The history of the lunar landings has been covered by many documentaries over the years, so the record itself is one that has been well told. The Wonder of It All took a different advance in interviewing only the surviving moonwalkers (who were willing to participate), giving us their perspective on the program. While this gives you more depth into the thoughts of a very steal group of astronauts, it doesn’t disclose you powerful of anything about the accurate history of the Apollo program. A status fanatic will understand all of the details surrounding the stories already (and will have already heard many of the stories contained within…either from other documentaries or from reading the astronaut biographies) . As a residence fanatic, I don’t necessarily mind not having bits of the fable re-told to me. The average viewer, however, may not have the luxury of radiant the rest of the account beforehand.

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Also, the film itself is largely unbiased shot-after-shot of the astronauts being interviewed. The interviews are grouped together into categories, meant to discuss positive aspects of their lives and their involvement in the program. In that intention, it feels somewhat clinical and the film itself is very segmented. The editing also feels somewhat haphazard in spots, which only adds to the segmented feel.

Another film that takes a fairly similar reach, but succeeds to a powerful larger degree is In the Shadow of the Moon. That film integrates astronaut interviews with the historic footage remarkable more cleanly, letting the astronauts deny the record with a great more natural breeze. It’s also a visual feast that will excite even the average viewer. Additionally, the producers were willing to utilize astronauts other than moonwalkers to relieve enlighten the memoir…such as Michael Collins and Jim Lovell. Their inclusions in the film were extremely primary. In fact, Collins basically stole the reveal with his gigantic fable telling style. And while area fanatics will want both films…because each had details the other is lacking…the film that will have greater appeal to most viewers is In the Shadow of the Moon.

After 40 years, America’s renewed steps towards a deeper human penetration into status with settlements on the Moon and later expeditions to Mars have been fraction of a vision which NASA has been following by Presidential mandate since 2005. The Constellation Program — the name given to NASA’s exertion to save humans befriend on the Moon, and to provide for heavy start vehicles and equipment for that and for expeditions to Mars — has progressed remarkably well in only four years. The Ares I start vehicle’s 1st-stage rocket engine has been successfully tested; the Ares I-X experimental rocket, a precursor to the great larger Ares V Moon/Mars heavy-lift vehicle, is stacked in the Vertical Assembly Building awaiting its inaugurate at the extinguish of October; and development of the Orion crew vehicle, the replacement for the Dwelling Shuttle, and the conveyor of crews to the Moon and Mars, is well under plot, as is Altair, the lunar lander. The sheer magnitude of the workforce NASA has contracted for this program is both a strong echo of the heady days of Apollo and a reminder of the tens of thousands of people who labor with motivation and pride in their work. Like Apollo, Constellation has its part of detractors — naysayers who have forgotten President Kennedy’s prophetic words spoken at the outset of Apollo:

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“We decide to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will befriend to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to salvage …” — John F. Kennedy (Rice University, September 12, 1962) .

Although President Obama has not made up his mind to continue the Constellation Program at increased funding levels — funding which will consume hundreds of thousands of highly-skilled people and succor to form unusual technologies which will strengthen America’s economic future and global leadership — his administration seems to be involved on discontinuing the investment in our future.

The growing public interest in residence received a titanic boost a decade ago with the landing of a petite robot vehicle on Mars, and from increasingly sophisticated Mars orbital mapping spacecraft launched by NASA and later by ESA. An even greater achievement captured the public imagination when NASA landed two golf-cart sized rovers on opposite sides of Mars in January 2004. The mettlesome rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have sent wait on thousands of spectacular images of their treks across the Martian surface — analyzing rocks, climbing hills and peering into craters along the contrivance. They are level-headed transmitting pictures and data today. The success of the current Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), producing very high resolution photographs of the lunar surface, continue to astound our senses, even showing us the inaugurate platforms (the Lunar Module descent stages) left slack by the Apollo astronauts, as well as their footprint trails and the experimental packages they deployed at each landing status. This public awareness has penetrated into the halls of Congress with both Senate and House subcommittees questioning the conclusions of the Augustine Commission impaneled by President Obama to assess the costs of human spaceflight in NASA’s future — especially as they regard the continuation of Constellation. The definitive discovery of water ice at the Moon’s South Pole (a fresh contribution by an Indian lunar orbiter, as well as observations from LRO) heightens the desire by many plot proponents to do a permanent settlement there. This interest is not little to the United States. Indeed, if Americans do not return to the Moon to watch and spend its resources for the relieve of humankind, it seems definite that someone else will … for their beget aid.

