Japan’s Atomic Bomb

Today on Discovery Enterprise we examine some intriguing evidence that the   Japanese developed their own atomic bomb and  detonated it days before they surrendered?

Since the end of the Second World War, conventional wisdom claimed that Imperial Japan was years away from building an atomic weapon. Today’s documentary feature shatters that view.

Engineering an Empire – Greece

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the third episode of the acclaimed documentary series Engineering an Empire that highlights the engineering and architectural achievements of some of history’s greatest civilizations and the empires they created.

The third instalment of this series highlights the amazing engineering accomplishments of the Ancient Greeks.

Prehistoric Park - A Mammoth Undertaking

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the second episode of the documentary series Prehistoric Park featuring British wildlife presenter Nigel Marven throwing himself into the ultimate challenge: going back in time to rescue prehistoric animals from extinction and bringing them back to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary.

In the second instalment of Prehistoric Park Nigel Marven undertakes the Mammoth task of capturing and saving the Woolly Mammoth.

Antarctica

Last Friday my good friend and co-blogger Ralph Buttigieg posted an interesting news item concerning the first unassisted expedition to and from the South Pole by the Australian team of James Castrission and Justin Jones and a separate venture by the Norwegian Aleksander Gamme.

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present this breathtaking IMAX documentary film which takes us to a continent beyond imagination - Antarctica. 

NASA's Day of Remembrance

Today on Discovery Enterprise we join with NASA in a Day of Remembrance  to honor the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews, as well as other members of the NASA family who lost their lives supporting the agency's missions.

NASA's Day of Remembrance 

One Small Step - The Australian Story

Today on Discovery Enterprise, in order to mark the occasion of Australia Day and as my own personal salute and tribute to my good friend and co-blogger Ralph Buttigieg,  I would like to present the documentary One Small Step - The Australian Story.

Forty years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, this one-hour documentary explores the front-line role Australian radio astronomers and technicians performed in bringing to the world Neil Armstrong’s "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

Success !

We mention James Castrission and Justin Jones Antarctica expedition a while ago. They have succeeded in being the first (with Norwegian Aleksander Gamme ) to travel unassisted and back to the South Pole. :

'We're shattered, physically, mentally and emotionally,'' a slurring Castrission said over a scratchy line, in their first interview since arriving at Hercules Inlet on the coast of Antarctica that lies closest to South America, about 1000 kilometres to their north.And yet still their travails are not quite over. For when the Russian plane scheduled to pluck them to safety came over, it could not land because of dangerous winds and poor light, and was not even able to drop fresh supplies.The lack of supplies was particularly significant because since day 36 the two - who first came to fame in 2008 by becoming the first to paddle a kayak from the east coast of Australia to the west coast of New Zealand - have been on half-rations every second day, and have lost 50 kilograms between them.''We're absolutely starving,'' Castrission said simply, while Jones was out and about, trying to put markers out for the aeroplane to make a second attempt to land in perhaps 12 hours' time. ''All I want right now is a big meat pie with loads of tomato sauce and a big beer in my hand … but that is still a long way away,'' he said.For much of their journey it was, in fact, touch and go as to whether they would be able to make it.''The absolute worst of it,'' Castrission said, ''was early on, when I fell into a crevasse, and had that sickening feel of complete nothingness beneath my feet. It completely scared the bejesus out of me, and I realised the enormity of what we were trying to do.''

Like the first expedition to the South  Pole this journey turned out to be a race as Aleksander Gamme was also completing a similar expedition.  However this time the ending was very different from the Scott /Amundsen expeditions. Mr Gamme waited until the Australians arrived and they reached the finish together.