Nova: Season 52, Episode 19

52 - 19: Operation Space Station - Part 1

The size of a football field, the International Space Station hurtles around Earth at 17,000 mph, shielding its astronauts from the most hostile environment humans have ever endured. To mark the 25th anniversary of the continuous human presence in space, astronauts and Mission Control insiders reveal the most terrifying moments aboard this remarkable orbiting laboratory, where a single mistake could prove fatal. From ammonia leaks, meteor strikes, and docking disasters, to spacewalk horrors, potentially lethal showers of space junk, and the moment the entire ISS backflipped out of control, NOVA uncovers tales of life and death at 1.3 million feet above our planet – and the human ingenuity and teamwork that each time saved the day.