The time has come to take bold new steps across space to the moons and planets of our solar system, following the trails first blazed by our robotic explorers. Drawing on the remarkable discoveries of these pioneering space probes, Space Odyssey brings these distant vistas to the small screen with all the accuracy that rocket science can muster. Imagine trying to capture an icy block from Saturn’s rings or drill on the disintegrating surface of a comet. This program reveals for the first time the danger and spectacle of what it would be like for astronauts to land on and explore the other planets in the solar system. Combining the latest scientific thinking and the real-life experiences of astronauts with drama and spectacular CGI, Space Odyssey propels us into the not-too-distant future.

Space Odyssey created new challenges for the CGI team, requiring them not only to create the various spacecraft but also the environments the astronauts are seen in. The zero gravity shots were filmed during a parabolic flight with a giant green screen, whilst location shoots in Chile stood in for the planets Mars and Venus.

It won a Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Programme 2005 and was the inspiration for the BBC drama-adventure series Defying Gravity.

An Impossible Pictures production for the BBC and Discovery.

Space Odyssey – The Robot Pioneers

To accompany Space Odyssey, this documentary looks at the history of space exploration to reveal the science behind this remarkable series.

It tells the story of human ingenuity that has dispatched robotic missions to all the planets except, as yet, Pluto. Thanks to the dedicated spacecraft engineers and the glass eyes and metal limbs of these unremarkable mechanical explorers, the main series was able to accurately portray the gruelling reality of a human expedition to the planets.

Duration: 4 x 30′ or 2 x 50′ or 1 x 90′
Release Date: November 2004