It keeps us warm. It keeps us cool. It protects us and makes our world more comfortable. As simple as a pane of glass, or as complex as the fuselage of a space station, it's all around us, but is almost always out of sight. We explore where insulation technology has been, where it is today, and where it's going. We'll visit the manufacturing facilities of two of the most recognizable insulating materials: fiberglass and foam; and explore how insulation has evolved. Historical highlights include how the ancient Romans and Greeks insulated their homes, as well as the natives of tropical and arctic climates. New technologies covered include insulated concrete forms and gas-filled panels. Whether at home or in the office, on a space station, or beneath the sea, insulation is essential for making our world habitable. We'll show that how we use insulation, and how we develop it, will be a major factor in how we conserve our supply of energy in the coming years.

It was a science first conjured amid the fiery ovens of ancient blacksmiths; today more than 50% of all U.S. products require some form of welding. Whether via electricity, flammable gases, sonic waves, or sometimes just raw explosive power, welding creates powerful bonds between metal unmatched by any other joining process. From high atop emerging towers on the Las Vegas strip to oil platforms hundreds of feet below the ocean, discover how welders forge the backbone of civilization. Learn about exciting new applications: how sound waves create bulletproof welds for contemporary body armor; the technologies behind robotic welding systems; and the knee-rattling impact of an explosion weld, the most powerful method of all.

Feel the earth move under your feet and dig into the fascinating story of earthmoving equipment--from the simple spade to today's powerful steam shovels. Meet legendary giants like John Deere, Jerome Case, and the founders of Caterpillar, who helped forge America's monolithic construction industry. Ride on specialized behemoth dump trucks, delve below sea level to view dredging equipment, and leave the planet altogether to explore earthmoving space equipment in this 2-hour special presentation.

What does it take to construct a building that will cover an entire city block? Try 13,000 tons of steel, 36,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough wire and cables to stretch from New York City to Boston, hundreds of professionals, and two years of blood, sweat, and swearing. Welcome to Skyscraper 101. In the first hour, we see how architects design a building and check out the new California Department of Transportation headquarters--a project we've followed for two years.

For two years, we've followed construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in downtown LA--a massive 700,000 square-foot office building--and we use this building as a specific example to illustrate construction problems of mega-skyscrapers, from the Empire State Building to the Sears Tower to the TAIPEI 101. In hour two, the steel skeleton is up, but before the windows and walls go up, the general contractor tests the exterior wall system by building a mockup.

In hour three of our crash course on mega-skyscraper construction, we learn about the human element and development of systems that make us comfortable. And we'll see the evolution from freight hoists to today's fastest high-speed pressurized elevators and, on the cooler side, the evolution from ice refrigeration to 3,000-ton chillers. We meet Bobby, the manlift operator and the building site's standup comedian, and travel to Taiwan to visit the world's fastest elevators in the TAIPEI 101.

For two years, we've followed the construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in LA to learn the architectural, structural, and mechanical challenges of building mega-skyscrapers. In hour four, as we're installing the veins and arteries of the building and wrapping up construction on CalTrans, we learn how development of electricity and indoor plumbing made skyscrapers possible--imagine needing to take an elevator down 70 stories to use the privy behind the building!

It keeps us warm. It keeps us cool. It protects us and makes our world more comfortable. As simple as a pane of glass, or as complex as the fuselage of a space station, it's all around us, but is almost always out of sight. We explore where insulation technology has been, where it is today, and where it's going. We'll visit the manufacturing facilities of two of the most recognizable insulating materials: fiberglass and foam; and explore how insulation has evolved. Historical highlights include how the ancient Romans and Greeks insulated their homes, as well as the natives of tropical and arctic climates. New technologies covered include insulated concrete forms and gas-filled panels. Whether at home or in the office, on a space station, or beneath the sea, insulation is essential for making our world habitable. We'll show that how we use insulation, and how we develop it, will be a major factor in how we conserve our supply of energy in the coming years.

It was a science first conjured amid the fiery ovens of ancient blacksmiths; today more than 50% of all U.S. products require some form of welding. Whether via electricity, flammable gases, sonic waves, or sometimes just raw explosive power, welding creates powerful bonds between metal unmatched by any other joining process. From high atop emerging towers on the Las Vegas strip to oil platforms hundreds of feet below the ocean, discover how welders forge the backbone of civilization. Learn about exciting new applications: how sound waves create bulletproof welds for contemporary body armor; the technologies behind robotic welding systems; and the knee-rattling impact of an explosion weld, the most powerful method of all.

Feel the earth move under your feet and dig into the fascinating story of earthmoving equipment--from the simple spade to today's powerful steam shovels. Meet legendary giants like John Deere, Jerome Case, and the founders of Caterpillar, who helped forge America's monolithic construction industry. Ride on specialized behemoth dump trucks, delve below sea level to view dredging equipment, and leave the planet altogether to explore earthmoving space equipment in this 2-hour special presentation.

