Excerpt:
The U.S. may not have an operating space shuttle program at the moment, but the new
animated series on KCET, “Space Racers,” could help inspire the next generation of
astronauts and space plane engineers.
The new series, which debuts on Saturday, takes a page from Disney’s “Cars” and “Planes”
world with a lineup of anthropomorphic space planes named Eagle, Hawk, Starling and
Raven and the younger cadets at the Stardust Space Academy.
But what sets this series apart from the average animated series is the participation of
actual NASA experts in the crafting of the scientific messages of each episode.
The scientists at NASA reviewed every script and helped assure that the science is accurate.
The creatives behind the series include director Mark Risley of “Rugrats” and “The Wild
Thornberries,” writer Allan Neuwirth, who wrote episodes of the “Arthur” TV series, and
composer/songwriter Jody Gray, who did the music for “Courage the Cowardly Dog.”
A free screening of the series will be held at the California Science Center on May 29. RSVPs
can be made here.