The AA Institute of Space Science & Technology takes great pride in its reputation, integrity and values and will only aim to recommend products that it believes to be outstanding and which represent exceptional value for money...but please do your own research before any purchase:-
The Right Stuff [1983] "Great version of Tom Wolf's book (which I'd also give 5 stars) The movie depicts the transition of test pilots into astronauts during the space race years when not much was known about space travel and exploration and humans were running into an unknown comparable to Columbus's crossing of the Atlantic back then. Exellent shots, although they cannot be compared to today's effects they stand out for their credibility and simplicity." - a viewer from Belgium
Mission To Mars [2000] With an outstanding air of reality, this movie is strongly NASA-inspired with true colour Martian landscapes and life-like Mars mission scenarios. When we do set sail for Mars one day, this is what I expect! To see a snapshot of a scene from this movie, click here.
The Matrix Revisited Twin Pack "Even if you're not a big fan of science fiction, this is an absolute must-have DVD for all film fans.
The Matrix will certianly go down as one of the great films of the 90's. Although many of the special effects have been copied by subsequent films, remember that this was the original, and this great DVD leaves you with that same feeling you had after you left the cinema; with your bottom jaw on the floor!
Brilliant extras, worth the price alone." - Clare Bailey from Southampton, UK
Red Planet [2000] This movie is set a bit further into the future, where Mars has been partially 'terraformed'. The violent landings that current Mars probes undergo with ballistic airbags used for Mars entry, descent and landing is shown here...except with a human payload! The tiny six-wheeled rover from Mars pathfinder mission is re-discovered...
Contact [1997] The opening and closing moments of Robert (Forrest Gump) Zemeckis's Contact astonish viewers with the sort of breathtaking conceptual imagery one hardly ever sees in movies these day. Based on Carl Sagan's novel, Contact is exceptionally thoughtful and provocative for a big-budget Hollywood science fiction picture, with elements that recall everything from 2001 to The Right Stuff. Foster's solid performance (and some really incredible alien hardware) keep viewers interested.
The Planets "I missed this series when it was first aired on British television in 1998, so when I discovered the video at Amazon.co.uk, I was intrigued. Everyone generally knows that humankind has walked on the moon, probes have landed on Mars and other distant planets have more than one moon; but what of the Russian expeditions to Venus and the geological make-up of distant worlds that shocked scientists beyond all imagination?" - ([email protected]) from Somerset, England
Entering Space: Creating a Spacefaring... "Compelling, inspirational, imaginative, realistic - it's hard to praise this book enough.
For those of us that like to look beyond the everyday chores of life, and strive for something more, this book shows what could be achieved by us and our descendants. Nothing less than claiming the Galaxy!"
The Case for Mars "As an aerospace engineering student highly interested in space exploration (and wishing to go professional with this also), I really found this book to be a real treat. Definitely was inspiring coming from an author that wishes to advance mankind technologically into the realm of space.. A view that I have concurred with ever since I was in grade school. The book was not just some bored rocket engineer's (or scientist's) science fiction memo, I found his plan extremely plausible and do-able." - a reader from Atlanta, USA
Carrying the Fire: an Astronaut's... "This is the most entertaining and illuminating account of man's early exploration of space that I have read. Collins tells the story in a witty and often poignant way and is not afraid to provide the reader with a 'warts and all' approach to some of the most momentous events of the 20th century. It will be of interest to both students of the subject as well as those who were not born when man first walked upon the moon. I recommend it without reservation. " - A reader from Dorset, England.
PIC Robotics: A Beginner's Guide to... PUT POWERFUL, LOW-COST MICROCHIPS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES INTO HOME-BUILT ROBOTS. Over the past 5 years, dramatic improvements in technologies and significant cost reductions in 8-bit microprocessors have spawned a renaissance in robot building. PIC-BOTICS, from popular electronics hobbies author John Iovine, shows amateur (and professional) electronics enthusiasts how to get in on the fun, using the power of Microchip's versatile 8-bit PIC microprocessor family to build sophisticated robots more cheaply and easily than you thought possible.
Apollo 13
