NASA and Discovery have put together a six-part documentary titled "The NASA Missions: When We Left Earth" which uses footage taken by astronauts and other NASA staff. The documentary is released on NASA's half century anniversary. The show is produced in high-definition and will begin airing Sunday June 8th at 9pm on the Discovery Channel and on Discovery Channel HD.

The initial airing will consist of two one-hour episodes consecutively each of three Sundays. It was maybe the last opportunity to fully recover the precious footage, of which the oldest rolls have begun to show some curling at the edges.

The series is narrated by actor Gary Sinise and encompasses the entire NASA activity starting in 1958, with the documentary ending with the recent trips to the International Space Station.

There is also a human touch to the space-oriented show. The many tragedies which hit NASA, the nerve-wrecking work in Mission Control, the filled ashtrays, astronauts relaxing at the beach.

Behind the glamorous successes there are also grim facts and deadly risks. Astronaut John Young tells the story of his incredible crew's survival after a chunk of lightweight insulating foam punched a hole in a wing during ascent. Young says that they were told you could hit the wing leading edge with a baseball bat, and you wouldn’t hurt it, which "wasn't exactly the truth."

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established on July 29, 1958, by the National Aeronautics and Space Act, signed into law by President Eisenhower in order to catch up to the Soviet Union. The act also made the government the exclusive provider of space transport.