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National Geographic Channel l Explorer: Vampire Forensics (Tue 2/23 at 10PM ET/PT)

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Before Robert Pattinson made vampires a Hollywood heartthrob, 16th century Venetians battled the unimaginable horror of the plague, then a growing legend of the “shroud eater.” Explorer: Vampire Forensics follows forensic anthropologist Matteo Borrini as he digs deeper into this legend. Below are some photos and videos from the program:

EXPLORER: VAMPIRE FORENSICS
Tuesday, February 23 at 10PM ET/PT

Florence, Italy: Dr. Matteo Borrini, a forensic anthropologist, investigates evidence collected at a crime scene in his Florence laboratory. (Photo Credit: © NGT)

Florence, Italy: The skull and brick from the Vampire of Venice. In the summer of 2006, on the Venetian island of Lazaretto Nuovo, Dr. Matteo Borrini and his team were excavating a mass grave dating from the plague of the 16th Century. They found a skeleton with a brick between the jaws of its skull. A brick was placed in the mouth of the corpse to kill a vampire.
(Photo Credit: © NGT)

Venice, 1575 – the jewelled city of northern Italy is in the throes of unimaginable horror. One of the worst plagues ever to strike mankind: the Black Death. Mass graves swell thousands of bodies. A legend grows that a vampire known as a “Shroud-eater” is the cause of the plague. The Shroud-eater feasts on corpses, then rises from the earth to infect the living. More than four hundred years later Italian forensic anthropologist and CSI specialist Matteo Borrini leads a team excavating a 16th Century mass grave on one of Venice’s outlying islands. He uncovers a skeleton unlike any he had ever seen before. A brick appears to have been inserted between the jaws of the skull. Why? The answer shocks him. He believes the object was part of a macabre ritual designed to kill a vampire. The discovery launches Borrini on a forensic investigation unlike any he has ever attempted – as he attempts to put a face – a life – to the Vampire of Venice.
Video “Flesh Eating Corpses” – A 500-year-old skull may tell us more about 16th century European beliefs about vampires.


Video “Consorting with the Devil” – Forensic anthropologists examine the skeleton of a 500-year-old vampire.

More photos from the episode:

NOAA, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL ANNOUNCE DISCOVERY OF TWO TOP-SECRET JAPANESE COMBAT SUBMARINES

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

EXPEDITION WEEK: Hunt for the Samurai Subs
Tuesday, November 17 at 9PM ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4577/Overview
Just before the atomic bomb forced Japan into submission, the Imperial Navy sent a fleet of incredibly advanced combat subs to attack a major U.S. naval base in the Pacific. But when Japan surrendered, the U.S. Navy confiscated them, only to later have them scuttled near Hawaii when Soviet scientists demanded access. The war machines’ precise location would remain a mystery for decades. Now a team of explorers thinks they can find some of these lost subs in the Pacific’s dark waters. From the Hawaiian island of Oahu, deep submergence vehicle pilots Terry Kerby and Max Cramer, along with a team of devoted explorers, prepare to dive to depths of nearly 3,000 feet to hunt for some of WWII’s largest and fastest submarines — in a Japanese super-submarine graveyard ? and solve one of the war’s great mysteries.

Video “Preview: Samurai Subs” – Deep sea explorers hunt for Japanese submarines lost on the ocean floor – once part of a top-secret plan to dominate WWII.

Watch National Geographic Expedition Week Nov 15- 22!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

EXPEDITION WEEK Website

The Headshrinker – Shrink your head!:

