Discovery Communications Brings New, Improved NASA Footage to NASA

Cable Programmer Digitized Footage for New HD Special, When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/2/2008 2:06:00 PM

Discovery Communications chairman John Hendricks will return a new and improved library -- more than 100 hours -- of archival NASA footage to NASA May 6 at a Capitol Hill ceremony and screening.

Discovery digitized the footage for a new HD special, When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions, which chronicles the birth of the space program and the people who had the right collective stuff to get us there. Discovery also cataloged and restored what it described as "fragile" early audio recordings "nearly lost to degradation."

The six-hour series premieres on Discovery Channel Sunday, June 8, from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. and continues for the next two Sundays at the same time.

Also on hand will be Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), whose state played such an integral part in the space race. There was no word on whether they were also asking any legislators from Texas to be in attendance.