10 Best Documentaries On Space

Space is just one of those things that are incredibly interesting to learn about, as well as to gaze up at. It is very easy to be in awe of something so vast, interesting and downright beautiful. Movies set in space tend to become cult classics, thanks in part because we are fascinated with it.

If you fancy a little armchair space exploration then you cannot go with a good documentary. Here are our 10 best space documentaries, in no particular order.

1. Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, 2017

2. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, 2014

Neil deGrasse Tyson presents, in a way that only he can, the latest discoveries concerning time and space. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is a follow-on from the Cosmos series presented by Carl Sagan. The series as a whole is eminently binge-worthy, and it is worth watching the whole set.

Tyson explains the universe in a way that is not just fascinating but is also entertaining. This documentary earned 4 Emmy awards on its initial broadcast.

3. The Planets, 2019

Brian Cox has an infectious enthusiasm for all things space and the English physicist takes the viewer on a 5 episode journey through our solar system. The Planets focuses solely on the history of the planets in our little corner of the universe.

This is one of the best documentaries to learn about the planets, thanks in large part to Brian’s knack of being able to explain the most complex of mechanisms that are at work in the birth and development of the planets.

4 The Last Man on the Moon, 2014

Written by Mark Craig, The Last Man on the Moon chronicles the Apollo 17 mission and Gene Cernan, an astronaut a part of the last mission where humans walked on the moon. This documentary is slightly different than others of its kind because it focuses on the pressures put on an astronaut, and their family.

This is an engaging story about just what it takes to be an astronaut. Best of all, it's being told by a person that has actually been on the moon.

5 Death Dive to Saturn, 2017

Saturn is one of the most intriguing natural objects in our night sky. Viewing the planet through a telescope is always a highly memorable sight. Death Dive to Saturn focuses on the probe Cassini, and the 13 years it spent observing Saturn up close.

At the end of its mission, it made a final descent into the atmosphere of Saturn – its death dive.   The documentary follows the team at the Jet Propulsion Lab that was responsible for Cassini's final voyage into the gaseous planet.

6  Exoplanets: Thousands of New Worlds, 2019

Exoplanets do not emit any light of their own and their 'home star' does an excellent job of hiding them with huge amounts of luminosity. It's because of this that detecting exoplanets, that are light-years away, is so difficult.

Exoplanets: Thousands of New Worlds follows a few of the scientists that have helped develop tools, techniques and software that allow other scientists to discover new exoplanets. If there was a chance to find life in worlds other than our own, this documentary explains how astronomers would do it.

7 Challenger: The Final Flight, 2020

A 4 part series of documentaries, Challenger: The Final Flight focuses on the doomed Space Shuttle Challenger and the fatal crash in 1986. The tragedy that saw the deaths of 7 NASA astronauts deeply affected the United States space program at every level.



It is important to look back at events like these, as we remind ourselves of the risks and inherent dangers of space travel.

8 Alien Worlds, 2020

Alien Worlds is a 4 part documentary series. The series explores the various ways life might be able to develop on exoplanets. For instance, if life developed in a world with 2 suns then what would it look like?

The documentary follows astrobiologists, ecologists, astronomers etc. that are researching just how life works here on Earth and what it might look like elsewhere if the same laws for life were applied to other planets.

9 NOVA: Blackhole Apocalypse, 2018

A clickbait title to be sure, but NOVA: Blackhole Apocalypse is an interesting watch. The cosmic behemoths that lurk within star systems are nothing short of fascinating. PBS, the producers, do a great job of explaining just how these giant vacuums work.

This documentary goes back to the very first discovery of black holes, to the detection of gravitational waves after two black holes merged.

10 IMAX: Hubble, 2010

The Hubble Space Telescope is, without doubt, the single most valuable possession humans have built (including the ISS). IMAX: Hubble is a documentary that celebrates the wide-ranging impact the telescope has had on the way people perceive our galaxy.

Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, the documentary provides insight into the functioning of the telescope, using mesmerising visuals to great effect.