Despite the vastness of space, it seems to be rather crowded of late – or at least it might seem that way thanks to the sheer number of shows and movies that feature space-themed stories. In addition to the seemingly endless number of Star Trek and Star Wars productions, Netflix recently brought up Away, about a fictional joint nation effort to send astronauts to Mars while Apple+ recently announced an upcoming second season of its alternative history space race drama For All Mankind.
The exploration of Mars has been the subject of numerous films over the years, including the 2015 film The Martian, but these have all been pure fiction. In fact, apart from the 2018 film First Man, which chronicled the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, Hollywood hasn’t really offered much in the way of grounded stories about actual space exploration since HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon miniseries more than 20 years ago.
Now with The Right Stuff, a miniseries produced by National Geographic for the Disney+ streaming service and based on Tom Wolfe’s 1979 bestselling book, the story of the origin of America’s space program will remind viewers of the importance of the early Mercury program and provide a better understanding of the space race.
“This true story of scientific innovation and human perseverance could not be more timely,” said Courteney Monroe, president, National Geographic Global Television Networks. “National Geographic’s The Right Stuff is an aspirational story about exploration, ambition, determination and resilience and reminds us that human beings can achieve the extraordinary when united by a common purpose. This series provides a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the flawed, but heroic Mercury 7 astronauts and we are thrilled that it has found its perfect home on Disney+.”
To Boldly Go
Today, even the name Neil Armstrong may not be as immediately recognizable as some fictional characters, and for many younger viewers, the name Alan Shepard and John Glenn may not ring a bell at all.
“The birth of the space age was in the 1950s and early 1960s, so you’d have to be in your 60s or 70s to have actually lived through it,” explained Dr. James R. Hansen, emeritus professor of history at Auburn University, and author of First Man, the only authorized biography of Armstrong.
“It was an exciting time for the space race but also the very real threat of nuclear Armageddon,” Hansen, who served as a consultant for The Right Stuff, told ClearanceJobs. “It was a fascinating period in the post Sputniks era, but today it may seem like ancient history as there are few people today who remember when there wasn’t a space program. It deserves to be remembered as fully as possible.”
Forgotten History
The goal of the Disney+ series is to remind viewers – especially those younger viewers of the service who likely have been captivated by The Mandelorian and “Baby Yoda” to understand what real space exploration was all about.
One aspect of the show that is important is that while it chronicles the lives of the hotshot test pilots who became America’s first astronauts the space race was a major undertaking – one that wasn’t a Wright Brothers effort with two men who had a dream, but rather a Manhattan sized project undertaking that involved a near army of likeminded dreamers.
“The space program had to be created from scratch, and it was a revolutionary moment,” added Hansen, who also said he hopes it will send the message to “dream big” and that “anything is possible.”
Those early astronauts such as Shepard and Glenn certainly had high flying dreams, but so did the early NASA engineers who knew they’d never leave the ground.
The Human Character
For fans of the 1983 film version of Wolfe’s book, this particular outing to space could be quite different too in that highlights the flaws of these American heroes.
While Shepard, Glenn, and nearly all of the others involved in Mercury have since departed this Earth for the heavens, it is well established that they weren’t all fans of the movie. The series will show them still as the daring heroes that they were but as flawed individuals and some with personal demons to fight.
“The makers of the series wanted to move away from cartoon characters,” said Hansen. “The movie was really a caricature of who they were.”
Science Non-Fiction
Perhaps the most important aspect of this series is that it shows the realities of the space program in a way that other series have not. It shows the hard work, the large team efforts and the struggle and sacrifices – in other words the “right stuff” that those early astronauts had and highlights the payoff as well.
“Hopefully the inspiration becomes tangible,” added Hansen. “The early space pioneers were still influenced by dreamers and even science fiction writers like Jules Verne, but they also understood that these things can be imaginary and to make them real it requires a process. The space program didn’t happen out of thin air.”
It is also easy to see how The Right Stuff can live alongside The Mandalorian and inspire as well as entertain.
“The fact that it is on Disney+ will help us reach that younger audience,” Hansen told ClearanceJobs.
The Right Stuff will debut on Disney+ on October 9.
