Marabella Productions: Recent Episodes
Marabella Productions
PBS NOVA scienceNOW
Did an ancient supernova explosion trigger the birth of the solar system? Scientists are finally closing in on evidence that, nearly five billion years ago, a supernova shock wave swept through a cloud of dust and gas and caused it to collapse, eventually forming the sun and the planets. Meteorite hunters have scoured the globe for space rocks containing evidence of this ancient supernova in the form of rare isotopes that could only be created in the intense pressure of a supernova explosion. Working side-by-side with computer modelers, who create dazzling visual simulations of the baby solar system, they have revealed that the death of an enormous star, at least twenty times the mass of our sun, could be responsible for the birth of our own solar system. We also see amazing Hubble images of nebulae where the same cycle is happening today.
1X60 min. documentary, National Geographic Channel
Drilling for natural gas causes a mud volcano in Java. Urban sprawl bolsters microclimates in Atlanta that help strengthen an approaching tornado. Miiners in Newcastle, Australia remove so much coal and water from the earth it causes the most severe earthquake in Australian history. Can a direct link be drawn between human activity and these ‘natural disasters’? The jury is still out. Some geophysicists believe these are examples of man’s capacity for drastically and suddenly awakening the planet’s destructive force, others believe these conjectures are without merit. Does our quest for power and our impulse to build mega-structures come with an unexpected price tag? Certain forward-thinking energy companies and structural engineers are assuming it does, and they’re at the vanguard of a new movement that’s finding ways to generate energy and build big without disrupting the delicate balance of forces below—and above—the earth’s crust.
National Geographic Channel 2009
As far as we know, life is unique to Earth. So how did it come to be? And why here? We’ve all wondered about the origins of life, but one scientist in San Diego believes that he and his mentor found the answer. Dr. Jeffrey Bada at UC San Diego, sheds new light on renowned scientist Stanley Miller’s controversial experiment from a half century ago. Like Miller, Bada recreates conditions on Earth before life began 4 billion years ago. But this time, Bada introduces 21st century technology that Miller could only dream of. While cameras roll, the San Diego scientist mixes up a batch of “primordial ooze,” then, similar to the mythical Dr. Frankenstein, zaps it with a bolt of electricity—“primordial lightning.” The results? Amino acids, the building blocks of all life. It was this stunning experiment that first demonstrated that life could have evolved spontaneously from a combination of chemical processes present on early Earth. Still, how could these amino acids evolve to become bacteria, animals, and eventually humans? How did life start reproducing itself from something that isn’t alive?
National Geographic Channel 2009
Earth Without The Moon reveals the startling fact that the Moon is receding from Earth and is gaining speed each year. The moon is a stabilizing force for Earth, enabling life to originate, evolve, and exist over the last 4 billion years. However, when it recedes just 10% further from Earth, the Earth will tip up to 90 degrees on its axis, creating endless catastrophes. Extreme temperature swings will push oceans to the poles and ice to the equator; massive dust storms and hurricanes will last hundreds of years; rising sea levels will submerge cities like New York and Rio de Janeiro. Without our Moon, life as we know it will perish from the Earth.
Premiere Date: TBD 1X60 min. documentary, National Geographic
Secret World of Fireworks (w.t.) explores the closely held secrets, recipes, and techniques from the world of pyrotechnic showmen. For the first time in this HD special, National Geographic takes a behind the scenes look into this exclusive world with unique access from Zambelli Internationale of New Castle, Pennsylvania – America’s “First Family of Fireworks” – along with rocket scientists and chemists from Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The Science Channel
November 2004
3x60 min. docudrama
Episode #3: Hip Failure
When
disaster strikes, leaving us feeling helpless and out of control,
science is our refuge. Science can explain the unforeseen tragedies
that change our lives, determine what variables led to catastrophe, and
help prevent them in the future. Every day, across the country, failure
analysis experts are using investigative sciences to build a better
tomorrow on lessons learned.
The Science Channel
November 2004
3x60 min. docudrama
Episode #2: Pipeline Fire
When
disaster strikes, leaving us feeling helpless and out of control,
science is our refuge. Science can explain the unforeseen tragedies
that change our lives, determine what variables led to catastrophe, and
help prevent them in the future. Every day, across the country, failure
analysis experts are using investigative sciences to build a better
tomorrow on lessons learned.
ROBOCAR
Discovery Studios/Science Channel
July 14, 2008 10pm ET
6x60 non-fiction series
There are lots of bad drivers out there, but could a car drive itself better than a person?
