When the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity touched down on Mars in January 2004, they were expected to drive a few hundred yards and last 90 days. But scientists were wrong; the hardy robots proved to be two of the greatest explorers of the Space Age. Now, 10 years later, one rover is down, but the other refuses to die and continues to send back stunning images and exciting new scientific information. As newer rovers continue to land on the alien planet, we look back at this remarkable journey. (Source: National Geographic Channel)

NGC presents the true story of an unlikely World War II “band of brothers.” The unsuspecting group of scholars, academics, historians and architects headed to the front lines of the bloodiest war in history to rescue thousands of years' worth of European art and culture from Nazi-occupied Europe. Through extensive archive sources and photographs, journals and letter excerpts, along with the personal accounts from surviving family members, this special sheds light on the remarkable story.

A National Geographic documentary about the fascinating and mysterious pre-Columbian Inca lost city of Machu Picchu. Deep in the Andean mountains lays a mysterious ruin named Machu Picchu. For 400 years it sat abandoned on its misty cliff, the quintessential lost city in the jungle. Rediscovered in 1911, it contained no written records or carvings, nothing that could shed light on its history. For a century since, it has defied the endless scores of visitors and scientists who attempted to understand its purpose. Who were the mysterious people who built it and why did they build it here? Today an international team of archeologists, engineers and scientists are finally piecing together the clues. Together they are discovering astonishing new burials, revealing the intricacies of its ingenious engineering and finally decoding the secrets of Machu Picchu.

Guantanamo's Secrets exclusively captures for the first time the day-to-day life of the most famous prison in the world.

The story of the 20-year war between armed robbers and one of the toughest police squads in the UK. With incredible archive footage and testimony from those on both

Mennonite builder Norman and his crew need to get a custom log home built for a client in Colorado before the winter weather stops them cold. As they race against Mother Nature, the build site in Colorado is hit with a flood of biblical proportions, sweeping away homes and lives. The sturdy Mennonite crew takes a journey of faith and craftsmanship to bring another client's vision to life — a Mennonite-made log home.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted In 79 AD, it buried the booming city of Pompeii under tons of debris, sealing the fate of more than a thousand people. But It also sealed the ancient city - preserved it, protected it, like nowhere else on earth. Because of this, archaeologists and historians can clearly describe life in Pompeii up until its final moments. Now see the ancient city as never before with scenes from the motion picture, "Pompeii."

National Geographic Channel is taking viewers around the world—literally—in this spectacular two-hour television event broadcasting LIVE from the International Space Station (ISS) and Mission Control in Houston, Texas. Made in collaboration with NASA, we'll go into orbit with astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata as they fly at 17,500 mph nearly 250 miles above the earth's surface on the International Space Station, while astronaut Mike Massimino joins host Soledad O'Brien on the ground at Mission Control in Houston. From space, Mastracchio and Wakata will give viewers a fully guided tour, showing us how they live for months in microgravity. They’ll conduct never-before-broadcast experiments that demonstrate the real-world value of the science conducted on the floating laboratory. Plus get ready for stunning shots of Earth, from sunset and sunrise, to city lights and green aurora, to lightning storms and shooting stars. You've never seen our planet like this before. [National Geographic]

Through gripping first-person accounts and digitally remastered archival footage, including the soldiers' own home movies and personal audio tapes, Brothers in War recounts the harrowing combat experiences of the men of Charlie Company - one of the last American combat infantry companies to be drafted, trained and sent to fight together in Vietnam. The two-hour special is fittingly narrated by Charlie Sheen, who rose to stardom after his 1986 performance as a Vietnam soldier in "Platoon."

For centuries, sailors have told terrible tales of ferocious underwater monsters. Now, an ultra-modern research crew hopes to catch a glimpse of the ultimate monster: the 12-metre, 200kg giant squid. Lurking some 500 metres below sea level, these real-life krakens are notoriously hard to film - and they have never been shot in their own world. With the team headed by British camera expert and expedition leader Martin Dohrn, the brave souls of the Makaira are hoping to be the first. Equipped with radical night-vision cameras and a custom-built stealth rig known as 'the Gupster', their mission takes them to a giant squid hotspot off the coast of the Azores. With the camera lowered, an astonishing array of curious creatures and super-sized sea serpents loom out of the darkness. Could one of them be the elusive giant squid?

