atacama desert at three thousand meters altitude in Chile to view stars. The desert sky allows them to see to the universe's edges. The harsh sun heat keeps human remains, like mummies, explorers, miners, and political prisoners, intact. Astronomers examine distant galaxies searching for proof.

Rushmore DeNooyer wrote and directed the 2005 documentary film Beyond the Moon: Failure Is Not an Option 2.

Out of the Blue is a feature-length documentary about UFOs. It premiered in theaters July 2002 and aired on television June 2003. American filmmaker James C. Fox produced the film. Peter Coyote narrates Out of the Blue. The film uses interviews with scientists, eyewitnesses, and high-ranking military and government staff to suggest unidentified flying objects have extraterrestrial origins. Secrecy and ridicule hide the UFO issue. A History Channel special sequel exists.

Final preparations build suspense before the shuttle craft's first flight. Clips of its takeoff, flight, re-entry, and landing interweave with views of Cmdr. John Young, pilot Robert Crippen, and the scientists, engineers, and support staff who made the project happen.

Buzz Aldrin called the lunar surface "magnificent desolation." He is one of twelve astronauts who walked on the moon. This docudrama shows the historic flights and moonwalks of these men. It uses interviews, old footage, celebrity voices like Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Morgan Freeman, plus simulations and re-enactments. This creates a shared feeling of walking on the moon. The film also examines the space program's status and its future.

Failure Is Not an Option documents the United States' space program on the History Channel. It includes views from flight engineers, project managers, flight controllers, astronauts, and others at NASA. Speakers include Chris Kraft, Gene Kranz, Jim Lovell, Jerry Bostick, Ed Fendell, Gene Cernan, John Llewellen, John Aaron, Glynn Lunney, Wally Schirra, and Gerry Griffin. The show takes viewers from the Sputnik launch to the moon missions. It finished production in 2003. The History Channel website states: In 1957, the Sovi

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon is a 2001 film. Bart Sibrel wrote, produced, and directed it. Sibrel criticizes the Apollo program. He supports the idea that the six Apollo Moon missions between 1969 and 1972 were hoaxes by the U.S. government, including NASA. Sibrel presents claims of a hoax, such as: Supposed photo problems, disasters like the Apollo 1 destruction where Roger Chaffee, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, and Edward White died, and technical issues.

Michael Moore's political documentary uses humor and investigative journalism to question the Bush administration's reasons for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The film argues President George W. Bush and his inner circle used the media to push an agenda exploiting the 9/11 attacks. The close ties between the Saudis and the Bush family, corporate profiteering, and a political elite serving special interests all show elements of a corrupt system.

Paul Devlin directed the 2008 film Blast!