An idea born in unsettled times becomes a feat of engineering excellence. The most complex machine ever built to bring humans to and from space and eventually construct the next stop on the road to space exploration.
**The Space Shuttle** is an extraordinary film that tells the story of the incredible courage, character, and dedication of the men and women who served as its author for thirty years. Narrated by film and television icon William Shatner, _**The Space Shuttle**_ is a detailed and fascinating look at
... what went into this complex vehicle's creation, flight, and eventual retirement. The shuttle program, which ran from 1981 to 2011, is the focus of this documentary.
This film also employs some of the most uplifting music ever scored for television and motion pictures. Emmy Award winner, Bear McCreary (_Battlestar Galactica_, _The Walking Dead_, and _Da Vinci's Demons_) and Hans Zimmer (_The Dark Knight_) and others, were looked upon favorably enough to have their music featured in this NASA produced documentary that begins with the start of the space program, ends with the final launch and landing of the space shuttle, and everything else in between, including the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia. It is too bad the producers failed to include their names as well as those of the other composers in the closing credits.
Running 80 minutes, this feature-length film is not just a great piece of motion picture watching for historians and fans of the United States Space Program alike, it is also a great story for children and adults of all ages. It covers a wide spectrum of the human condition and highlights beautifully the heritage we as a nation have endeavored to share in since the early 1960's.
William Shatner, the actor who played the heroic and charismatic captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the hit science fiction series, _Star Trek_, is your guide on this journey to the final frontier. His background in film and television is as storied as the history of the space program. And, he pulls off the narration with the wit and energy that he brings to all of his performances. The hiring of William Shatner as the narrator for this film was a winning choice by NASA.
This story is a factual, direct, and precise accounting of the every man's journey into the self, through the looking glass of the windows to space and beyond. **The Space Shuttle** gets 5 our of 5 stars from me. It is worth watching one time, or one thousand times. It is just that good!
If you want to meet the men and women who lived their lives on the wings of a dream as old as man himself, then you owe it to yourself to watch this film. It will move you and make you feel a part of this triumphant era in manned space exploration and discovery all over again, or for the very first time.
