ONCE UPON A TIME IN SPACE

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published July 13, 2026 at 12:55 PM PDT

Daniel Tani's spacewalk with Hi Mom note, Astronaut Dan Tani wrote the "Hi Mom!" note while on board the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 16 in 2007.

Stream with KPBS+ / Premieres Tuesdays, July 14 - Aug. 4, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS

Drawing on intimate, unseen archive and powerful first-hand testimony, this landmark 4-part series tells the human stories behind our quest to explore space, offering a unique perspective on our changing world and where we are headed.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Become a KPBS sponsor

EPISODE 1: "America First" premieres Tuesday, July 14 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - With the dawn of the Space Shuttle, the U.S. gains ground on their Cold War rivals. A pioneering class of astronauts takes flight, but when tragedy strikes NASA are left reeling.

Anna Fisher, the first mother in space, and her daughter Kristin reflect on what it’s like to be an astronaut while at the same time raising a young child. Kristin considers the magnitude of her mother’s achievements, while Anna feels the weight of responsibility of being a female pioneer.

EPISODE 2: "The Russian Thing" Premieres Tuesday, July 21 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - When the Soviet Union falls, Russia welcomes US astronauts to their space station Mir. But co-operation between former the Cold War enemies is threatened by a run of disasters onboard.

Russian cosmonaut Alexander ‘Sasha’ Lazutkin and U.S. astronaut Michael Foale recall the terrifying moment an out-of-control vessel struck the Soviet space station Mir. Together, they fought to save themselves and the station, but the reaction they received when they finally made it back home to their respective countries was very different.

EPISODE 3: "Politics Always Wins" Premieres Tuesday, July 28, at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - The Mir’s reign in space comes to an end with the arrival of the International Space Station. A new dawn of co-operation awaits, offering hope for a divided world.

Tasked with assessing the future viability of Russia’s aging space station Mir, rookie cosmonaut Sergei Zalyotin spends two months aboard, carrying out critical repairs. He recalls how, after a long week of work, the crew would enjoy a glass or two of cognac.

EPISODE 4: "Friends Forever" Premieres Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV - Far from their home planet, astronauts living aboard the ISS face the emotional realities of isolation. When war breaks out on Earth, relationships are tested and the future of international cooperation in space is thrown into question.

Astronaut Terry Virts reflects on the profound impact of seeing Earth from the Cupola, the seven-windowed observatory module on the International Space Station. Hailed by the New York Times as “a new window that forever changed our view of Earth,” the Cupola’s panoramic views have allowed astronauts from across the globe to marvel at our home planet.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Ronald McNair poses in a beret with the 360 camera he used to capture footage of the first ever untethered spacewalk by Bruce McCandless, during Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41B.

Watch More Clips:
Jerry’s Letter to His Son From Space
Culture Clash
The Collision That Sent the Soviet Space Station Tumbling
"That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Watch On Your Schedule: KPBS+ is a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.

You can also tune in live to watch our four TV channels in real time: KPBS, KPBS 2, Create, KPBS Kids 24/7. We also added a new channel - FNX (First Nation Experience).

Anna Fisher suiting up for training on a mock up section of the Hubble Space Telescope, May 1980.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN SPACE

Tags

Fact-based local news is essential