Discovering the Cosmos
Discovering the Cosmos is a Smithsonian Channel documentary series that urges us to prepare a new generation of space exploration. A golden age of space travel is dawning. Billionaires around the world are preparing their businesses for a new age of space exploration: Elon Musk behind SpaceX, which is for the colonization of Mars; Blue Origin, funded by Jeff Bezos, for establishing a true industrial base in space; Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic for space tourism; and so on.
How did life on Earth? Does it exist anywhere outside of our solar system? Furthermore, is there an alien world out there that we could call home? How would we travel across the vast distances of space to get there?
Over billions of years, planet Earth has been becoming home to an amazing interdependent ecosystem, containing a variety of animals and plants. But in just half a century, the human population has doubled to 7.4 billion, and the human progress such as industrialization and urbanization has changed the shape of our planet, which resulted in negative impacts on the environment including the destruction of ecosystems and climate change. Some scientists like Stephen Hawking believe that in order to safeguard humanity's future, we need to leave Earth and colonize another planet.
| Episode 1 - Billionaire Space Club |
Episode 1 - Billionaire Space Club
Meet the billionaires influencing a new generation of space exploration. A golden age of space travel is dawning, one that will soon give humans an astronomical view of the world and may eventually allow us to leave Earth and begin life on another planet.
Episode 2 - Earth from Outer Space
From 250 miles up, witness the story of human progress over the last half-century and its effect on the earth. The industrialization and urbanization has changed the shape of our planet, which resulted in negative impacts on the environment including the destruction of ecosystems and climate change.
Episode 3 - Finding Life in Outer Space
How did life begin on Earth? Does it exist anywhere outside of our solar system? Take a journey across space and time as we explore the greatest mystery of the universe: why life exists.
Episode 4 - Leaving Earth: Or How to Colonize a Planet
Some scientists, including Stephen Hawking, believe that in order to safeguard humanity's future, we need to leave Earth and colonize another planet. But is there an alien world out there that we could call home? How would we travel across the vast distances of space to get there? And what would it take to set up a new civilization?
| Related Links |
| Cosmic Journeys This is a series of videos which explores in-depth stories that explore recent breakthroughs in astronomy and the space sciences. |
| The Planets Using film footage from space missions of the United States and Russia and computer generated graphics, this film tells a story of mankind's exploration of our solar system and reveals the wonders of the planets. |
| Secrets of the Solar System This is a documentary series narrated by Jim Al-Khalili, which is the ultimate guide to humankind's exploration of our solar system, told by the passionate explorers who sent spacecraft to every major celestial body yet visited. |
| When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions This is a Discovery Channel documentary series narrated by actor Gary Sinise, looking at the NASA missions about human spaceflight. |
| Space Race This is a BBC docudrama series chronicling the major events and characters in the American/Soviet space race up to the first landing of a man on the moon. |
| Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey This is a documentary series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, exploring how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time. |
| The Cosmos: A Beginner's Guide This is a BBC documentary series presented by Adam Hart-Davis, offering an introductory look at the world beyond us. |
| The Universe (History Channel) This is a History Channel documentary series exploring the wonders of the universe and the advanced physics concepts in the fields of cosmology, astronomy and astrophysics. |