We space fans are by and large a loyal bunch, always cheering on the astronauts, cosmonauts and rocket scientists as they venture into the depths of space that we can only dream of. But the modern-day space race has piqued our interest in a whole new way. So, we’ve rounded up 5 of our favorite documentaries about space.
This may be the most popular and highest-grossing documentary of all time, as it was highly acclaimed by critics and movie audiences alike. It stars the young Carl Sagan, who discusses the theories of Arthur C. Clarke, which are examined in-depth in the film.
Todd Douglas Miller edited, produced, and directed Apollo 11, a 2019 American documentary film. It focuses on the Apollo 11 mission, the first spaceflight from which men walked on the Moon, which took place in 1969. The video is entirely comprised of archival footage, including previously unseen 70 mm film, and has no narration, interviews, or current recreations. The film features the Saturn V rocket, the Apollo crew of Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins, as well as Apollo program Earth-based mission operations engineers. You can watch Apollo 11 on Netflix.
One Strange Rock is a National Geographic television documentary series produced by Nutopia in collaboration with Darren Aronofsky that premiered on March 26, 2018. One Strange Rock, hosted by actor Will Smit, explores the narrative of how life on Earth survives and thrives, as related by eight astronauts from their unique perspective of being away from Earth (for about 1000 days).
The Space Race motivated a generation to explore jobs in science and technology in the 1960s and 1970s, and then it all ended. Fight for Space investigates why this occurred and reawakens our sense of awe and wonder. You can watch Fight for Space on Amazon.
This documentary focuses scientists on their quest to understand and capture the first image of a black hole while exploring the limits of our knowledge of the universe. You can watch Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know on Netflix.