The novel flurry of succor for and criticism of NASA seems incessant. Bloggers disdain the very opinion of spending money to send humans befriend to the Moon (suggesting the funds would be better spent on solving problems here on Earth), while others dispute of colonizing the Moon and Mars. Some scientists and advocates advise that we should disappear directly to Mars, while others argue that the Moon is a significant first step before we can go on to the Red Planet. There are even those scientists who say that we should not be sending humans into dwelling at all. They acquire that robots can do the job for a part of the cost and with less risk.

A considerable current film by Jeff Roth and Paul Basta now enters this public furor, reminding us of an almost forgotten group of American heroes. They are the Apollo astronauts who traveled to the Moon — a scant dozen of whom walked on its surface 40 years ago for periods ranging from a few hours to three days. Forty years! More time has elapsed since the last human footprint was made on the lunar surface than the period between the first successful flight of the pioneering V-2 rocket in 1942, and Neil Armstrong’s first step onto the Moon in 1969!

Jeff Roth’s “The Wonder of it All” (thewonderofitallfilm dot com) interweaves commentary from seven of the nine surviving Moonwalkers; but the editing has been done so skillfully that instead of seven individuals talking, it seems more like one — each of them often continuing a sentence that the other started. The participants are: Buzz Aldrin, Al Bean, Gene Cernan, Charlie Duke, Ed Mitchell, Jack Schmitt, and John Young. Neil Armstrong apparently would have preferred more control over the interview format and was thus hesitant to contribute. After protracted discussions, Dave Scott declined to be included. Nevertheless, the relaxed manner in which all the interviews were conducted allowed the seven participants to announce more candidly on personal and philosophical matters than we have had the opportunity to hear before. The coherent editing makes for a seamless whole (including a well-balanced music and sound track), holding the viewer spellbound throughout. Even the astronauts were impressed with the results. Charlie Duke said that he was very moved by the film. It is easy to peruse why.

The astronauts impart to us about private matters related to growing up, their education, and their military training (or in the case of Jack Schmitt, his scientific glance and field training) . Their accounts are illustrated with personal photos. They also talk about how they dealt with world fame after their lunar missions were accomplished, and how they peek at the entire experience today. The astronauts attempt to retort the age-old question: “What was it like to journey on the Moon? ” The film, however, is all too brief — lasting unbiased 82 minutes. Paul Basta, the project’s cinematographer and one of its producers, recorded 14 hours of high definition interviews. Thus, one would hope that at some point a boxed ’super edition’ of seven DVDs would be produced (a DVD for each of the astronauts) containing more complete biographies and archival flashbacks. According to Paul, they do have such a project in mind, as well as archiving the complete, unedited digital recordings for later historical research (possibly at a NASA center) . More of the Al Bean interview is available from the “Wonder” website on a separate DVD as a human interest short subject. It describes Bean’s unusual occupation as an artist and shows how he produces paintings about lunar and other position themes (alanbeangallery dot com) . It is also available from Amazon (Amazon search: “Alan Bean Artist Astronaut”; also seek my review there) .

The note movie (Blu Ray & DVD) will give audiences an appreciation of seven quintessential American heroes — individuals who came from a variety of almost ordinary backgrounds, participated successfully for a relatively short time in a approved endeavor (but a highly technical one) and then moved on to a different device of life — not dissimilar to the lives we lead ourselves. Indeed, the film shows that the astronauts’ careers have been very mighty like a rope unraveled at both ends, in which we can study the individual strands near together on one side and then go their separate ways on the other. “Wonder” will certainly inspire young people of all ages with the feeling that any one of them could become an astronaut and glide to the Moon. The film thus gives parents the opportunity to attend their school age children to buy a deeper interest in science and engineering. In fact, the astronauts who will flee Orion to the Moon are perhaps in high school or college accurate now, while those who will go on to Mars are yet unborn (or maybe in kindergarten) . Unless, of course, America loses its will to leer. Which, as “Wonder” reminds us, was deeply entrenched in a previous generation.

Most people don’t have an opportunity to devour a personal one-on-one talk with any celebrity, let alone someone who has walked on the Moon. How many times have you sat speaking with a Moonwalker at an airport or in a coffee shop? People crawl past on their mundane trip to some other station, unaware that the fellow in the next seat has traveled to another world. Or how many times have you ridden in a taxi with a musty astronaut when he says to you: “While we were on our procedure relieve from the Moon …” You ogle the cab driver’s eyebrows arch up; and you smile inwardly because you know he has fair thought: “Oh-oh! Another couple of crackpots”! “Wonder” leaves the viewer with the same sense of apprehension that such an encounter would bring — not only because you have been able to utilize a few minutes alone with someone of such distinction, but also because he seems honest like someone you know very well. That personal feeling is “Wonder’s” valuable strength.

