National Geographic Channel heads-up

National Geographic Channel (USA) will be airing a four hour two-part
show on the United States versus the Soviet Union's postwar rocket and
space work as they head into the Moon race on Monday, June 5th.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606051900.html
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606052100.html

Pat

Good heads-up, worth checking out for sure...

When I saw the promo commercials, it appears that this program uses at least
some "recreated" footage rather than actual historical film. All their
previous programs I've seen that used recreations have totally sucked out
loud. Apparently the producers feel that historic footage isn't visually
compelling (sad commentary on contemporary "values").

Let's hope this is an intelligent program, and not one of those "lowest
common denominator" things dumbed down for the masses (like a lot of the
crap National Geographic broadcasts these days). It wasn't long ago that
National Geographic stood for uncompromising, consistent quality.

Keeping fingers crossed...
Stan



"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...
National Geographic Channel (USA) will be airing a four hour two-part show
on the United States versus the Soviet Union's postwar rocket and space
work as they head into the Moon race on Monday, June 5th.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606051900.html
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606052100.html

Pat

Stan Marsh wrote:

Let's hope this is an intelligent program, and not one of those "lowest
common denominator" things dumbed down for the masses (like a lot of the
crap National Geographic broadcasts these days). It wasn't long ago that
National Geographic stood for uncompromising, consistent quality.


Yeah, everything is going that way, isn't it? The magazine itself has
gotten a lot thinner and lighter weight (in more ways than one). One of
the oddest things I've seen in recent years was when they sent me the
subscription offer with the free plant seeds with it, something that
went on for years.
Anyway, at least one problem that America faces may be slowed to some
degree by their decline in quality:
http://www.jir.com/geographic.html :-D

Keeping fingers crossed...
Stan



"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...


National Geographic Channel (USA) will be airing a four hour two-part show
on the United States versus the Soviet Union's postwar rocket and space
work as they head into the Moon race on Monday, June 5th.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606051900.html
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606052100.html

Pat

An intelligent infomercial is exactly whatever the almighty buck paid
for. National Geographic and NOVA (aka GOOGLE) are both good at
rendering such infomercials for a buck.

The cold-war and the moon-race were each mutually perpetrated, and
otherwise orchestrated to death, or rather at the unfortunate deaths
and/or receiving the collateral damage and subsequent carnage and
general demise primarily upon the lower 99.9% of humanity.

The only smoking guns are those similar to the WMD of Iraq, whereas
everything else is simply a reaction and/or over-reaction to having
been snookered, and thus easily dumbfounded into believing whatever's
said by each side.
-
Brad Guth


Stan Marsh wrote:
Good heads-up, worth checking out for sure...

When I saw the promo commercials, it appears that this program uses at least
some "recreated" footage rather than actual historical film. All their
previous programs I've seen that used recreations have totally sucked out
loud. Apparently the producers feel that historic footage isn't visually
compelling (sad commentary on contemporary "values").

Let's hope this is an intelligent program, and not one of those "lowest
common denominator" things dumbed down for the masses (like a lot of the
crap National Geographic broadcasts these days). It wasn't long ago that
National Geographic stood for uncompromising, consistent quality.

Keeping fingers crossed...
Stan



"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...
National Geographic Channel (USA) will be airing a four hour two-part show
on the United States versus the Soviet Union's postwar rocket and space
work as they head into the Moon race on Monday, June 5th.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606051900.html
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606052100.html

Pat

"Stan Marsh" wrote in message
...
Good heads-up, worth checking out for sure...

When I saw the promo commercials, it appears that this program uses at
least some "recreated" footage rather than actual historical film. All
their previous programs I've seen that used recreations have totally
sucked out loud. Apparently the producers feel that historic footage
isn't visually compelling (sad commentary on contemporary "values").

Let's hope this is an intelligent program, and not one of those "lowest
common denominator" things dumbed down for the masses (like a lot of the
crap National Geographic broadcasts these days). It wasn't long ago that
National Geographic stood for uncompromising, consistent quality.