EXPEDITION WEEK: Search for the Amazon Head Shrinkers
Sunday, November 15 at 9PM ET/PT
Head Shrinker
Terrifying legends from the Amazon tell of Indian headshrinkers who would shrink an enemy’s head to render the vengeful soul powerless. Now, NGC has exclusive U.S. access to 45-year-old archive footage captured by explorer Edmundo Bielawski, purportedly the only known footage that shows the process of an actual ? recently deceased ? human head being shrunk. Author and explorer Piers Gibbon heads deep into the Amazon jungle in an attempt to trace Bielawski’s 1960s journey, rediscover the exact location where this scene was filmed and reconnect with the tribe today. After a string of setbacks, Gibbon finally gets a striking clue that leads him on an arduous trek to the village of Tukupi, where he finds one aging warrior, the last of his generation, who could provide answers to the mystery once and for all.
Video “How to Shrink a Human Head” – Piers Gibbon learns from a local priest how the Shuar people’s head shrinking ceremony might have looked.
Video “The Head Shrinker Archives” – Rare archival footage demonstrates the Shuar practice of shrinking a human head.
EXPEDITION WEEK: Expedition Great White
Monday, November 16 at 9PM ET/PT
A hundred sixty miles off the coast of Baja California, science and sport fishing join forces for an unprecedented research effort. A team of world-class anglers will land one of the most challenging fish imaginable: the great white shark. Unlike any other catch ever attempted, they’ll lift an SUV-sized shark out of the water onto a platform, mount a long-lasting tracking tag by hand, take measurements and DNA samples while pumping water into the shark’s mouth to keep it alive, and release it unharmed … all within minutes, like a NASCAR race pit stop. Marine biologist Dr. Michael Domeier uses advanced tracking devices to help uncover how this predator lives, how it mates and where it roams, with the ultimate goal of conserving and protecting this endangered species. But he’ll rely on the fishing expertise of expedition leader Chris Fischer and crew members like actor Paul Walker (“Fast and Furious”), who jumped in as a deckhand and quickly earned the crew’s respect. With more than 1,000 hours of footage culled into 10 upcoming episodes, NGC gives the ultimate EXPEDITION WEEK sneak peak at this exciting series.
Guadalupe Island, Mexico: A great white shark approaches the underwater deck along with crew member Jody Whitworth before it is lifted onto the boat for tagging. (photo credit: © Chris Ross/Chris Fischer)
4015370214_94a12be6f3Video “Expedition Great White” – Maneuvering the great white shark and getting it safely into the cradle is a tense and delicate operation

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4906/Overview#tab-Videos/07441_00

Video: “Preview: Expedition Great White” – Scientists and anglers work like a well-trained pit crew to tag a massive Great White, collect data, and get DNA samples.Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4906/Videos/07442_00

EXPEDITION WEEK: Deep Secrets: The Ballard Gallipoli Expedition
Wednesday, November 18 at 9PM ET/PT
With 120 deep-sea expeditions under his belt ? one of which resulted in the historic discovery of the sunken R.M.S. Titanic — National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Bob Ballard embarks on a new, unparalleled underwater exploration for NGC’s second annual EXPEDITION WEEK. Off the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, he’ll dive to the ocean depths searching for British and French warships that sank during the Battle at Gallipoli — one of the bloodiest and most controversial campaigns of World War I. We’ll scour the warship graveyard using Nautilus, an advanced mobile research vessel with state-of-the-art electronics, computers, navigational and communications systems, as well as side scan sonar and two deep-sea ROVs named Hercules and Argus. It’s the most comprehensive underwater exploration of shipwrecks from the Battle at Gallipoli ever taken. Now, stunning HD images from the sea floor could offer tantalizing new details about the Allied army’s catastrophic loss and the tragic carnage left in the battle’s wake.
wreck
SCREEN GRAB: AE2 wreck, as seen from underwater. (Photo Credit: © 2009 Prospero PTY Ltd./NGT/Screen Australia/Screen West, Inc.)
Video “Preview: Gallipoli Expedition” – Join Bob Bollard as he explores the sunken WWI battleships at Gallipoli and reveals secrets hidden for nearly a century.
EXPEDITION WEEK: Mars: Making the New Earth
Thursday, November 19 at 9PM ET/PT
The notion of bringing Mars to life ? transforming a cold, dry, uninhabitable desert into a living planet ? called terraforming, has been around for almost a century. Initially just a science fiction concept, it has become a subject of serious scientific investigation. NASA astrobiologist Dr. Chris McKay has spent 30 years researching extreme environments to understand the potential of such planetary engineering. On the surface, the red planet’s freeze-dried world of rocks, ice and dust looks like an unlikely place to plant a garden. But rocks and minerals found by the Mars rovers show it must once have had warmer, habitable living conditions. Now, using photorealistic CGI visualizations, we’ll make a science fiction dream of Mars — a world of trees, rivers and blue skies — a plausible future.
mars
Early stage terraformed Mars (no vegetation), orbital view. This stage will be the first of many that will take hundreds of years. (Photo credit: © National Geographic Channel) Insrt Photo
Video “Preview: Mars: Making the New Earth” – An 18,500 foot volcano in Mexico is a living laboratory for NASA scientist Chris McKay as he investigates how to transform Mars from a cold, dead planet into a living world like planet Earth.
EXPEDITION WEEK: The First Jesus?
graves
Friday, November 20 at 9PM ET/PT
He was called the King of the Jews, believed to be a Messiah. Just before Passover, the Romans beheaded him and crucified many of his followers outside Jerusalem. But his name was not Jesus … it was Simon, a self-proclaimed Messiah who died four years before Christ was born. Now, new analysis of a three-foot-tall stone tablet from the first century B.C., being hailed by scholars as a “Dead Sea Scroll on stone,” speaks of an early Messiah and his resurrection. Was Simon of Peraea real? Did his life serve as the prototype of a Messiah for Jesus and his followers? And could this tablet shake up the basic premise of Christianity? We’ll go to Israel to assess this unique and mysterious artifact, including testing by a leading archeological geologist and comprehensive review of the letters, script and content by a Dead Sea Scroll expert. Then, from Jerusalem to Jericho, we’ll investigate key archeological ruins that could help prove Simon was indeed real — all of which just might sway the skeptics.
Video “Preview: The First Jesus?” – Explore the mysteries of a recently discovered stone tablet that may speak of a messiah before Christ, who rose from the dead after three days.

