The Pathfinders

The Pathfinders (2017)

January 1st, 20171h 2min

Documentary
0%

Overview

It started with an order to land something on Mars - cheaply. In NASA's new era of "faster, better, cheaper," this mission had to create a radically different way of building a spacecraft. "The Pathfinders" tells the story of a small group of JPL'ers who dismissed warnings that a cut-rate mission to Earth's distant neighbor would cut short their careers. With a Martian parachute that could not be tested in Earth's atmosphere, and the last-minute addition of a remote controlled vehicle that would not look out of place in a toy store, the Pathfinder mission was a doubter's dream. Vet the future prospects of JPL and of a Mars program in its infancy, depended on bouncing successfully onto the rocky Red Planet and releasing a curious six-wheeled wanderer, in hopes of starting a revolution in space exploration.


Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!

Trailer

Similar Movies

Last Exit: Space

Last Exit: Space


Released on: 2022-03-10
Documentary

Documentary about space colonization: a voyage across our planet, into the stars and beyond.

Moonscape

Moonscape


Released on: 2013-12-29
Documentary

Moonscape is a free and freely downloadable high-definition documentary about the first manned Moon ...

Edge of Darkness

Edge of Darkness


Released on: 2015-11-01
Documentary

The film features amazing scenes of places never before seen gathered by key space missions that cul...

Mission Saturn

Mission Saturn


Released on: 2017-09-15
Documentary

NASA's biggest spacecraft, Cassini, plunges into Saturn in the final act of a 20-year mission showca...

Venus: Death of a Planet

Venus: Death of a Planet


Released on: 2021-08-28
Documentary, TV Movie

Billions of years ago, Venus may have harbored life-giving habitats similar to those on the early Ea...

Space Station 3D

Space Station 3D


Released on: 2002-04-17
Documentary

Some 220 miles above Earth lies the International Space Station, a one-of-a-kind outer space laborat...

Warriors of Mars

Warriors of Mars


Released on: 2010-01-18
Documentary

A brief history of the Ice Warriors in Doctor Who by the people who designed and brought them to lif...

Destiny in Space

Destiny in Space


Released on: 1994-01-17
Documentary

Travel alongside the astronauts as they deploy and repair the Hubble Space Telescope, soar above Ven...

Mission to Mir

Mission to Mir


Released on: 1997-10-17
Documentary

This film shows how far we have come since the cold-war days of the 50s and 60s. Back then the Russi...

In the Shadow of the Moon

In the Shadow of the Moon


Released on: 2007-01-19
Documentary, History

Archival material from the original NASA film footage – much of it seen for the first time – plus in...

Roving Mars

Roving Mars


Released on: 2006-01-27
Documentary

Join the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity for an awe-inspiring journey to the surface of the myste...

Blue Planet

Blue Planet


Released on: 1990-01-01
Documentary

From the unique vantage point of 200 miles above Earth's surface, we see how natural forces - volcan...

Aliens on the Moon: The Truth Exposed

Aliens on the Moon: The Truth Exposed


Released on: 2014-07-20
Documentary

Never-before-aired NASA footage presents evidence that the Moon is being used as a base.

The Dream Is Alive

The Dream Is Alive


Released on: 1985-06-01
Documentary

The Dream Is Alive takes you into space alongside the astronauts on the space shuttle. Share with th...

Storycorps: Eyes on the Stars

Storycorps: Eyes on the Stars


Released on: 2012-08-09
Animation, Documentary

On January 28, 1986, NASA Challenger mission STS-51-L ended in tragedy when the shuttle exploded 73 ...

For All Mankind

For All Mankind


Released on: 1989-11-01
Documentary, History

A testament to NASA's Apollo program of the 1960s and '70s. Composed of actual NASA footage of the m...

Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites

Neil Armstrong and the Langholmites


Released on: 2025-06-09
Documentary

Everyone knows Neil Armstrong came back from the Moon in 1969 – but it wasn’t until three years late...

Mars: One Day on the Red Planet

Mars: One Day on the Red Planet


Released on: 2020-01-05
Documentary

An epic journey around Mars — built from real satellite and rover data — revealing the red planet as...

Cosmic Voyage

Cosmic Voyage


Released on: 1996-08-09
Documentary

The Academy Award® nominee Cosmic Voyage combines live action with state-of-the-art computer-generat...

Lifequest Mars: Search For Life

Lifequest Mars: Search For Life


Released on: 2003-04-08
Documentary

A look into what the first manned mission to Mars will really look like, and the plans that NASA has...