Films to stream

Astronauts are the ultimate modern heroes – taking unimaginable risks in environments the vast majority of mankind will never visit. Here are five of the best films about them:

2001: A Space Odyssey

(1968) Stanley Kubrick’s epic adaptation of an Arthur C. Clarke short story combines enigmatic symbolism with a brilliant vision of interstellar travel which has set the standard for space movies ever since. Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea are the two astronauts threatened by a homicidal computer as they explore the outer limits.

Capricorn One

(1977) This mother of all conspiracy thrillers focuses on three astronauts who are coerced into faking a landing on Mars without ever leaving Earth. James Brolin, Sam Waterston and O.J. Simpson play the astronauts; Elliott Gould is the journalist who smells a rat.

The Right Stuff

(1983) Philip Kaufman’s historical drama is an enthralling adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s book about the triumphs, reversals and rivalries of the seven men who participated in America’s first manned space programme. Sam Shepard and Ed Harris star.

Apollo 13

(1995) “Houston, we have a problem” is the famous tagline. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton play the astronauts on the ill-fated Moon mission, struggling to make it home after an explosion cripples their craft. The story will be familiar to most, but director Ron Howard manages to infuse it with great tension.

Moon

(2009) This highly imaginative film about a lone astronaut manning a lunar base was the directorial debut of Duncan Jones (once known as Zowie Bowie). Sam Rockwell is the engineer struggling to keep a grip on his sanity, with a robot – voiced by Kevin Spacey – as his only companion.