London is burning. German bombs are decimating British homes and the dead lie in heaps. But this Blitz has nothing to do with World War II. This little-known story of a terror bombing campaign on the capital took place during the First World War. For 18 months the carnage was delivered by a machine straight from the pages of science fiction. The Zeppelin, the biggest flying machine ever to have existed, delivered a deadly payload straight to the heart of a nation and, for a time, there was nothing the British could do to stop them. This new kind of terror campaign rewrote the rules of war. For the first time in history, innocent civilians were bombed in their homes in a ruthless attempt to break a nation's morale. This also aired on the following: • Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries - S2013E46 - Attack of the Zeppelins • NOVA - S41E11 - Zeppelin Terror Attack • National Geographic Documentaries - S2014E08 - London's Zeppelin Attacks

Jesus Christ is one of the most famous names in the history of mankind. But Gospel writers left out crucial details about pivotal events in Christ's life - historical moments that have been adapted, embellished and rewritten over the course of hundreds of years. This special re-examines elements of Christ's life and ministry, such as the nativity, the miracles and the crucifixion - questioning basic modern assumptions to reveal some surprising and often shocking details.

Follow three juvenile gators on a fight for survival as they work to outmaneuver their abundant foe in a distressing game of life or death.

Crocs may have outlasted the dinosaurs, but now they face coastal development, dramatically altering their habitats.

What links Adolf Hitler, Heindrich Himmler and a priceless Celtic cauldron recently discovered at the bottom of a lake in Bavaria? In this film an investigation uncovers allegations of mafia involvement, an international fraud trial where millions of dollars are at stake and a forensic discovery that stuns the archaeological world and steers the mystery towards Himmler’s SS shrine at Wewelsburg and Hitler’s obsessive quest for the Holy Grail. This seemingly priceless and beautiful object has brought death and disaster to everyone who has attempted to own it but who did make it and why?

World renowned archaeologists are taking a 21st century approach to ancient history, conducting a forensic investigation into Tutankhamen's cause of death.

There's no denying we are obsessed with our cats. But have you ever wondered why your cat always lands on all fours? Why it purrs? And where it goes when it leaves the cat flap? Secret Life of Cats follows the incredible story of a newborn kitten as it grows into a nimble athletic neighborhood cat.

It was the biggest air and naval fleet in history to take off for France to free Europe from Nazi Germany’s clutches. As World War II entered its fifth year of combat, and despite set-backs in Russia, the power of Germany remained so strong that the Anglo American Allies had to recruit 2 million men all ready to sacrifice their lives. From the Battle of Normandy to the Liberation of Paris, tens of thousands of lives were lost; D-Day Sacrifice recounts the story of the D-Day Landings on 6 June 1944 through the testimonies of those who lived it. Comprised entirely of re-mastered and colourised archive footage, much of it never before seen, the remarkable testimonies of famous individuals like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Erwin Rommel are intertwined with those of anonymous soldiers and citizens, such as film director Samuel Fuller and Eisenhower’s chauffeur, Kay Summersby.

It was the biggest air and naval fleet in history to take off for France to free Europe from Nazi Germany’s clutches. As World War II entered its fifth year of combat, and despite set-backs in Russia, the power of Germany remained so strong that the Anglo American Allies had to recruit 2 million men all ready to sacrifice their lives. From the Battle of Normandy to the Liberation of Paris, tens of thousands of lives were lost; D-Day Sacrifice recounts the story of the D-Day Landings on 6 June 1944 through the testimonies of those who lived it. Comprised entirely of re-mastered and colourised archive footage, much of it never before seen, the remarkable testimonies of famous individuals like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Erwin Rommel are intertwined with those of anonymous soldiers and citizens, such as film director Samuel Fuller and Eisenhower’s chauffeur, Kay Summersby.

