Director Tom Jennings (who previously documented the Challenger explosion and Princess Diana) is relying on a few uncommon technological tricks to enrich the experience. He's melding NASA footage with Apollo black box recordings, for example, and is syncing 30-track audio from Mission Control. The aim is to create an "Apollo-era time machine," Jennings said. Not that there won't be some additional drama -- Hans Zimmer and Russel Emanuel have composed a soundtrack that blends orchestral pieces with "electronically manipulated" sounds of 1960s space exploration, including the Apollo and Sputnik programs.

National Geographic hasn't provided a specific air time for Apollo, but it'll be part of a broader Space Week that includes two new Apollo 11-focused specials (Apollo: The Ultimate Experience and Armstrong: The Enigma) as well as repeats of shows covering the Challenger disaster, New Horizons, Cassini and Rosetta. You're going to get your fill of space exploration history, then, even if the first Moon landing isn't enough.