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James May at the Edge of Space
James May always wanted to be an astronaut. Now, 40 years after the first Apollo landings, he gets a chance to fly to the edge of space in a U2 spy plane. But first he has to undergo three gruelling days of training with the US Air Force and learn to use a space suit to stay alive in air so thin it can kill in an instant. He discovers that during the flight there are only two people higher than him, and they are both real astronauts on the International Space Station.
| Release : | 2009 |
| Rating : | 7.9 |
| Studio : | BBC, |
| Crew : | Director, Executive Producer, |
| Cast : | James May |
| Genre : | Documentary |
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Reviews
A Major Disappointment
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
If you at all like flying or space, this is a must see. The main problem is that it seems unavailable except in pirated form on YouTube, etc. BBC, or whoever owns the rights, please sell it in HD! May's flight to the edge of space in a U2 haunts with its beauty, enchants with its musings, and thrills with its adventure.Technically James was the passenger in a two seat U2 flown by an American Air Force pilot. Both men wore pressurized flight suits similar to what astronauts wear, and the views were absolutely incredible. I'm sure the HD cameras barely captured the actual impact of the views from the cockpit, yet they were otherworldly.Airliners at their highest altitude, for example, passed far below them as they transited California parallel the Pacific Ocean on their way up to altitude. The U2 was flown from Beale Air Force Base north of Sacramento California, and the film includes suiting up, flight briefings, what to do if you get an itch inside the suit, etc.
In James May at the Edge of Space, May gets a chance to fly in a U2 spy plane at 70,000 feet above Earth. It is technically space as you can see the curvature of the earth and the dark space above.What is more he does not have to risk going on one of these expensive Richard Branson Galactic test craft.You see May in training for this adventure, having a medical, having problems with the helmet and telling us the history of the early days of these very high altitude spy planes and the space race.May gives us tips on how to pee into a tube and how to eat apple pie through a straw. However the most emotional part of this short documentary for both us and him is when the U2 reaches 70,000 feet and May realises that he is at the edge of space.A truly great moment for him as he really does not know what to say and you can see in his face that he has done something remarkable that will stay with him for the rest of his life.In contrast the early part of the documentary is rather plain.
