About this project

Welcome and thanks for your time! Our short documentary was accepted and launched for a brief run on this Kickstarter website, which supports creative projects in a format designed to receive funding globally. There is no investing, no donations. Just rewards packages ranging from $25 to $10K that assist in reaching our $25K funding goal. By August 1, 2011, with your support, we hope to reach our funding goal. It's all or nothing. That's how Kickstarter works.

For as little as $25 you can receive a HD Digital Download of our documentary with your name in the closing credits. On the right side are full descriptions of the items being offered in each of our unique rewards packages. Here's why we hope you'll pledge a rewards package that will help support our documentary.

I first met Tony England in 1998 when I interviewed him for a recruiting video that I was writing, directing and producing for the University of Michigan. Tony left  NASA in 1988 to become a faculty member at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Between takes of describing how he loves teaching and giving his students research, travel, and NASA internship opportunities, I asked Tony questions about his own background at NASA. Being the down-to-earth and humble person that he is, Tony was more interested in singing the praises of his students than reveling in some of his amazing past experiences as an Apollo and Space Shuttle astronaut at NASA.

For those of you who loved Ron Howard’s movie “Apollo 13,” do you remember the scene where the astronauts were breathing in too much carbon dioxide and mission control had to come up with a procedure for the astronauts to assemble a filter device from a bunch of parts in their capsule? Tony was the astronaut at mission control assigned to solve that problem with the Crew Systems Division. Tony wrote the procedures and read them to the Apollo 13 astronauts as they assembled the makeshift filter that basically kept them alive until they made it back to Earth safely in their damaged spacecraft.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Tony on two more recruiting videos, and the great pleasure of meeting with him socially a couple of times a year for the past several years. Working or meeting socially with Tony is always a special occasion because while growing up in New York City I had, and still have, passion for anything related to NASA and space science. I lived a few blocks from the Hayden Planetarium and went to every space show. I still watch meteor showers throughout the year.

For the past several years, Tony and I have discussed the possibility of making a documentary about his years at NASA. That opportunity finally manifested at the end of 2010 when we started working on the project. “Last of the APOLLO ASTRONAUTS”  will include fascinating stories, film footage, and still images of what it was like being one of the last crew members of the NASA Apollo Space Program, then a member of the NASA Space Shuttle Program. You’ll hear about the ups and downs at NASA, how Tony is still involved with NASA through his research and teaching Space and Atmospheric Sciences, and where he sees the US headed with space exploration. "I hope to encourage a public discussion of NASA's future. Maybe my story will encourage young people to follow their dreams."

With your support we hope to raise the funds needed to complete our project in time to submit it to the major film festivals this coming Fall then, if accepted, premiere it at either the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, or Ann Arbor Film Festival in early 2012. If we exceed our funding goal, we will then have funds to promote and distribute the project nationally and internationally.

Please take a minute to review our rewards listed in the pledge column. It would be great to have an opportunity to meet you here in Ann Arbor over dinner, at the special pre-release theatrical screening, the world premiere, or even in your hometown. By clicking on the green "BACK THIS PROJECT" tab on the top right column you can choose any of our rewards packages. We appreciate your support through our rewards packages and for emailing this link to any of your friends.

Thanks again for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

Alec Friedman