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John Millen

Starring: Keir Dullea  
Director: Stanley Kubrick  
Year of original release: 1968
Set-up
Famous director Stanley Kubrick's classic science-fiction film is regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. Kubrick based his screenplay on a book by popular sci-fi writer Arthur C Clarke. 
Space Odyssey packs a powerful punch. It deals with a wide range of issues from human evolution to artificial intelligence and from space travel to the possibility of alien life. The film is known for its  stunning visuals and minimum amount of dialogue. It also features a memorable soundtrack. Its classical music score adds to the dramatic power of the visuals.
Plot
 Space Odyssey is divided into four parts. The film opens with the Dawn of Man where an ape-like tribe of early humans struggles for survival. 
Then suddenly, we are taken millions of years into the future, where a space shuttle is transporting a group of scientists to a space station. 
The last two sections of the movie focus on a mission to the planet Jupiter, which leads to unexpected problems and consequences.  
It is a fascinating film which leaves viewers with many mysteries to solve and questions to think about.
First into space
The first human sent into space was Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin. On April 12, 1961 Gagarin flew around the earth once in orbit before landing back in the Soviet Union 90 minutes later. 
Gagarin became a hero both in his homeland and abroad. His flight kicked off a space race between the Soviet Union and the United States. The US put its own first astronaut into space a month later. 
Gagarin died tragically in 1968, when a plane he was flying crashed. With the Russian astronaut's historic journey in orbit around the globe, humanity had finally stepped out into space on its long journey of discovery.
Shenzhou 7
China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Launch Centre in Inner Mongolia on September 25, 2008. It carried astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng. 
Their mission lasted three days. Its highlight was a space walk - on the second day Commander Zhai exited the ship and walked in space waving the Chinese flag. Zhai was tied to the spaceship with strong cables so that he would not float off into space, never to be seen again. His space walk lasted 22 minutes and was broadcast live on television. 
The crew also performed scientific experiments onboard Shenzhou 7. The flight and Zhai's space walk became a landmark in China's ambitious space programme.
Houston, we have a problem!
 Apollo 13 was the third American space mission destined to land on the moon. Commanded by Jim Lovell, the spacecraft was launched from Kennedy Space Centre. Two days later, on their way to the moon, the crew heard a loud bang. At first they thought the ship had been hit by a meteorite. But actually an oxygen tank had exploded, severely damaging Apollo 13's electrical system. 
The flight director back on earth, in Houston, Texas, immediately told  the spaceship's three-man crew to return to earth. The priority became getting them home safely. It was a dangerous ride back. The crew's oxygen supplies were running low and the control system was malfunctioning. Yet they showed great bravery.  
People in the US held their breath as the drama unfolded in space. After an agonising period of uncertainty, the crew of Apollo 13 finally  crashed into  the Pacific Ocean on April 17, 1970. The three  astronauts who died  became international heroes.



2001: A Space Odyssey