The challenge of rebuilding the Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine. Discover how the Wright Brothers transformed themselves from bicycle mechanics to high-flying inventors who built a machine that changed the world during a mythical flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, and see how they contrived to refine their incredible aircraft. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; closed captions; and video descriptions.
Subjects: Physical Science
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Battle of the X-Planes
Inside the high-tech, high-stakes competition to create America’s newest fighter plane. NOVA goes behind the doors of the world’s two largest aerospace companies to record classified meetings, climbs into cockpits to fly the most revolutionary planes, and examines the high-stakes battle waged between Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build the most capable and versatile fighter ever created–the Joint Strike Fighter. You’re on the front line as the two aerospace giants fight for a contract that will make aviation history and help protect America, and that could provide the winner total domination of the U.S. defense fighter industry. Special DVD features include: bonus video footage of Lockheed fighters; a visit to a “graveyard” for old military planes; materials and activities for educators; outfitting a fighter pilot activity; designing a stealth plane; link to the Battle of the X-Planes companion Web site; closed captions; and video descriptions.
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Skyscrapers
Travel to some of the world’s most incredible skylines and discover the amazing stories of skyscrapers – from gothic French stone cathedrals, to Chicago’s record-setting Sears Tower, and get a futuristic look at the towers of tomorrow. Tour the world and trace the 2000-year history of domes. From the Houston Astrodome to Rome’s St. Peter’s Cathedral, to the geodesic domes of Buckminster, this program introduces ingenious designers, recounts rarely told heroic stories, and reveals amazing triumphs.
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Tunnels
How do tunnels travel under water? How do engineers bore through mountains of solid rock? Who dug the first tunnels? Go underground – from ancient Rome, to deep below New York’s Hudson River, to the remarkable Channel Tunnel that connects France and England – for an amazing look at tunnels. Meet the courageous engineers, relive deadly disasters, and discover little -known personal triumphs and tragedies through spectacular film footage, fascinating facts and authentic recreations.
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Building Big DVD Box Set
Explore large structures and what it takes to build them with this new five-part series. Hosted by David Macaulay, the award-winning author and illustrator of The Way Things Work and other books, each one-hour program focuses on a type of construction integral to modern life: bridges, tunnels, dams, skyscrapers, and domes. Discover the stories behind famous structures and their builders, plus how engineers today are building bigger than ever before. Each DVD also includes a short vignette featuring kids doing a simple hands-on engineering activity. (5 x 60:00)
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Bridges
Bridge the world and meet the brilliant designers who dared to extend roads and railways with ingenious, but sometimes flawed designs. From the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge, to some of Europe’s groundbreaking spans, students explore dozens of monumental engineering feats. Includes bonus hands-on building activity designed for kids. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators, scene selections and closed captions.
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Dams
See how changing the course of rivers changed the course of history. From the massive Aswan, to the top of the Hoover Dam, students meet courageous and ambitious builders, relive deadly disasters, and discover little-known personal triumphs and tragedies through spectacular film footage, fascinating facts and authentic recreations. Includes bonus hands-on building activity designed for kids. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators, scene selections and closed captions.
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Domes
Tour the world and trace the 2000-year history of domes. From the Houston Astrodome to Rome’s St. Peter’s Cathedral, to the geodesic domes of Buckminster, this program introduces ingenious designers, recounts rarely told heroic stories, and reveals amazing triumphs. Includes bonus hands-on building activity designed for kids. Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators, scene selections and closed captions.
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Riding the Rails
Don’t miss this ride! Riding the Rails tells the unforgettable story of the 250,000 teenagers who left their homes and hopped freight trains during the Great Depression.
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Spy in the Sky
In 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower launched an espionage mission like no other — requiring a spy plane that could fly without detection. Here is the true story of the U-2 and how a determined team turned his vision into reality. Led by brilliant master designer Kelly Johnson, the top-secret project began at the Lockheed Skunk Works. In their own words, crew members describe building and testing the ”dirty bird,” a spy plane that could soar to the edge of earth’s atmosphere. From the Cold War to the Gulf War, the U-2 saga is one of the greatest spy stories of all time.