Switzerland is a tiny country making a huge impact in the world of science and technology. Visit the world’s biggest science experiment, taking place in a circular tunnel 27 km across, 100m below Geneva. Called the Large Hadron Collider it will be used to propel particles until they collide at high speeds, giving up secrets about the very nature of our universe. Fly with Yves Rossy as he jumps out of an airplane and then gains altitude via a homemade rocket-propelled “wing” strapped to his back. Other highlights include the construction of the longest railway tunnel in the world, an automotive visionary and his wildly creative concept cars, and a look behind the scenes at the biggest fireworks display in Europe.
Producers: Exploration Production Inc.
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MegaWorld: United States (West)
Focusing on the western half of the country, this fascinating special takes a closer look at how American scientists and engineers are leading the way in aviation, shipbuilding and civil engineering. San Francisco’s quake-prone Bay Bridge is undergoing a mega safety upgrade that will see half the bridge demolished and replaced with the longest self-anchored suspension span in the world. Follow the logistical ballet of unloading tens of thousands of containers every day at the nation’s busiest port. Join the Air Force on an unusual rescue mission as they fly a zoo elephant from Alaska to retirement in California on board a C-17, the only aircraft big enough for the job. Other engineering marvels include the first football stadium in North America with a retractable playing field and a Volkswagen Beetle souped-up with a jet engine for an extra 1350 horsepower.
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MegaWorld: Australia
A whole continent in one country, Australia is a vast landscape best known for its natural beauty. It is also a place where technological and scientific innovation thrives. Highlights include the manufacturing of the world’s biggest truck. Called a “road train”, this monster is a unique solution to moving goods across the vast Australian landscape. Take a ride on the world’s biggest motorcycle as rolls right over a mobile home, and go deep into the “Super Pit” – the biggest open pit gold mine in the country where up to 28 tons of gold is blasted out of the rock every year.
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MegaWorld: Canada
Discover cutting edge innovations in science and technology from across the Great White North. Step inside the state-of-the-art facilities where Canada’s coolest and fastest aerospace and transportation exports are developed, manufactured and tested. Other possible stories include diamond mining in the Northwest Territories, and the epic ice road that must be built every year to haul the 300,000 tons of fuel, explosives, steel and concrete needed to operate the mines.
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MegaWorld: Italy
Italy has a longstanding history of cultural achievements, but now the country’s achievements in engineering and technology are also leaving an indelible mark in the world of science. From the techniques used to perfect the sleekest sports cars on the road to a massive initiative to keep Venice above water, MegaWorld: Italy reveals the ground-breaking strides scientists, engineers, inventors and designers are making in their respective fields. Highlights include: manufacturing brakes for Formula One cars, testing 50-tonne army tanks, and the P180 Avanti II aircraft, the ‘Ferrari of the sky.’
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Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for standing up for what he believed. Slowly, from the remote prison on South Africa’s Robben Island, he galvanized the world around his struggle to end apartheid. When Mandela was released from prison he entered a world that had been profoundly shaped by his dream. Nine Lives tells the story of Nelson Mandela through the stories of ten people that were inspired by that dream, people such as F.W. DeKlerk, former Prime Minister of South Africa and Mandela’s daughter Zindzi who continues her father’s legacy through her work with the children of South Africa.
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Fidel Castro
From an unknown soldier in the remote mountains of the Sierra Maestra to one of the most recognizable faces in the world, Fidel Castro has achieved the impossible. No revolutionary leader has held power for as long and had such an impact on international affairs. Many left Cuba but many more stayed. Castro has his critics but he also he has his fervent admirers. Nine Lives will tell the story of Fidel Castro through the human faces and voices of ten people whose own lives were transformed by him. It is a celebration of the legacy he has created and a chance to meet the real people who form the human side of that legacy.
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Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. Nine Lives shows that he is also one of the most influential men of our era. This unique documentary tells the story of Muhammad Ali through the human faces and voices of ten lives that he has inspired. We hear from people like the doctor in his corner, Ferdie Pacheco and like Etan Thomas, a professional Basketball player and poet who was inspired by Ali to work for change. Each story is intercut with footage of a different landmark event in Ali’s life, and with interviews from those who were there, and those whose lives were changed.
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MegaWorld: Germany
Industrious and innovative, Germany is an engineering powerhouse! From resurfacing a busy airport runway in mere hours to a tractor/tank hybrid designed to safely clear landmines, the country’s top scientists, engineers, designers and inventors are leading the charge into the 21st century. See how Deutschland’s innovations are changing the world we live in. Other stories include the world’s most automated port, a transparent car factory, putting the brakes on a superfast jet, and the legendary Nurburgring racetrack.
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The Forsaken
On the outskirts of Hamilton, Ontario, a jogger makes a gruesome discovery – the partially mummified remains of a human body. Using state of the art forensics, police are able to identify the body as that of a suburban wife and mother of two. She has been brutally bludgeoned to death, but no missing person’s report has ever been filed. As police investigate, they discover evidence of domestic strife, including a love triangle and charges of assault. Determined to find the killer, police dig further into the victim’s life, doggedly tracking down a former lover to New York City, where they uncover another crime. But it is a forensic entomologist and her knowledge of the minute lives of insects that leads investigators back to Ontario and the arrest of the woman’s husband for murder.