National Geographic Channel presents 2012: COUNTDOWN TO ARMAGEDDON (Sun 11/8 at 8PM ET/PT)

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

2012: COUNTDOWN TO ARMAGEDDON

Sunday, November 8 at 8PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/2012-countdown-to-armageddon-4438/Overview

National Geographic Channel examines the evidence behind the Maya calendar prophecies in 2012: Countdown to Armageddon, premiering Sunday, November 8, 2009, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Follow Princeton University scientist Adam Maloof to three continents on a detective story that spans eons — with clues embedded in the oldest rocks on the planet. Is there evidence of global upheaval on a massive scale? What can be gleaned from the technically advanced celestial orientation of the Maya ruins? What were the Maya hoping to record in their comprehensive astronomy text called the Dresden Codex? And does a discovery from a melting glacier offer provocative signs of devastating change in ancient Maya times?

In addition to the photos and videos from the program, you can also check out our “Ends of the Earth” hub for other theories and programs on the topic, including interactive features illustrating various scenarios.

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Cameraman Thomas Sassenberg and Director / Executive Producer Andreas Gutzeit atop the Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros) in Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico. (Photo Credit: © Story House Productions)

Video “Maya Doomsday Prophecy” – The Maya calendar will end on December 21, 2012. Are we three years from the end of the world?

Video “The Maya’s Lost Civilization” – The abrupt abandonment of the Maya’s great cities has stumped scholars for centuries.

Video “A Climate Event to End Time” – Could a sudden climate shift that took place 5,200 years ago tell us more about what the Maya predicted for 2012?

NGC presents ALIEN EARTHS and HAWKING’S UNIVERSE (8/23 at 9 and 10PM ET/PT)

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

ALIEN EARTHS

Sunday, August 23 at 9PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview

PlanemoMarooned.0488

Join leading astronomers on a visual journey beyond our solar system in search of planets like Earth. Using CGI animation, we’ll explore bizarre worlds that stretch our imagination: planets with iron rain and hot ice, with diamonds everywhere, and endless oceans of gas. Planets with abnormal orbital patterns and planets with no pattern at all that drift alone in the Milky Way. Planets so strange we never could have predicted them before. Could life exist there?

