Space Media

Upcoming Programs to Watch

I’ve been a producer of astronomy and space science-related media for many years. As I’ve mentioned before, I was inspired to go into this type of outreach by watching Cosmos, the original series hosted by Carl Sagan. That journey actually started when I was a child, looking at the sky with my dad. It flourished all my life, watching space missions, going back to school to study astronomy, up to this day. Cosmos was an important waypoint for me. I hope that it becomes an important waypoint for many whose interest in the skies could flourish as mine did.

The second episode of the “next generation” Cosmos, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, shows on Sunday night, on Fox, and the following day on National Geographic channel. Make time to watch it (whether you watch in “real time” or via TiVo, or other delay technology). It’s worth it for the inspiration alone, but the science will win your heart, too. It is a new and different take on the principles first aired in Cosmos in the 1980s, and I think it is a great step forward in using the media to bring the message of science to viewers.

One thing that I hope people “get” from Cosmos is a sense of just how wonderfully complex our universe is, and how we work to unravel that complexity. That is the essence of science, and it’s why science is never a dogmatic thing to be accepted on faith or dictat from above. Science asks questions until it finds answers. It takes the answers and derives ways of understanding the universe. And, if something new comes along to challenge our understanding, we start asking questions all over again. For me, that’s what makes science so much fun to cover in my writing and my documentaries.

Speaking of fun, National Geographic is airing a space special of its own on Friday  night, March 14th. It’s called Live from Space, hosted by Soledad O’Brien. It’s a space enthusiast’s dream — a two-hour event, taking viewers live into orbit on the International Space Station to talk with astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata (station commander). Hosting with Ms. O’Brien from the ground is astronaut Mike Massimino, who will share what it’s like to be in space. He is familiar to most of us from the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions and also from some very funny guest appearances on Big Bang Theory.

Live From Space gives viewers a chance to see the station up close and personal, and see how its complex systems work. Viewers are encouraged to post questions ahead of time, using Instagram and the hash tag #HelloFromEarth.  Check it all out! It’s a weekend to get your space interest nourished!