The Pathfinders (2017)

JPL

The Pathfinders (2017) poster

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.

Director: Blaine Baggett
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 62 min
Release Date:

Screenplay

Editing: Arthur Hurley
Original Language: en

Keywords

planet mars, nasa, space exploration, jpl

More Films by Director: Blaine Baggett
More Films in Genre: Documentary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Pathfinders about?
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.
Who directed The Pathfinders?
The Pathfinders was directed by Blaine Baggett.
How long is The Pathfinders?
The Pathfinders has a runtime of 1h 2m (62 minutes).
What genre is The Pathfinders?
The Pathfinders is a Documentary film.