What does it take to construct a building that will cover an entire city block? Try 13,000 tons of steel, 36,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough wire and cables to stretch from New York City to Boston, hundreds of professionals, and two years of blood, sweat, and swearing. Welcome to Skyscraper 101. In the first hour, we see how architects design a building and check out the new California Department of Transportation headquarters--a project we've followed for two years.

For two years, we've followed construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in downtown LA--a massive 700,000 square-foot office building--and we use this building as a specific example to illustrate construction problems of mega-skyscrapers, from the Empire State Building to the Sears Tower to the TAIPEI 101. In hour two, the steel skeleton is up, but before the windows and walls go up, the general contractor tests the exterior wall system by building a mockup.

In hour three of our crash course on mega-skyscraper construction, we learn about the human element and development of systems that make us comfortable. And we'll see the evolution from freight hoists to today's fastest high-speed pressurized elevators and, on the cooler side, the evolution from ice refrigeration to 3,000-ton chillers. We meet Bobby, the manlift operator and the building site's standup comedian, and travel to Taiwan to visit the world's fastest elevators in the TAIPEI 101.

For two years, we've followed the construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in LA to learn the architectural, structural, and mechanical challenges of building mega-skyscrapers. In hour four, as we're installing the veins and arteries of the building and wrapping up construction on CalTrans, we learn how development of electricity and indoor plumbing made skyscrapers possible--imagine needing to take an elevator down 70 stories to use the privy behind the building!

It keeps us warm. It keeps us cool. It protects us and makes our world more comfortable. As simple as a pane of glass, or as complex as the fuselage of a space station, it's all around us, but is almost always out of sight. We explore where insulation technology has been, where it is today, and where it's going. We'll visit the manufacturing facilities of two of the most recognizable insulating materials: fiberglass and foam; and explore how insulation has evolved. Historical highlights include how the ancient Romans and Greeks insulated their homes, as well as the natives of tropical and arctic climates. New technologies covered include insulated concrete forms and gas-filled panels. Whether at home or in the office, on a space station, or beneath the sea, insulation is essential for making our world habitable. We'll show that how we use insulation, and how we develop it, will be a major factor in how we conserve our supply of energy in the coming years.

It was a science first conjured amid the fiery ovens of ancient blacksmiths; today more than 50% of all U.S. products require some form of welding. Whether via electricity, flammable gases, sonic waves, or sometimes just raw explosive power, welding creates powerful bonds between metal unmatched by any other joining process. From high atop emerging towers on the Las Vegas strip to oil platforms hundreds of feet below the ocean, discover how welders forge the backbone of civilization. Learn about exciting new applications: how sound waves create bulletproof welds for contemporary body armor; the technologies behind robotic welding systems; and the knee-rattling impact of an explosion weld, the most powerful method of all.

Feel the earth move under your feet and dig into the fascinating story of earthmoving equipment--from the simple spade to today's powerful steam shovels. Meet legendary giants like John Deere, Jerome Case, and the founders of Caterpillar, who helped forge America's monolithic construction industry. Ride on specialized behemoth dump trucks, delve below sea level to view dredging equipment, and leave the planet altogether to explore earthmoving space equipment in this 2-hour special presentation.

What does it take to construct a building that will cover an entire city block? Try 13,000 tons of steel, 36,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough wire and cables to stretch from New York City to Boston, hundreds of professionals, and two years of blood, sweat, and swearing. Welcome to Skyscraper 101. In the first hour, we see how architects design a building and check out the new California Department of Transportation headquarters--a project we've followed for two years.

For two years, we've followed construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in downtown LA--a massive 700,000 square-foot office building--and we use this building as a specific example to illustrate construction problems of mega-skyscrapers, from the Empire State Building to the Sears Tower to the TAIPEI 101. In hour two, the steel skeleton is up, but before the windows and walls go up, the general contractor tests the exterior wall system by building a mockup.

In hour three of our crash course on mega-skyscraper construction, we learn about the human element and development of systems that make us comfortable. And we'll see the evolution from freight hoists to today's fastest high-speed pressurized elevators and, on the cooler side, the evolution from ice refrigeration to 3,000-ton chillers. We meet Bobby, the manlift operator and the building site's standup comedian, and travel to Taiwan to visit the world's fastest elevators in the TAIPEI 101.

For two years, we've followed the construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in LA to learn the architectural, structural, and mechanical challenges of building mega-skyscrapers. In hour four, as we're installing the veins and arteries of the building and wrapping up construction on CalTrans, we learn how development of electricity and indoor plumbing made skyscrapers possible--imagine needing to take an elevator down 70 stories to use the privy behind the building!