CGI: The runaway Planemo in a star forming region. (Image Credit: © SkyWorks Digital, Inc.)


Video #1 – Extreme conditions abound on planemos. But spring and fall are just right. Can life survive beyond the Goldilocks Zone?

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07058_00

Video #2 – Adrift in space with no star to keep them warm, some planemos still manage to support life.

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07059_00

Video #3 – Planetary zombies” can orbit a pulsar, but radiation makes it impossible for life of any kind to survive on them.

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07080_00

On our ALIEN EARTHS program Website, you can also:

NAKED SCIENCE: HAWKING’S UNIVERSE

Sunday, August 23 at 10PM ET/PT

SH at CERN 2006.jpg

Stephen Hawking at CERN 2006. Hawking is one of the world’s most famous scientists. He is on a quest to answer how the Universe came to exist. (photo credit © CERN/Maximilien Brice/Claudia Marcelloni)

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Overview

Stephen Hawking is one of the world’s most famous scientists. But ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has left him almost totally paralyzed and it is progressing. Unable to walk, talk, or write, his only way of communicating is through a computer program that turns a small movement of a finger or the blink of an eye, into words from a vocal synthesizer. But Hawking remains determined to discover a theory of everything, a complete set of rules for the Universe. Where did the Universe come from and where is it going? What is the nature of time? Will it ever come to an end? This program will explore Hawking’s major contributions to the understanding of our Universe – from his revolutionary proof that our Universe originated in a Big Bang; to his ground breaking discovery that Black Holes are not completely black, but rather emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear, to his insights on string theory. Will he unlock the secret of creation before his time runs out?


Video #1 – No one’s found the Theory of Everything yet, but when Hawking discovers that black holes emit radiation, he gets very close.

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Videos/07078_00

Video #2 – When Hawking loses his voice to a tracheotomy, new speech software technology keeps his research on track.

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Videos/07079_00



NGC Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing with NAKED SCIENCE: LIVING ON THE MOON

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

NAKED SCIENCE: LIVING ON THE MOON

Sunday, July 19 at 9PM ET/PT

LOTM_CGI_01

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Overview

The day before the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11, NGC presents Living on the Moon. Man has always dreamed of living on the moon, and now a team of NASA scientists is proving that dream could be achieved in our lifetime. We take viewers inside Constellation, the space program’s plan to establish a human outpost on the moon by 2020. Take a closer look at the plans under way, from upgraded space suits to housing modules and moon vehicles, and examine the challenges ahead, such as finding water, making oxygen, growing food and protecting residents from deadly radiation. Then, using 3-D animation, we’ll visualize how the remarkable outpost will take shape.

LOTM_CGI_10 LOTM_CGI_08 LOTM_CGI_07 LOTM_CGI_03

Click to enlarge concept art above

“Moon Water” – Maybe the moon has water. Maybe the moon has lots of water. How on earth will we get to it?

“Moon Colony” – Humans are colonizers, and the moon is ripe for populating. But how? And who?

NGC’s WTF Returns Tonight with Giant Wind Turbine (6/18 at 9PM ET/PT)

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: Giant Wind Turbine

Thursday, June 18, 2009, at 9 PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/worlds-toughest-fixes



“The load is hanging in the air. The wind is picking up. SNAP! A line breaks!”

— Riley, on erecting a 336-foot wind turbine in Portsmouth, R.I.

Riley travels to Portsmouth, R.I., where residents are setting up a 115-ton wind turbine that will provide years of clean, green energy.The good news is that the winds here are constantly blowing.The bad news is that Riley is about to find out what it takes to raise giant blades in the midst of these unpredictable gusts.Riley joins a team of engineers, ironworkers, crane operators and riggers who must attach the 68-ton gearbox at the center of the blades to the very top of a 300-foot tower, all the while fighting forces strong enough to snap protective lines.
Video “Big Fix” – This town wants to generate its own energy but first it has to figure out how to assemble this turbine.

