Les Conquistadors du système solaire

After the wars, the popes and the studios, I spent several years on the side of those who choose and nurture other people's films. From 1994 to 2001 I was in charge of documentaries at La Cinquième, France's educational channel, which became France 5. This film, however, was one I dreamed up myself.

The title is the key. Since the 1960s, quietly, automatic probes have travelled where no human can yet go. They have flown past the planets, skimmed Jupiter and Saturn, and revealed that the moons of the giants are worlds in their own right. These robots are the conquistadors of our age: they leave with no return ticket and send us back the maps.

Two guides for one journey

Directed by Hervé Martin-Delpierre, the film leans on two men who know how to inspire without cheating: the astrophysicist André Brahic, one of the discoverers of Neptune's rings, and the astronaut Jean-Pierre Haigneré, who spent six months aboard the Mir space station. It recounts what robotic exploration has taught us about the giant planets and their moons, then asks the next question: when will crews take over from the machines?

Produced by Villem's Productions and Génération Vidéo, with the participation of France 5 and the support of the French Ministry of Research, the documentary was broadcast in November 2002 and later screened by the CNRS. I share the original idea with Claude Lemoine, who was also its executive producer.