Hyena Coast Brown hyena expert Ingrid Wiesel wants to find her favorite study animal, named Tosca, who has disappeared from her home range on Namibia’s Wild West Coast. Ingrid has spent the last 17 years studying brown hyenas–now she must journey deep into Tosca’s world to discover what exactly has forced her to leave her traditional hunting grounds. The story begins with Tosca’s disappearance who, since her birth nine years ago, has been the subject of Ingrid’s studies. Tosca is an efficient and hardworking hunter, and also a successful mother. So when Tosca and her clan disappear from their home range, Ingrid sets off on a journey to find her, traveling deep into the world of brown hyenas. Ingrid’s journey takes her through some of Namibia’s most spectacular landscapes: down the wild coastal beaches which are popular resting and breeding sites for thousands of Cape fur seals; across the great dunes of the Namib desert; and into the abandoned mining town of Elizabeth Bay, a ghost town which has been deserted for 60 years but whose crumbling empty buildings now provide ideal shelter for brown hyenas. Central to Ingrid’s search for Tosca is a mission to understand why hyenas are abandoning their hunting grounds on the beach. A discovery of a mass seal die-off provides vital evidence that the ecosystem here is changing. Global warming is affecting ocean temperatures here and with that the seal population – the very food that coastal brown hyenas depend on. Despite their remote setting, these animals are being hit hard by climate change in ways that no one could have predicted.

This is the untold story of a Nazi vision, that went far beyond the military conquest of European countries. As part of their crazed dream to create a thousand-year Reich they developed detailed blueprints for Aryan settlements and vast hunting parks for ‘Aryan’ animals. Goering and Himmler employed Germany’s best scientists to launch a hugely ambitious programme of genetic manipulation to change the course of nature itself, both in the wild and for domestic use. In a fascinating blend of politics and biology, Hitler's Jurassic Monsters is the true and asthonishing story of how the Nazis tried to take control of nature and change the course of evolution.

Following the gruesome murder of a Californian family in 2003, police are pretty sure the killer is Vincent Brothers – but his alibi places him over 3,000 kilometres away from the scene of the crime. Using an unusual tactic developed in Scotland in 1935, investigators turned to ‘insect analysis’ for help. How did bugs found in Brothers’ rental car prove to be the vital ‘silent witnesses’ in this extraordinary case?

Elizabeth I War On Terror Summer 1586 is England’s darkest hour. A terrorist cell of Catholic extremists is planning to kill Elizabeth and install the Queen of Scots on her throne. One man stands in the way: Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster and security chief. So why was this dangerous prince of spies so dedicated to his Queen and country? In this tense documentary we’ll explore new visual evidence that will transform our understanding of Walsingham’s dark world.

Nat Geo's Top 10 Photos gives viewers a front-row seat as photographers reveal the hard work, perseverance, and luck involved in capturing that one-in-a-million shot.

GENERATION ASTRONAUT is a groundbreaking documentary special that sees ordinary men and women from across the globe competing against each other for the chance to live the dreams of a generation. Following more than 100 winners from over 60 countries as they strive to win one of 23 tickets to space aboard the Lynx shuttle in 2015, GENERATION ASTRONAUT showcases a week of intense competition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, under the tutelage of a judging panel including legendary astronaut, Buzz Aldrin. This one-hour programme follows the hopes and dreams of the recruits as they bid to earn the journey of a lifetime - and make history.

England's Kind Edward I just crushed the infamous Scottish braveheart William Wallace and claimed all of Scotland as England territory. But Wallace's death only ignited a flame within the heart of Scottish outlaw Robert the Bruce. Robert gathered his men and waged war against England, capturing every English-held castle in Scotland, except one — Stirling Castle near the Bannock Burn. NGC tells the story of the pivotal campaign at Sterling Castle and how it held the key to Scotland's future.