EXPLORER: EASTER ISLAND UNDERWORLD

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

EXPLORER: EASTER ISLAND UNDERWORLD

Tuesday, June 9 at 10PM ET/PT

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3829/Overview

Deep beneath the legendary Easter Island, a team of National Geographic explorers undertakes a groundbreaking expedition: to map a vast cave system that became the last refuge of the people who carved these iconic statues.  Protected by sheer cliffs, narrow labyrinths and underwater entrances, these caverns have been forgotten for centuries.  Now, these adventurers discover human remains and telltale artifacts that reveal an astonishing and brutal breakdown of a once utopian society.

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World’s Toughest Satellite Launch

Friday, May 29th, 2009

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: Satellite Launch
Thursday, June 4, 2009, at 9 PM ET/PT
“Either this rocket is going to launch … or it’s going to be one hell of a show.”
— Riley, on launching a $250 million communications satellite from the French Guiana jungle.

An aging satellite, currently providing phone and Internet service to millions, needs to be replaced. Riley heads into the remote jungle to help a team of rocket scientists and engineers launch a new two-ton satellite with a price tag of more than $1 million into orbit. Some aspects of the preparation are so sensitive, only Riley is allowed inside, without his camera crew — and he works and films all the action on his own as the team races to make the launch window.
Video “Satellite Repair” – Some things aren’t rocket science. This is.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/feeds/cv-seo/Science–Technology/All-Videos/Worlds-Toughest-Fixes-3.html

The Mississippi Barge episode will now air in July- Nat Geo changed around some of their air dates from what was originally announced.

National Geographic takes you to the Mississippi River & into Space with the World’s Toughest Fixes Season Premiere

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

You say world’s toughest fixes.

we say wtf!

New Season of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL’S

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES GOes INSIDE THE MOST OVERSIZED

REPAIR JOBS WITH … WELL … THAT SKINNY, RED-GOATEED PRO RIGGER

From Grounded Barges (WTF!) to Broken Dams (WTF!) to Satellite Launches (WTF!),

Sean Riley Helps Tackle and Explain BIG Industry’s BIG Jobs

“There’s nothing like the smell of demolition in the morning.” — Sean Riley

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES Second Season Premieres Thursday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

10 All-New Episodes Air All Summer Long!

(WASHINGTON, D.C. — MAY 15, 2009) Lying underneath a 300-ton barge … as it begins to slip.  Launching a $250 million satellite … from deep in a remote jungle.  Driving a five-lane bridge … for miles.  Raising massive wind turbine blades that make Wolverine’s claws look like Q-tips … in gale-force winds. WTF! These are some of big industry’s biggest, most dangerous and expensive jobs, requiring a brave team of veteran specialists with serious know-how and steady hands.  “So … ” they say, “tell me how a skinny, red-goateed rigger named Riley can help.”  And we coolly say, “You’ll see.”

Photos from the season premiere- click to view full size:

On Thursday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES (WTF!) returns for a second season all summer long, taking you inside some of the most daunting real-world construction and repair jobs imaginable.  Each one-hour episode follows professional rigger Sean Riley as he goes behind the scenes with some of the world’s top mechanics and engineers.  For each new job, he has to prove to the crew that he’s no mamma’s boy.  It’s usually a quick initiation, and before they can finish busting his chops, Riley is flexing his engineering muscle helping these experts solve problems of enormous proportions while he explains the fix with his own rousing wit and down-to-earth insight.

Whether climbing atop a 336-foot-tall wind turbine, taking a crash course in underwater welding or helping erect a fully functional commercial solar energy field, Riley takes viewers inside the marvels of large-scale industry.  “You have to be incredibly aware of where you are,” says Riley, “so you know from where the next heavy object is gonna come flying.”  Yeah, for real.


Season premieres include:

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: Mississippi River Barge

Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 9 PM ET/PT

“Note to self:  Force lifting barge — good.  Force shooting out sideways, crushing me — bad.”

— Riley, on raising a grounded 300-ton barge in New Orleans.

Riley heads down to the Big Easy to clear the Mississippi River of a 300-ton barge that was blown into the water from a local salvage yard by Hurricane Gustav in August 2008.  The barge rammed into a protective levee that is now caught underneath the boat.  Using inflatable bags and wooden cribbing, the team carefully raises the barge — but the higher the barge goes, the more unstable it becomes.  And in one dramatic moment, the barge actually begins to slip … as Riley, the workers and camera crew all race out from underneath to keep from being crushed!

