AllMovie

The Discovery Channel's cutting-edge documentary miniseries When We Left Earth systematically (and chronologically) weaves the tale of the American Space Race, from the immediate post-WWII years into the early 20th century. Whereas episode five culminated with the Challenger disaster of January 1986, and discussed the impact it had on successive space travel, the final installment, "Home in Space," moves into the 1990s and beyond, with onscreen discussions of the Hubble telescope and its 1993 repair, the construction of the International Space Station (which commenced in 1998), the Columbia shuttle disaster of 2003, and speculations on what lies ahead in the 21st century.