To the moon.

• Author: Mangu-Ward, Katherine
• Position: J.J. Abrams documentary web series 'Moon Shot' - Briefly Noted - Brief review - Television program review

A vibrating piano score, moody lighting, and a generalized feeling of unease are pretty standard in a ).J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) production. But they sit oddly against the subject matter of his new nine-part documentary series, Moon Shot, on the companies participating in the Google LunarX Prize competition.

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The series, which is available on YouTube, profiles companies with names like Part-Time Scientists, Team Plan B, and Astrobotic that are vying for $30 million in prizes for technological and entrepreneurial solutions to low-cost robotic space exploration.

Coverage of space...