James May at the Edge of Space
Encyclopedia
James May at the Edge of Space is a British
documentary in which television presenter James May
came close to fulfilling his lifelong dream to be an astronaut by flying to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2
spy plane. It was first aired on BBC Four
on 21 June 2009 as part of commemorations of the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing
, and tied in with another May documentary an hour earlier on BBC Two
called James May on the Moon
.
The programme followed May's three days of training with the United States Air Force
at Beale Air Force Base
in which he practised safety drills and learnt how to use a space suit correctly. With training complete, he was taken on a three-hour flight reaching an altitude of over 70000 feet (21,336 m), piloted by instructor pilot Major John "Cabi" Cabigas.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
documentary in which television presenter James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
came close to fulfilling his lifelong dream to be an astronaut by flying to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
spy plane. It was first aired on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
on 21 June 2009 as part of commemorations of the 40th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
, and tied in with another May documentary an hour earlier on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
called James May on the Moon
James May on the Moon
James May on the Moon is a British documentary in which James May commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings. It was first aired on BBC Two on 21 June 2009 and on 10 November 2009 on BBC America in the United States....
.
The programme followed May's three days of training with the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
at Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
in which he practised safety drills and learnt how to use a space suit correctly. With training complete, he was taken on a three-hour flight reaching an altitude of over 70000 feet (21,336 m), piloted by instructor pilot Major John "Cabi" Cabigas.