Australian adventurers Cas & Jonesy battle alligators, deadly snakes, fatigue and each other in search of a lost trail through Georgia's infamous Okefenokee Swamp. The fearless world-record-setting duo have conquered the South Pole and crossed the treacherous Tasman Sea in a kayak but tackling the Okefenokee brings new and unfamiliar challenges. Hostile spirits - the ghosts of long-dead Native Americans - are said by the locals to roam dark corners of the wetlands and Cas and Jonesy must go.

He’s been living surrounded by domesticated lions for years. Kevin Richardson lies down with them, pets them, takes care of them and travels long distances along with them. Convinced that animals cannot be domesticated through stick and chain strikes, he’s been using other techniques since their tender childhood to get in touch with them. The compassion, trust and even love he feels for those animals - considered as the most dangerous of the world - enabled him to create his own language. He claims an instinctive approach of those animals which led to the fusional relationship they share. This documentary takes you into the intimacy of this astonishing, “extra-ordinary” relationship. In South Africa, where wild beasts are the victims of poachers and dream sellers, Kevin tries to denounce those downward slides and protect the kings of savanna he knows better than anyone else because they are wrongly threatened.

At 165 pounds, and allegedly made from the skins of 160 donkeys, the Codex Gigas is the world's largest and most mysterious medieval manuscript. Filled with satanic images and demonic spells, according to legend, the cursed text sprang from a doomed monk's pact with the Devil. Now, Nat Geo follows a team of scientists as they embark on an unprecedented quest to unravel the secrets behind the book's darkened pages. Using ultra-violet fluorescence imaging, handwriting analysis and a re-creation of the text, forensic document experts attempt to uncover the cryptic truth behind this ancient Devil's Bible. The Devil’s Bible is so huge that it requires at least two people to carry it. Once considered the eighth wonder of the world, the Codex Gigas stretches three feet long and weighs a hundred and sixty-five pounds. It is the only book that places the Old and New Testaments alongside violent, holy incantations. The Codex Gigas contains one full page – right opposite the devil portrait – of a towering Heavenly City. Although no people can be seen in the Heavenly City, it is a symbol of hope and salvation, a contrast to the portrait of the devil on the opposing page. The Codex Gigas includes mystical medical formulas for anything from treating ailments such as fevers and epilepsy to resolving practical problems such as finding a thief. The book's transfer to Prague in 2008 took a year of planning. It was insured for $15.1 million during the transfer. The Devil’s Bible has 600 pages, which is 310 parchment leaves, all made from donkey skins.

The extraordinary untold story of the heroism and sacrifice of the NYPD’s elite rescue squad - the Emergency Service Unit - on 9/11. New York City’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) is a unique institution in law enforcement; not only is it the busiest Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team in America, the ESU is also one of the top urban rescue units in the world. Indeed it is often said when New Yorkers are in trouble they call the NYPD, and when the NYPD is in trouble they call the ESU. The vital role played by the ESU on 9/11 has long been overlooked, but now for the first time - using previously unseen archive material and moving first-hand testimony – we tell the truly inspirational story of the 9/11 rescue cops.

The extraordinary untold story of the heroism and sacrifice of the NYPD’s elite rescue squad - the Emergency Service Unit - on 9/11. New York City’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) is a unique institution in law enforcement; not only is it the busiest Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team in America, the ESU is also one of the top urban rescue units in the world. Indeed it is often said when New Yorkers are in trouble they call the NYPD, and when the NYPD is in trouble they call the ESU. The vital role played by the ESU on 9/11 has long been overlooked, but now for the first time - using previously unseen archive material and moving first-hand testimony – we tell the truly inspirational story of the 9/11 rescue cops.

9/11: Voices from the Air recalls the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 via radio transmissions between the cockpit and the control tower, and through cellphone calls between passengers and their loved ones. Along with archival film, dramatic re-creations and interviews with air traffic controllers, military personnel and the relatives of those on the planes, the documentary takes a new look at the confusion and terror of the morning's events.

