The Space Shuttle: A Butterfly on a Rocket

This illustrated presentation traces NASA's Space Shuttle program from its ambitious beginnings through to its final missions, drawing on a remarkable 12-week documentary shoot at Cape Canaveral and Mission Control in Houston.

Featuring exclusive footage captured during unprecedented access to Space Shuttle Endeavour, the film offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on the technology, missions and people who shaped one of the most complex and influential programs in the history of space exploration. Pieter de Vries shares insights from the field, revealing the human stories and engineering brilliance behind the Shuttle era.

Northern Rivers-born Pieter de Vries ACS is an internationally acclaimed documentary cinematographer whose career has spanned more than 180 countries and territories. From filming with NASA to collaborating with James Cameron on explorations of the Titanic, and contributing to landmark natural history series with David Attenborough, Pieter's work has earned numerous international honours, including Emmy and BAFTA awards. His extraordinary career began locally, with his primary schooling at Whyralla Public School, before taking him from the depths of the North Atlantic to the edge of space.