Blue Sky Metropolis | KCET
"Blue Sky Metropolis" is the untold story of how aerospace was central to the growth of California and its emergence as an economic power. The documentary mini-series focuses on the people behind the aerospace movement and will feature many of the current major players in the aerospace industry in California, which is the hub of modern day aerospace engineering. The aerospace century will unfold through the lives and words of the men and women who created it: John Northrop, Glenn Martin, Donald Douglas, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Walt Disney and Wernher Von Braun. "Blue Sky Metropolis" is a part of PBS "Summer of Space," a multiplatform experience that includes new science and history programs, all commemorating America’s journey into space.
Full Episodes
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
Blue Sky Metropolis
E1: Wings - Aviation Takes Flight in Early Los Angeles
Episode 1
Aviation takes flight in early Los Angeles, becoming an industry of dreamers, risk takers and entrepreneurs. The region is America’s “arsenal of democracy” during World War II, as two million workers build 300,000 aircrafts.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
Blue Sky Metropolis
E2: The Big Chill - The Cold War Fuels Business and Anxiety
Episode 2
The Cold War and Pentagon dollars fuels the explosive growth of modern Los Angeles and creates the military-industrial-complex.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
Blue Sky Metropolis
E3: A Space Odyssey - Southern California Spearheads Mankind’s Greatest Achievement
Episode 3
This episode traces how The Cold War and Pentagon dollars fund the explosive growth of modern Los Angeles and create the military-industrial-complex.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
Blue Sky Metropolis
E4: Back to the Future - A New Space Age Dawns in Southern California
Episode 4
The end of the Cold War brings massive layoffs but tech billionaires choose Southern California to launch their space companies. Though committed to the “democratization” of space, SpaceX and Virgin Orbit include the Pentagon as a major customer.
Clips & Segments
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
The idea of the Ansari XPrize is one with history that dates back more than a century.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
The day when we could be living in other planets is coming closer and closer, but in the meantime astronaut Garrett Reisman has a few words for us earth dwellers.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
Sue Finley began working at NASA in 1958, the year President Eisenhower announced its creation. As society changed around her, Finley also navigated the complexities of being a woman with a career, in engineering no less.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
In the summer of 1964, Mariner 4 began transmitting images of Mars, but a full picture of the Red Planet is more difficult than what you would think.
- 1 of 4
- next ›
Upcoming Airdates
Articles
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
As the Cold War fizzled out, Hollywood and the entertainment industry eclipsed aerospace as the main industry in Southern California. Yet, the possibilities of space were broadening. Mankind proved that the sky was not the limit it once imagined.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
An ambitious project combines design and futurism to envision what cities might look like on Mars.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
Pilots say there is nothing on earth that can compare to flying. For those who painstakingly restore vintage aircraft, the story begins and history unfolds even before the plane returns to the skies.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
The thought of flight and the consuming power of fire has fascinated mankind for centuries. For the CAL FIRE team, fire and flight go hand in hand.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
After immigrating from Colombia, Diana Trujillo took the long path to becoming an aerospace engineer at JPL, but for the Colombian aerospace engineer, it was worth it.
-
Blue Sky Metropolis
It's hard not to be fascinated JPL's mind-blowing scientific accomplishments. The good news is that you can get a look behind the scenes.
- 1 of 4
- next ›
Suggested Shows Overrides
Suggested Shows
-
“Power and Health” examines the underlying sociological and economic forces that determine our health and how those forces are shaped by power.
Has Episodes -
"City Rising" illuminates the journey of California's neighborhoods advocating for responsible development.
KCET Original Has Episodes -
Prop 13, the campaign to slash property taxes, launched a tax revolt that continues today.
Has Episodes -
Scanning the region, providing seeds of engagement through articles, videos, projects and partners, who are narrating the cultural stories of our region.
"Artbound" explores and illuminates the cultural issues of our times, providing critical in-depth analysis of how the arts and culture affects our society.
KCET Original Has Episodes
Popular Videos
-
On this episode: voting deadline, counting undocumented in the Census and the flu shot.
KCET Original -
Prop 22 makes app-based drivers independent contractors with distinct labor and pay codes.
KCET Original -
Prop 23 would increase state regulation of dialysis clinics.
KCET Original -
Artists created works to spark conversation about L.A. and sustainable futures.
KCET Original -
The Watts Towers Arts Center has been a beacon in the community for almost 60 years, and was born out of the resilience of 1960s Black Los Angeles.
KCET Original
Expiring Soon
-
As Hugh prepares for the operation to donate his kidney to his father, Jim finds it difficult receiving extra attention from the family. Hugh's estranged wife, Harriet, unexpectedly arrives from America, and Ajax tries to win Hayley back.
-
Huell travels to the Mojave Desert's El Mirage Dry Lake, one of the world's best spots for land sailors.
-
Huell visits In-N-Out Burger, which let cameras inside the restaurant for the very first time to shoot this special.
-
Huell travels to the Tehachapi Mountains to visit The Cesar Chavez Foundation.