Keeping fingers crossed...
Stan

Having worked as a volunteer at WQED in the early 1980s
http://www.wqed.org/

.... that was a great era for the stations national production of PBS content.
During this period (late 1970s and early 1980s) Pittsburgh was the HQ city
for more Fortune 500 companies than any other city in the US .. (how things
change).

WQED produced all of the National Geographic Specials (often underwritten by
Gulf Oil - then HQ in Pittsburgh);
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and a number of PBS science and documentary
specials.

A few years after I left my volunteer role in 1983, National Geographic
became convinced they could do this better and cheaper near their HQ
offices. The Chevron merger continued the underwriting, BUT the corporate
old Gulf HQ had moved west to California.

Quality was about the same for the first year or 2 -- but quickly dropped
off in late 1990s.

Stan Marsh wrote:
Good heads-up, worth checking out for sure...

When I saw the promo commercials, it appears that this program uses at least
some "recreated" footage rather than actual historical film. All their
previous programs I've seen that used recreations have totally sucked out
loud. Apparently the producers feel that historic footage isn't visually
compelling (sad commentary on contemporary "values").

Let's hope this is an intelligent program, and not one of those "lowest
common denominator" things dumbed down for the masses (like a lot of the
crap National Geographic broadcasts these days). It wasn't long ago that
National Geographic stood for uncompromising, consistent quality.


Yeah, those were the days, huh? Hell, NG even puts out a goddamn'
swimsuit issue now.


--

...

"Though I could not caution all, I yet may warn a few:
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools!"

--grateful dead.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
"Mikey'zine": dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

"g. beat" @ wrote:


WQED produced all of the National Geographic Specials (often underwritten by
Gulf Oil - then HQ in Pittsburgh);



And those were GREAT specials; I literally get tears of nostalgia in my
eyes just remembering that great National Geographic Theme music and
knowing that you were about to see something top shelf all the way.
The only other specials that were in the same league were Jacques
Cousteau's.

Pat

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...
National Geographic Channel (USA) will be airing a four hour two-part show
on the United States versus the Soviet Union's postwar rocket and space
work as they head into the Moon race on Monday, June 5th.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606051900.html
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...606052100.html

Pat


A number of errors for this BBC, Russia One production
now being broadcast by National Geographic Channel.

Some of the more obvious errors:

1. Refer to Chris Kraft at the new Mission Control system in Houston for the
Redstone launches.
This is a poor research and timeline mistake - Kennedy had not yet even made
his historic May 26, 1961 speech (and Rice University was still owner of
that future building site).

Mission Control was not used (or ready) until the Gemini 4 launch - years
later.

2. Usage of the narration "in orbit" for the Redstone launcher - which was
only capable of SUB orbital flights with the Mercury capsule. Getting into
space - YES (height above Earth wise) - but not into orbit.

There were minor errors with the characterization of the Vanguard and
Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 timelines .... for the preparation of the science
payloads (for both).

g. beat

"\"g. beat\" @" wrote in
news
Some of the more obvious errors:

1. Refer to Chris Kraft at the new Mission Control system in Houston
for the Redstone launches.
This is a poor research and timeline mistake - Kennedy had not yet
even made his historic May 26, 1961 speech (and Rice University was
still owner of that future building site).

Not even Rice yet - the land was still owned by Humble Oil Co.

--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

Jorge R. Frank wrote:



Some of the more obvious errors:

1. Refer to Chris Kraft at the new Mission Control system in Houston
for the Redstone launches.
This is a poor research and timeline mistake - Kennedy had not yet
even made his historic May 26, 1961 speech (and Rice University was
still owner of that future building site).



Not even Rice yet - the land was still owned by Humble Oil Co.



They also gave the impression that the SS-7 ICBM that exploded during
the Nedelin disaster was built by Glushko; it was of course built by
Chelomei.
They showed the R-7 ICBM with a Vostok type upper stage when Khrushchev
came to view the mock-up.

Pat