August Summer Presentation On The History Channel

August Summer Presentation On The History Channel

Beyond The Moon: Failure Is Not An Option II Narrated By Scott Glenn

August 28th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Gene Kranz, the real-life NASA Mission Control veteran portrayed by Ed Harris in the Oscar-winning film Apollo 13, returns to The History Channel(R) this summer to tell the story of NASA's thirty-five year roller coaster ride in the post-Apollo era. Live through never before told triumphs and tragedies on the final frontier with Kranz and the Mission Control crew in the sequel to The History Channel hit special Failure is Not An Option, based on the book by Gene Kranz. BEYOND THE MOON: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION II premieres Sunday, August 28th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on The History Channel.

In 1969, after a string of success capped by the fait accompli of fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's goal to put a man on the moon, Gene Kranz thought America's great push into space would continue at a fast and steady pace; NASA had heady dreams of moon bases, space stations, and flights to Mars. But with heavy political and social issues clouding the landscape, the program's struggle for attention and support became a constant issue. From 1972 on, it seemed that every mission held the future of NASA in its hands. Even so, the program has pressed on to some of its grandest achievements, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. Yet controversies and disasters along the way (Challenger, Columbia) remind us nothing is ever guaranteed.

The show appears at a time when America is at a crossroads in space; NASA is poised to return the space shuttle to flight in mid-July, but the future is unclear. The Shuttle fleet is due to retire in 5 years, and no replacement is in sight. As China pursues its own manned space program, President Bush has proposed returning Americans to the Moon and going on to Mars. Will it happen? As one Apollo veteran points out in the show, it may not be so easy to repeat the triumph of 1969; "it takes more than rocket engines to get to the Moon, it takes leadership and the will of the people - and the willingness to accept risk." BEYOND THE MOON: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION II raises provocative questions about how America chooses grand goals and what it takes to actually achieve them, and presents intriguing possibilities for the future (a lunar solar energy project to end US dependence on foreign oil would be surprisingly feasible, according to some).

Though it has never quite recaptured the public fanfare of its original missions, life inside Mission Control continues to be a white-knuckle ride where lives and history constantly hang in the balance. BEYOND THE MOON: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION II tells the unknown stories of the brave few who choose to push ahead even in the face of doubt, because they believe in their hearts that they have a job to do. "You have to keep pushing the frontier, not just because it's there, but because that's how we find things that end up changing humanity," says Paul Hill, a relative newcomer to Mission Control who was raised on the achievements of Gene Kranz and the originals.

The stories of life inside Mission Control in a new era of space travel are exciting, inspiring, tragic, humorous, and largely untold ... until now - featuring up-to-the minute footage.

Highlights of BEYOND THE MOON: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION II include:

-- The reactions of Kranz and other veterans to the cancellation of the final Apollo missions and all other planned space endeavors during the Vietnam War; it's "bitter wine" to some, others went so far as to call it "un-American." -- The miraculous effort by three astronauts to repair the first space station, Skylab, using the most technically-advanced piece of equipment available: a telephone-company branch trimmer, and the reactions on the ground when two astronauts are nearly sucked away into space. -- The changing face of Mission Control in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as the white shirt, narrow tie, pocket-protector wearing men are infiltrated by long hair, sideburns, disco, and the perhaps most foreign species of all: women. -- Diplomacy meets science as the United States and Russia put aside cold war differences to collaborate in space -- much to the consternation of many on the American side, until they find common ground at places like Disney World and Kentucky Fried Chicken. -- The first re-usable space vehicle ever built, The Space Shuttle, takes off for the first time, invigorating mission control like never before and also bringing high anxiety due to the unprecedented power and technical precision involved. -- Actual, real-time footage of Mission Control before, during, and after the Challenger and Columbia disasters, providing heart-wrenching glimpses of the raw emotion in the inner sanctum, and the extraordinary professionalism that continued to shine through in the face of tragedy.

BEYOND THE MOON: FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION II is produced by Lone Wolf Documentary Group for The History Channel. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Carl H. Lindahl.

Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel(R), "Where the Past Comes Alive(R)," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. In 2004, The History Channel earned five News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and previously received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History(R)" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at www.HistoryChannel.com.

Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Jennifer Mann, +1-917-270-9759, or Jennifer.mann@aetn.com, or Ashley Gillen, +1-212-210-1400 x5431, or ashley.gillen@aetn.com, both of The History Channel

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