Explore the BBC archive Online

Relive the drama of past space missions and discover a wealth of space science interviews

The short, summer nights are a good time to trawl through space programmes in the BBC archive. Stretching back over decades, there are classic moments aplenty, from James Burke’s live reaction to Apollo 13’s safe return, to a vintage Sky at Night episode where Sir Patrick Moore met Pluto’s discoverer Clyde Tombaugh.

Horizon gives us 1966’s ‘Man in Space’ on the everyday life of NASA’s astronauts, a 1981-era ‘Race to Ruin’ on space weaponry, and an interview with cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. A 1969 Panorama looks at Moon mission costs, while a 1987 Tomorrow’s World covers the ‘Race to Mars’. bbc.co.uk/archive/collections

▲ Dip into the BBC vaults and discover landmark broadcasts from the Space Race and beyond