This short film was made for Space Center Houston, the visitor area of NASA's Johnson Space Center, in Clear Lake City, Texas, just outside of Houston. It was repeated every hour during opening times. It follows the lives of several astronaut candidates, from the moment they first receive the call that they've been accepted, through training, simulations, and on to their first actual space shuttle flight. It seems to be fairly authentic, although some scenes have obviously been staged (or re-enacted) for the film - but that doesn't detract from it's power. The various astronauts do all of the narration, so you get a very personal view. 

I bought a VHS copy in the gift shop over 10 years ago, when the space shuttle program was still active, but I haven't been back to Space Center Houston since then. With the shuttle program canceled, the film is a little bit dated, so I wouldn't be surprised if they no longer show it. But it is still quite an enjoyable film.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Follows the lives of several astronaut candidates from initial selection through actual spaceflight.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

See who dazzled on the red carpet and took home gold at the 78th Primetime Creative Emmy Awards.

To Be an Astronaut

Photos1

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed