Survival in the Skies
Survival in the Skies is a Smithsonian Channel documentary series, telling the stories behind four crucial inventions that keep pilots and astronauts safe in the skies: space suits, parachutes, ejection seats, and jet engines. They keep us alive in the most extreme environments humans have ever explored. They gently guide us to Earth from thousands of feet in the air. They eject us from planes when disaster strikes. And they transport us with amazing speed and remarkable safety. This series tells not only the stories behind the machines and devices that help us survive in the skies, but also how they evolved from humble beginnings to incredible instruments that have changed the world and lifted us to new heights.
| Episode 1 - Space Suits |
Episode 1 - Space Suits
They keep us alive in the most extreme environments humans have ever explored. Track the evolution of the space suit, from the first pressure suit of the 1930s to outfits that will take man to Mars.
Episode 2 - Parachutes
They gently guide us to Earth from thousands of feet in the air. Meet the innovators who developed newer, safer ways to fall from the sky and those whose lives were saved by them.
Episode 3 - Ejection Seats
They eject us from planes when disaster strikes. Witness the ingenuity and bravery of the pioneers who developed, built, and even risked their lives testing the ejection seat.
Episode 4 - The Jet Race
They transport us with amazing speed and remarkable safety. From the first gas turbine to tomorrow's hypersonic jet engines, see the evolution of the machine that is changing the world.
| Related Links |
| The Age of Aerospace This is a five-part documentary series exploring the last 100 years of aviation history in detail. |
| Frontiers of Flight This is a Discovery Channel documentary series hosted by Mason Adams, about the history of aviation and early space flight. |
| Moon Machines This is a Science Channel documentary series documenting the engineering challenges of the Apollo Program to land a man on the Moon. |
| 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. |
| 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. |