Exodus Earth (SCIENCE)

Make no mistake -- space exploration may look easy on popular sci-fi shows, but it's very dangerous and involves some really complicated technology. It's bitterly cold out there, and it can take months or years to get to even the closer planets -- plus, some of them have no atmosphere, and the ones that do can be poisonous. So how exactly do these conditions affect people? Singer gamely puts himself to the test, enduring an icy bath, for example, to show how extreme cold can sap the body's strength and coordination.

And for issues that are too complex or dangerous for Singer to test on himself, he finds leading experts to help out. The scientists use easy-to-follow language to explain some really far-out concepts in space travel or show off some of the most advanced engineering designs now available that could make space colonization a reality in the not-too-distant future. The series doesn't hide the fact that venturing out into the solar system is a big challenge, but it also makes it seem like a possibility -- not just an idea for sci-fi movies.