Tuesday, October 5 at 8:00 p.m.
AstroSpies
While NASA astronauts were captivating the world with the Apollo lunar landings, the U.S. was engaged in a top-secret military manned space program. Now, investigative author Jim Bamford (acclaimed author of The Puzzle Palace) probes the untold story of the elite corps of clandestine astronauts who were never told of the true purpose of their training program. Bamford travels to Russia to reveal the secrets of the Soviet response — the prototypes of the “Almaz” military space stations that, if deployed, might have led to a Cold War showdown in outer space.
Tuesday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m.
Building the Great Cathedrals
Carved from a hundred million pounds of stone, soaring effortlessly atop a spider web of masonry, Gothic cathedrals are marvels of human achievement and artistry. But how did medieval builders reach such spectacular heights? Consuming the labor of entire towns, sometimes taking a hundred years to build, these architectural marvels were crafted from just hand tools and stone. Many now teeter on the brink of catastrophic collapse. To save them, an international team of engineers, architects, art historians and computer scientists searches the naves, bays and bell-towers for clues to how the dream of these heavenly temples on earth came true.
Tuesday, October 26 at 8:00 p.m.
The Crash of Flight 447
On June 1, 2009, Flight AF447, an Air France Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean, taking with it all 228 lives on board. How could a state-of-the-art airliner with elaborate electronic safety and navigation features and a faultless safety record simply vanish without a trace? NOVA assembles a team of seasoned pilots, engineers and safety experts to examine the evidence that emerged in the weeks following this disaster.
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