Into the Unknown

Into the Unknown

2016, Technology  -   6 Comments
8.50
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Ratings: 8.50/10 from 52 users.

In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched on its first mission outside Earth's orbit. In the years since, it has proven an invaluable tool to better understanding the nature of our universe. Its functions helped scientists at NASA determine the age of the universe, the existence of dark energy and the presence of multiple black holes throughout space. Not accustomed to resting on their laurels, these scientists had only one question following these game-changing findings: what's next? Into the Unknown depicts the construction of NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful instrument of its kind.

The new telescope has been a long time in the making, and doesn’t officially launch until 2021. After witnessing the intensive construction process, and learning the details and capabilities of the telescope's ambitious features, you can understand the delay. "If it works, it's going to see deeper into space than any other telescope in history," says one eager engineer early in the film. The team hopes that the new instrument allows them the ability to peer inside the earliest galaxies in the farthest reaches of our cosmos.

Cameras take us inside the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland where construction of the telescope is underway. It is here that billions of dollars of hardware will be put through the ultimate stress testing which will transcend the intensity of conditions in space. We're shown a series of lightweight mirrors which can capture pristine images in space when properly aligned.

The film assumes an endearing tone of wonder as it introduces us to several of the aerospace engineers and scientists who are deeply invested in the successful launching of the telescope. They are driven by a need to know the previously unknowable; mainly, where did we come from and are we alone in the universe? There may be so much we don't know, but each of them believes that these elusive answers are well within our reach.

Featuring stunning motion graphics and fascinating insider perspectives, Into the Unknown is an infectiously positive and hopeful tribute to the power and reach of humankind's ambitions.

Directed by: Nathaniel Kahn

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Mark Gaboury
Mark Gaboury
4 years ago

Excellent film, exciting. But beware of not giving God the glory. He might just zap this thing mid-launch.

Paul
Paul
4 years ago

The film maker should identify which clips are computer generated i.e. artificial an those clips that are actually data fro measuring instruments science has launched into space.
"Stunning motion graphics and fascinating insider perspectives" are not scientific data and should be stated as such as a test caption so the viewer is not swept away with awe.

BG
BG
4 years ago

Very interesting. I think every 6th grader should see this film just to expose them to the possibilities of space exploration. If someone had told me that a telescope is actually a way to go back in time when I was younger, I believe that concept alone would have been enough to stimulate a different course for my life.

The scale of the Webb telescope project, and the demands for precision are beyond a lay person's imagination. Watch this film and be awed!

mahabharat
mahabharat
4 years ago

the big bang is a theory, not a law (again) *sigh*