n July of 1969, half a million people traveled to Florida from all around the world. They came so that they could be eyewitnesses to the launching of Apollo 11, the rocket that would carry the first human beings to set foot on the moon. A few days later, on July 20, when those three astronauts accomplished their mission, one-sixth of the earth's population watched the event on television. Today, space shuttle launches are barely noticed by the general public, and humankind's only outpost in space is a deteriorating station built when the Berlin Wall was still standing. In spite of this seemingly sorry state of affairs, there are those who firmly believe that now is the dawn of the golden age of space travel.
Destination Space begins with a brief history of space exploration, starting with those glory days of Apollo. But this documentary wastes no time in rocketing the viewer into present day and displaying numerous cutting-edge innovations in the still-fledgling business of leaving the earth, along with several speculations of what might be possible in the next few decades.
These visions of what may be are rendered in detail using computer graphics and include sights such as solar-powered lunar colonies, water-rich Martian landscapes of millennia past and futuristic spacecraft traveling to distant stars via billions of watts of laser light harnessed by giant, ultra-light sails. When might these visions become a reality? According to the many astronauts, physicists and astronomers interviewed, that is still anyone's guess. But one thing is certain: where explorers and heroes have paved the way, scores of entrepreneurs are eager to tread.
Destination Space also presents stories of today's space pioneers, many of whom do not collect their paychecks from NASA. These innovators include computer tycoons who are developing robotic equipment for mining asteroids, and aviation engineers who have built spindly aircraft capable of carrying manned capsules into the stratosphere. Viewers are even introduced to investors who have purchased their own jumbo jets and mean to take customers on zero-gravity parabolic dives similar to those used in astronaut training.
Space: the fiscal frontier?
Many of the ideas presented in Destination Space are fascinating indeed. The documentary succeeds in enticing viewers with the notion that space is now being opened to the public. One interviewee likens the current opportunities in space to situations in the 1400s, when intrepid explorers ventured across the Atlantic with no nation's flag flying over their ships, eager to make their fortunes in an untamed new world.
Perhaps even more fascinating are the stories of what is happening right now in the new, more financially motivated space race. Particularly intriguing is the tale of two satellite-launching companies competing for coveted launching sites on the Earth's equator. One, located in the jungle of French Guyana, launches one satellite every month for various companies, many of whom attend the launch and sip champagne as their pricey investments shoot skyward. The other company tows its rockets from California hundreds of miles into the Pacific ocean on a gargantuan converted oil rig worthy of a James Bond film.
The graphics are also fairly well done and even maintain a level of realism when intercut with actual NASA footage of Mir and the space shuttle. Other aspects of the presentation are not quite as pretty. All of the diverse stories are presented in a jumbled, non-linear fashion that leaves viewers' heads spinning faster than a telecommunications satellite. Also, the program's captivating images are accompanied by a thumping, rave-till-dawn soundtrack that often pummels the wonder and awe right out of outer space.
In fact, it is the reverence and awe that space inspires that are sorely lacking throughout much of Destination Space. While the innovations and ideas presented are novel and impressive, the beauty that humankind still yearns to explore is often eclipsed by a prevailing spirit of financially fueled ambition. Are we entering the golden age of exploration ... or exploitation?
