The six-part documentary series “Between the Stars”. Which follows the journey of experienced astronaut Chris Cassidy. Who returned to the ISS in 2013 after his last visit there. The goal is to fix the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). A $2 billion instrument designed to collect data from stars and planets. Far beyond anything humans has been able to measure in the past. But as with everything related to space exploration, things don’t always go according to plan.
The idea that space travel and concepts like space travel:
Which is still very risky proposals points to spectacular footage of the space voyage that Cassidy and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took in 2013. They had to end their repair mission when water vapour seeped into the sky. Parmitano’s spacesuit helmet, and he nearly drowned.
In 2018, Cassidy was scheduled to board the ISS for the third and final time of the AMS renovation project. He reconnected with Parmitano and two people trained at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. They sank in their spacesuits in a large batch of ISS models; the idea is to reproduce the environment found during the space transition.
But this is the period between the end of the shuttle program and SpaceX/Boeing’s private space program. Which is becoming stable enough to transport astronauts to the ISS. On their first space mission, Parmitano and Drew Morgan must leave before Cassidy to begin repairs. But after the launch of the Soyuz had to be stopped. The launch is pushed out of the AMS repair window. Meaning Cassidy would be in the field and Morgan would be making complex repairs with Parmitano.
Renovations are incredibly complicated:
As evidenced by the tense encounter between the mission team and AMS inventor, MIT professor Samuel Ting. Prof. Ting insists that any repairs not covered should be completed by him first. Still, the team believes this will slow things down beyond the window where they can space travel. However, Ting insisted; AMS is the project and must be up-to-date.
Despite its compelling and chaotic themes. Among The Stars is an exciting watch, especially since director Ben Turner knows the characters. That leads the show’s drama, starting with Cassidy. He’s one of those quiet but intense people. Who have been the backbone of the space program for six decades or more? You could see in his eyes what a privilege it was to go into space. And how much he wanted to come back not only to experience the AMS mission but to support it as well.
Entering Cassidy’s biography as well as the origins of AMS helps put the story in context.
This helps Turner have free access to spectacular footage of various missions, including 2013 when Parmitano nearly drowned. This fills in some areas that would otherwise fill with dull recordings of meetings and other talking heads. And we appreciate that we pointed out some of the tensions that developed between the team and Ting; Despite the admiration, everyone on the mission had for the Nobel Prize winner. They weren’t afraid to mistake him for him if they thought his demands would jeopardize the mission.
What we expect from the rest of the episodes is more spectacular footage. From space and Cassidy’s attempt to climb the ISS, which she returned in 2020.
Among the stars, it tries to pique audiences’ interest with spectacular footage. From space travel and structures that tell more of a character-driven story than any other documentary of its kind.
