Overview

Released in 2012, this 52-minute public television documentary reveals the motivations, struggles and ultimate triumphs of the people designing and building the most elaborate ground-based astronomical observatory ever, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The program documents some of the first observations made by the telescope, foreshadowing the scientific rewards that will be its heritage. Filmed on three continents--and at altitudes ranging from sea level to 16,500 feet--the film features breathtaking views of Chile's remote Atacama Desert, and demonstrates the lengths to which humans will go to understand the universe they call home.