Dust and dunes, sun and sand: the parched landscapes of Namibia in southwest Africa are extreme in every way. This Terra Mater Factual Studios production tells the fascinating story of how the largest animals on our planet survive in the oldest and most inhospitable desert on earth. Ephemeral rivers support a stunning diversity of mega fauna in Namibia’s arid areas: elephants as well as giraffes, baboons, antelopes and lions. Spectacular aerials and a fantastic scenery, amazing animal behaviour and stunning timelapse sequences, impressive images and an exciting narrative – this is Wild Namibia.

9/10: The Final Hours takes us moment by moment through the day before everything changed, before the “war on terror” became a part of the world's everyday vernacular. We'll hear from those who worked inside the World Trade Center, whose snap decisions resulted in narrow misses of the attack, as well as men and women who confronted the terrorist mastermind of the operation, Mohamed Atta, during his sudden — and still unexplained —detour to Portland, Maine.

9/11 survivor Pasquale Buzzelli tells his amazing story of riding a blizzard of falling debris from a 22nd floor stairwell – and the science behind his bewildering survival.

They came from around the globe, drawn to New York in search of a new life and a better future. Ten years on, survivors and relatives of the lost talk about how they've rebuilt their lives in the shadow of 9/11.

On December 7, 1941 Japanese forces attack United States military installations in and around Pearl Harbor, thus bringing the US into World War II.

Powell. McChrystal. McCaffrey. Petraeus. Clark. For the first time, National Geographic Channel gathers the nation's leading war generals for an unprecedented look at 50 years of military history, from the Vietnam War to America's war on Al-Qaeda. The two-hour special American War Generals reveals never-before-heard stories and insightful opinions from eleven active and retired U.S. Army generals. Their accounts take us through the big changes that have transformed the U.S. military from the first troops to enter Vietnam to the last combat troops to exit Afghanistan, explaining the critical personal experiences that shaped their lives and the way they approached modern warfare.

The Chinese snub-nosed monkey was one of the least documented species of its kind ... until now. Once believed extinct, renewed scientific interest in this shy creature with its strange snub of a nose has revealed that the monkey lives within a complex multileveled society, an uncommon trait among nonhuman primates. Come along for the journey around China's mountainous central and southwest regions as we investigate the mysteries behind these beautiful monkeys.

The Giant Panda is one of the world's most iconic bears, but they are also critically endangered. Now the race is on to save them from extinction. Follow the incredible journey of breeding a panda in captivity, to its dramatic release into the wild. We will witness firsthand the groundbreaking initiative to increase the panda population and raise awareness about this endangered species.

This is Adolf Hitler as we’ve never seen him before — through the eyes of his mistress, Eva Braun. From 1937 to 1944, Braun shot a series of remarkable amateur movies that take us into the inner sanctum of the Third Reich — Hitler’s chalet, the Berghof, the veritable decision center of the Nazi regime.

October 14th 2013 was the 70th anniversary of an event that shook the Nazi party to its core, when the Jewish prisoners at Sobibor, a Nazi death camp in Poland staged a bloody break out. Through brutally honest dramatisations and compelling first hand testimony, travel back with some of the last remaining survivors to reveal their extraordinary stories of courage, desperation and determination.

In deepest Siberia, two American scientists are on a mission, to expose the secrets of the woolly mammoth. Their search will lead them to one of the greatest mammoth finds ever uncovered.

Join us to explore the planets that are beyond our solar system.We'll also meet some scientists and understand their plans for NASA's Kepler mission. Based on the latest scientific results and deep space observations, two planets are identified to represent statistically likely celestial bodies capable of supporting life and are subsequently named Aurelia and Blue Moon.

For nearly 70 years, the tunnel allowing 76 allied airmen to flee from a POW camp in Poland has remained undisturbed. Now a crack team of engineers and historians are out to reveal its hidden secrets. A crack team of engineers and historians continue to unravel the secrets hidden in the tunnel that allowed 76 allied airmen to flee from a WWII POW camp in Poland.

