Space Odyssey is effectively a space version of Walking With Dinosaurs. It imagines, and then dramatises a monumental 6 year trip to the planets, starting with Venus before moving on to Mars and then Jupiter in the first episode.
I'm not totally convinced that the dramatisation part works. The special effects are spectacular, and come from Framestore CFC who did Walking With Dinosaurs. And the science is there, although quite why we had to be reminded of the BBC science URL every time anyone started quizzing one another about some basic facts, I'm not sure. But this isn't a programme made for BBC2, but something for primetime BBC1, and it's certainly a visually impactful trip.
In a very enterprising digital add-on, Sunday's repeat will be followed by a "red button" special which allows the viewer to ask experts questions in the ESA Mission Centre. I think I got the impression that this would include speaking to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, but I can't see this confirmed on the website.
In fact, the far better programme, which was able to use the same imagery, was The Robot Pioneers programme that followed on BBC4. It put the dramatised version into historical context, taking us through all the incredible probes like Pioneer 10, the Voyagers, and right up to Cassini.
In some ways the programme contradicted its sister programme, explaining that a manned landing on Venus would not be attempted in any great hurry given the pressure and temperature issues. Mars is by far the likeliest planet for exploration.
Just to make it a real planetary evening on BBC4, they started reshowing The Planets and finished with The Sky At Night which is now getting BBC4 repeats in an extended version!
Posted by adambowie at November 10, 2004 10:21 AM