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: Satellite Launch

Thursday, June 11, 2009, at 9 PM ET/PT

“Either this rocket is going to launch … or it’s going to be one hell of a show.”

— Riley, on launching a $250 million communications satellite from the French Guiana jungle.

An aging satellite, currently providing phone and Internet service to millions, needs to be replaced.  Riley heads into the remote jungle to help a team of rocket scientists and engineers launch a new two-ton satellite with a price tag of more than $1 million into orbit.  Some aspects of the preparation are so sensitive, only Riley is allowed inside, without his camera crew — and he works and films all the action on his own as the team races to make the launch window.

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: Giant Wind Turbine

Thursday, June 18, 2009, at 9 PM ET/PT

“The load is hanging in the air.  The wind is picking up.  SNAP!  A line breaks!”

— Riley, on erecting a 336-foot wind turbine in Portsmouth, R.I.

Riley travels to Portsmouth, R.I., where residents are setting up a 115-ton wind turbine that will provide years of clean, green energy.  The good news is that the winds here are constantly blowing.  The bad news is that Riley is about to find out what it takes to raise giant blades in the midst of these unpredictable gusts.  Riley joins a team of engineers, ironworkers, crane operators and riggers who must attach the 68-ton gearbox at the center of the blades to the very top of a 300-foot tower, all the while fighting forces strong enough to snap protective lines.

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: 50-Ton Rudder

Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 9 PM ET/PT

“Fifty tons of metal rising to the surface by a bunch of balloons!  Incredible!”

— Riley, on helping divers attach lift bags underwater to raise the rudder to the surface.


Riley joins a team of industrial divers on the Caribbean Island of Curaçao to salvage and repair the 50-ton rudder of a ship carrying $3 million worth of iron ore.  With lots of money and big business on the line, the pressure is on and the crew gets right to work.  After a quick hazing (where Riley is charged with getting lunch orders), he takes a crash course in underwater welding so he can accompany the crew when they dive under the ship to disassemble the rudder.  They work for hours wearing 30 pounds of gear, including helmets and air hoses.  Get ready to hold your breath as they attempt to move a 100,000-pound beast under 60 feet of water!

WORLD’S TOUGHEST FIXES: Interstate Bridge

Thursday, July 2, 2009, at 9 PM ET/PT

“There’s nothing like the smell of demolition in the morning.”

— Riley, on demolishing an old bridge in Salt Lake City before installing a new five-lane bridge.

In Utah, Riley joins a crew of more than 300 engineers, contractors and laborers as they gamble on an innovative installation technique: demolishing a crumbling concrete bridge and installing a new throughway bridge in just four days.  This fix involves huge remote-controlled trailers, enormous hydraulics, and a 4 million-pound, five-lane bridge that must be transported almost two miles before installing it in one piece on Interstate 80 in Salt Lake City.  Did we mention that the bridge will have to drive across intersections that house major utility cables like water, electricity and communication?  No pressure.

Other upcoming episodes:

Position a fully functioning commercial solar energy field; fix a broken dam holding back nearly 2 million pounds of water near Portland, Ore.; replace one of the most powerful magnets ever built in the “atomic racetrack,” a 17-mile-long nuclear research tunnel in Geneva, Switzerland; and swap out one of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline’s valves.

About Sean Riley

Sean Riley (known as “Riley” to his friends) is a designer, rigger and sculptor living in San Francisco, Calif.  His interest in the laws of nature and how they relate to industry led him to set up and run his own company, Gravity Design.  With expertise in rigging, suspension and load transfer, he has scaled the lofty heights of his field.  Riley has been flying and moving live loads for a variety of clients — from circus acts to industrial installations — for more than 13 years.  Never one to shy away from the tough problems, Riley works where nobody else will and accomplishes what few others can.  His company engineers solutions that frequently involve large masses, difficult access and big retrofits to existing buildings.