AMERICA’S LOST H-BOMB
The Science Channel in CO-PRODUCTION with Marabella Productions
August 19, 2007 10pm ET
1x60 min. documentary
In 1958, a nuclear bomb was jettisoned off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Containing 400 pounds of conventional explosives and an undisclosed quantity of highly enriched uranium, the bomb's explosive yield was 100 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. For weeks, the U.S. Navy and Air Force searched for the bomb in the silty waters around Tybee Island. Deemed "irretrievably lost," the 7,600 pound nuclear Tybee bomb is still out there...
BASE CAMP MOON
The Science Channel
May 7, 2007 9pm ET
1x60 min. documentary
It has been more than 30 years since NASA put men on the moon and brought them back. Now, plans are underway to return astronauts to the lunar surface. And this time, it doesn't appear they will be leaving anytime soon.
2007 CINE GOLDEN EAGLE WINNER for OUTSTANDING SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMMING
TRAIL of TERROR: The Story of Pan Am 103
Discovery Channel
November 27, 2006 10pm ET
1x60 min. special
The Story of Pan Am 103 showcases the real-life drama of federal forensic teams. This one-hour special not only features case details, but also reveals the psychology, art, and technology used to make it all possible-- experiencing the investigation through the eyes of those who lived it.
INSIDE NCIS
The National Geographic Channel in CO-PRODUCTION with Marabella Productions
May 30, 2006 9pm ET
1x60 min. pilot
For America's Armed Forces, the war on terror began in a port just off the coast of Yemen. On October 12, 2000, a small boat packed with explosives slams into the USS Cole. 17 American sailors are killed, dozens more critically injured. Finding out who did it, and why, falls to one of the most elite federal law enforcement agencies on the planet. The NCIS' Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
THE SPACE-SHUTTLE: COUNTDOWN TO COMEBACK
Discovery Channel
February 16, 2006 9pm ET
1x60 min. documentary
It has been more than two years since the space shuttle Columbia ripped apart in the Texas sky and fell to the Earth in a shower of hot metal. In the wake of the tragedy, NASA scientists and engineers have been consumed by a single desire...to get America's space program back on track.
GROUNDED ON 9/11
The History Channel, A&E
September 11, 2005 9pm ET
1x60 min. documentary
GROUNDED is the harrowing story of four of the most critical hours in aviation history that begins on 9/11 with nearly 6,5000 planes in the air carrying close to 1,000,000 people and ends with quiet empty skies over a stunned continent.
On a typical day, about 20 aircraft every hour are rerouted to new destinations. On 9/11 controllers rerouted more than 1100 flights in the first 15 minutes after the order is issued - more than one every second - all without further death or injury to hundreds of thousands of passengers and crew at risk that day.
RETURN TO FLIGHT: FIXING THE SPACE SHUTTLE
Discovery Channel
May 15, 2005 8pm ET
1x90 min. doc./reality
In the skies over Texas, the space shuttle Columbia and the seven heroic astronauts on board fall helplessly to the earth in a shower of hot metal. In an instant, the powerful symbol of technological achievement and national pride is reduced to thousands of pieces of smoldering debris. And somewhere among the wreckage lies the uncertain future of human space exploration.
ASTRONAUT DIARIES: REMEMBERING THE COLUMBIA SHUTTLE CREW
The Science Channel
May 14, 2005 9pm ET
1x60 min. documentary
Dave Brown (first from the left) on February 1, 2003 was a first-time astronaut aboard the space shuttle Columbia.. Dave was also an aspiring filmmaker who shot hundreds of hours of the training process leading up to what would become Columbia's final mission. He captured the weeks and months of training that began well before the Columbia shuttle moved to the launch pad. In scenes usually veiled from the public, ASTRONAUT DIARIES reveals the bonds that form among these seven disparate individuals who very soon would become cohesive members of a team of historic explorers.
The Science Channel
November 2004
3x60 min. docudrama
Episode #1: Dust Explosion
When disaster strikes, leaving us feeling helpless and out of control, science is our refuge. Science can explain the unforeseen tragedies that change our lives, determine what variables led to catastrophe, and help prevent them in the future. Every day, across the country, failure analysis experts are using investigative sciences to build a better tomorrow on lessons learned.
The Discovery Channel/Discovery Times Channel
June 2003
1x60 min. documentary
On the morning of February 1, 2003 disaster struck. A stunned nation woke to images of Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrating into a shower of hot metal over the Texas sky. In that instant, millions wondered, "What went wrong?" Only through understanding the daunting and complex challenges faced by engineers and scientists responsible for bringing the shuttle and her crew safely back to earth could this question be answered.
* News and Documentary Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Science, Technology, and Nature Programming