SPACE: THE LONGEST GOODBYE
In the next decade, NASA will send astronauts to Mars for the first time. Separated from Earth, and unable to communicate with the ground in real time, crew members will experience extreme isolation that could gravely affect their three-year journey.
This Sundance-premiering documentary follows a savvy NASA psychologist tasked with protecting daring space explorers.
Streaming now on PBS, AppleTV, & Amazon Prime.
Space: The Longest Goodbye explores the human side of spaceflight, going straight to the heart of what it means to be part of NASA’s exploration team. It’s a wonderful glimpse into our world, and features my family (my husband, glass artist Josh Simpson, and our younger son, photographer Jamey Simpson) along with NASA Astronaut Kayla Barron, her family, Matthias Maurer from ESA, and psychologist Al Holland.
— Cady
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ABOUT THE FILM
“Gripping”
“Fascinating”
In the next decade, NASA intends to send astronauts to Mars for the first time. To succeed, crew members will have to overcome unprecedented life-threatening challenges. And while many of these hazards are physical, the most elusive are psychological. Throughout their three-year absence, crew members won’t be able to communicate with Earth in real time due to the immense distance.
The psychological impact of this level of disconnectedness and isolation — both from mission control and loved ones — is impossible to predict and endangers the mission itself. Directed to mitigate this threat is Dr. Al Holland, a NASA psychologist whose job is to keep astronauts mentally stable in space.
“Eye-opening”
Space: The Longest Goodbye follows Holland, astronauts Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer, and former astronaut Cady Coleman, among others, as they grapple with the tension between their dream of reaching new frontiers and their need to stay connected to home. This conflict transcends space travel: how do we balance our quest for progress with the deep connection to our history and each other?
Directed by: Ido Mizrahy
Written by: Ido Mizrahy, Nir Sa'ar
Produced by: Ido Mizrahy, Nir Sa'ar, Valda Witt, Paul Cadieux
