HBO’s forgotten miniseries aged perfectly: Hanks produced Apollo’s story before Band of Brothers
A different Apollo story
From the Earth to the Moon takes its title from Jules Verne’s 1865 science-fiction novel. The 1998 series follows the Apollo program, which NASA ran during the 1960s and 1970s.
Tom Hanks produced the miniseries with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Michael Bostick. Its 12 episodes portray astronauts and missions through dramatized stories, supported by visual effects from Ernest D. Farino.
Missions from many perspectives
Hanks introduces each episode before the story shifts into the astronauts’ missions. Different perspectives allow the installments to explore a range of themes alongside the dangers of spaceflight.
One episode highlighted in the series is “The Original Wives Club,” the 11th installment, directed by Sally Field. It focuses on the astronauts’ wives and the strain of living with the risks their husbands faced.
The pressure beyond the missions
The episode also examines the public-facing roles of the wives and the pressure they experienced during the Apollo program. Its domestic focus offers a view of the era beyond the astronauts’ work.
The series pairs those personal experiences with its accounts of risky missions. That combination gives From the Earth to the Moon a broader focus than the space flights alone.
Key points
- From the Earth to the Moon is a 12-part HBO miniseries from 1998.
- Tom Hanks produced the series with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Michael Bostick.
- The episodes depict NASA’s Apollo program during the 1960s and 1970s.
- Sally Field directed “The Original Wives Club,” which centers on astronauts’ wives.