Each astronaut broaches very personal subjects, and in some cases the displayed emotion is quite palpable. For example, Buzz Aldrin tells us very touchingly about his inheriting problems with alcohol from both parents — and about his mother’s tragic suicide the year before his Moon flight. He overcame those problems, which manifested themselves after his mission, by devoting himself to the future of spaceflight. As a result, he wants to be remembered as a “plot futurist” rather than as an aviator.

Gene Cernan, on the one hand, very forcefully tells us that he can win himself wait on to Taurus-Littrow in an instant — remembering the smallest detail, such as the tracks that were left by the Lunar Rover, or the plot where he traced out his daughter’s initials on the surface, or the area where he parked the Rover for the last time. On the other hand, with short pauses and on the verge of tears, he softly describes his final steps on the Moon — objective before climbing up the ladder and aid into the Lunar Module. He knew that no one would be succor there for a long time (a very long time, as it turned out) . Approach the film’s conclusion, Cernan describes his experience as overpowering, and his recollections leave vestiges of that power written all over his face as he gazes wistfully and silently at the Apollo 17 Pronounce Module on explain beside him. Any actor would have difficulties in convincingly portraying the raw emotions in those two scenes. In a sense, the ragged captures the entire Apollo period: 450,000 people from all walks of life working together — sacrificing families and sometimes themselves — to set aside twelve men on the surface of the Moon. In one last step off the lunar surface, it was all over … all that work and all those sacrifices. With one last step, the program ended! Cernan’s last step was as heart-rending as Armstrong’s first step was bright! No wonder Gene said that he wished he could freeze time at that instant! What a dénouement!

On the quiz of religion, each man had his gain conception. Aldrin actually took a specially prepared communion “kit” with him, and when they landed safely, he administered it to himself (although listeners on Earth only heard him ask that each one should give thanks for the sterling landing in their maintain special procedure) . Cernan felt that it was more of a spiritual than a religious experience. His meaning here was that he had obtained a feeling closer to God more directly than any man-made religion can bring, evidenced by his statement that when he looked benefit to Earth from the lunar surface it was like sitting on God’s front porch looking home. Charlie Duke notorious that during the Apollo program he attach his career and work ahead of God; but that from this vantage point in time he wanted to be remembered as a man who knew God, who loved God, and who walked humbly before God. Al Bean summed it up by noting that the tear was a reinforcer — those who were religious before going to the Moon were more so afterwards; those who were agnostic were more agnostic afterwards; and those who were atheistic, were more so after returning. Bean additionally explained that for him his scamper to the Moon also raised his appreciation for life on Earth and has made him more gratified with the life he has since led.

This film is one of inspiration, of motivation, of the realization that what we did as a Nation, we can do again by pulling together. Jack Schmitt framed that point by noting that the reply to the question: “If we can go to the Moon, why can’t we ___________ (contain in the blank)? ” is that you can … IF you have the fair technology horrible and young men and women who are motivated enough to do it. Gene Cernan also echoed the same sentiment when he said that the legacy of Apollo is that nothing is impossible. But John Young, the quietest and least excitable of the group, was also the most recount when he simply stated that after Apollo he had expected America to manufacture a permanent lunar inappropriate. He added that the world would be better off today if we had done so. It is, perhaps, refreshing to trace that Young not only walked on the Moon, but also played a role in the development of the State Shuttle. Indeed, he served as commander of STS-1, the first Shuttle orbital flight in April 1981. Tranquil contributing to his earlier expectation in retirement, he is an advisor for the development of Orion, which will (hopefully) steal us attend to the Moon and on to Mars.

The team of Jeff Roth Productions has passionately produced a finely-crafted gem which gives us a correct feeling of what these men, these Moonwalkers, are really like as human beings. More than that, this award-winning film imparts the feeling that few of us would hesitate to trade places with these pioneers so that we, too, could experience … the wonder of it all!

[Portions of this review appeared in "The Location Review" for November 12, 2007. In the interim, the film has garnered a number of awards at film festivals and has been screened at various museums and events around the world. The released disks are accompanied with behind-the-scenes production, other astronaut and astronaut wives interviews.]

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