What if the Apollo 11 astronauts had been unable to leave the moon as planned? What stroke of luck allowed the safe return of Apollo 13? NGC reveals the make-or-break moments you didn't see.. In July 1969, 600 million people around the world watched Neil Armstrong become the first human being to set foot on another planet. Apollo 11's mission and the five moon landings that followed were the most costly and dangerous single expeditions ever undertaken by any government at any time in history. For those who volunteered for the job, the risk of death was many times greater than a tour of duty in Vietnam. In all, 24 men ventured a quarter-million miles from home, relying on just a single engine. These are the untold stories of Apollo: the rarely remembered breakthroughs, harrowing escapes and heartbreaking disasters. Neil Armstrong also carried a small National Geographic flag when he became the first person ever to step onto the surface of the moon.

Arguably more than any other event, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent collapse of communist rule across Eastern Europe set the scene for the 1990s — and David Hasselhoff was there to witness history in the making. With the 25th anniversary approaching, Hasselhoff vs. the Berlin Wall takes viewers on an incredible, personal journey back to Berlin, retracing the wall's history, meeting the people who lived in its long shadow and examining the fate of the wall's final remnants.

On November the 12th, millions of miles from Earth, a spacecraft will make history by attempting to land on an icy rock nearly three-miles across, hurtling through space at 41,000 mi/hr. An international team of scientists will work around the clock to make sure the orbiter Rosetta, and lander Philae, will survive the journey to accomplish their mission. If successful, Rosetta and Philae could help peer into our past and unlock secrets from our very origins. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Alcatraz was a high security prison built with concrete and steel on an island surrounded by the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. For almost 30 years Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was the countries toughest prison and a living hell for the high risk and high profile trouble makers men like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and the Birdman Robert Stroud. It’s a prison where every inmate learns one thing, there is no way out.

In an unprecedented partnership, NGC along with The Public Good Projects and NIH, America’s foremost scientific authority, will draw the nation’s attention to the science of sleep — a topic fundamental to our collective well-being.

"Area 51: X Files" utilizza documenti declassificati della CIA per presentare un documentario autorevole e attendibile. Tralasciando speculazioni e leggende metropolitane, il programma si concentra su quanto accade realmente nell'area test conosciuta nell'immaginario collettivo come Area 51. Questa è la vera storia di Groom Lake, il sito segreto dove i progetti Oxcart, Grudge, Sign, U-2, A-12, SR71, HAVE BLUE, F117 Nightawk e Raptor F22 hanno preso vita. Il luogo dove è nata e si è sviluppata la supremazia aerea statunitense dalla guerra fredda ai giorni nostri. Un racconto avvincente fatto raccogliendo le testimonianze di chi era impiegato in prima persona.

In this one-hour special, National Geographic Channel explores the Bermuda Triangle's ominous reputation by draining the water from it to see what exactly lies below the surface of the mythical triangle. With the aid of data from sophisticated sonar surveys, see what the ocean floor looks like below the Bermuda Triangle.

Sherri and her extreme outdoor catering company are hired to cook a gourmet meal off the grid in the wilds of Alaska for a high-end client with a taste for adventure.

This hard-hitting and in-depth special examines the medications Hitler was taking, how much he took and how often, and whether drugs played a role in his behavior and actions.

Gold is the oldest precious metal known to man and has long been the ultimate symbol of immortality and power. Throughout history, gold's scarcity and value has driven men to journey to unknown reaches, wage wars, conquer kingdoms and sacrifice all in the quest to find and possess it. National Geographic explores how man's endless search for gold across time and cultures ultimately shaped our civilization.

In Colombia and the Caribbean, American DEA special agents put the ultimate crackdown on billion-dollar drug cartels, risking their lives in the process.

Ten years after one of the most deadly tsunamis ever known, scientists are making a shocking discovery. Experts used to believe that the biggest killer waves were only generated in a handful of regions, but mounting evidence now suggests that more of the world’s coasts, from the Mediterranean to Australia, could be in grave danger. But where will the next Big One strike?