S1.E10

Galileo Was Right

Episode aired May 3, 1998
TV-PG
53m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

The Apollo 15 astronauts and backup crew go through extensive geology training in preparation for their mission.The Apollo 15 astronauts and backup crew go through extensive geology training in preparation for their mission.The Apollo 15 astronauts and backup crew go through extensive geology training in preparation for their mission.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.4/10

452

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Did you know

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Trivia
Twinning most commonly refers to crystals that are merged together, as if one has sprouted from within another.

Goofs
In "The Thing We Came For", astronaut Dave Scott tests the Galileo theory of dropped objects in a vacuum falling at the same rate (in this case, a hammer and feather) and landing at the same time. In the studio shots of the moon, actor Brett Cullen holds the hammer with the head pointed skyward. The actual footage then show Scott dropping the objects shown with the hammer head on the bottom.

Quotes
Rocco Petrone: Gentlemen, It's getting late. And we still have the decision to make - Marius Hills or Hadley Rille. Help us out here, Dave. You're the commander and you haven't said a word all day.
Dave Scott: Well, Lets See. Chet! No offense, be we feel we can land at either site. Dr. Pemberton. I'm one who respects hedging bets, but from what I've learned out in the field; Hadley Apennine, with it's complex variety of features, both impact and volcanic, is the best choice for putting together a picture of how the moon came to be. Maybe a little riskier...
Chester Lee: Not a little...
Dave Scott: ...but, also... also the Apennines have something else... Grandeur. And I believe there's something to be said for... exploring beautiful places... It's good for the spirit.
Rocco Petrone: Then it's Hadley, Gentlemen!

Alternate versions
Warner Brothers remastered the entire miniseries for re-release in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It was enhanced to improve picture and sound quality, more saturated, and completely true widescreen. This new version was released both in Blu-Ray format and for streaming services.

Connections
Featured in What Happened on the Moon? - An Investigation Into Apollo (2000)

Soundtracks
Magic Bus
Performed by The Who
Written by Pete Townshend
Courtesy of Polydor Limited by arrangement with Polygram Film and TV Music
Courtesy of MCA Records under license from Universal Special Markets

User reviews3

Featured review

9/10

Yeah, science!

Apollo 15 is being planned and NASA's attention is now turning to using the moon landings for scientific discovery. In particular they are looking to explore the geology of the Moon and ideally determine the origins of the Moon. However, NASA's astronauts lack the knowledge and enthusiasm to make the landings meaningful in that respect. A geology professor is called in to get them up to speed and enthused.

I realise this series is on all moon landings but it's difficult to get overly excited about any mission since Apollo 11 (Episode 6) as that achieved the (initial) aim of NASA's space program. Episode 7 (Apollo 12) was great but that was largely due to the character of Al Bean and the lightness of the episode.

So, just when I'm thinking, "Why are they still going to the moon? Surely it was mission accomplished with Apollo 11?", I get an answer. The initial aim was to walk on the moon because it hadn't been done before and to one-up the Soviets. Now the aim is to further mankind's knowledge of the Moon and this episode shows the pursuit of this goal in great detail.

Quite interesting and edifying the way the astronauts are taught applied geology and how then get to apply it on the moon. The scientific implications are also well explored.

Excellent episode.