18x01 Return to Mt. St. Helens
January 8, 1991 8:00 pm
NOVA returns to Mount St. Helens a decade after its cataclysmic eruption to learn how nature is recovering from the disaster.
18x02 ConFusion in a Jar
April 30, 1991 8:00 pm
An experiment that could mean limitless supplies of energy sets the scientific world on its head. NOVA covers the cold fusion controversy.
18x03 The Chip vs. the Chessmaster
March 26, 1991 8:00 pm
Will machines be able to beat us at our own game? The computer chess champ matches wits with the human world titleholder.
18x04 The Hunt for China's Dinosaurs
February 5, 1991 8:00 pm
NOVA covers the most elaborate expedition ever undertaken in the search for dinosaurs—to China's Gobi desert. Paleontologists brave sandstorms, heat and worse to find their fossils.
18x05 Case of the Flying Dinosaur
February 12, 1991 8:00 pm
Are dinosaurs still among us? NOVA looks at the contentious question of whether present-day birds are dinosaurs. Over the years, new fossil discoveries keep amending the answer.
18x06 T-Rex Exposed
February 19, 1991 8:00 pm
Tyrannosaurus rex, the terrifying kind of the dinos, recently turned up in a nearly complete skeleton in Montana. NOVA follows the dig to extract the bones and looks at the science and lore of dinosaurs in general.
18x07 The Russian Right Stuff: The Invisible Spaceman
February 26, 1991 8:00 pm
In the first program of a three-part miniseries on the Soviet space program, NOVA profiles the mysterious genius behind the world's first satellite, the first man to orbit the earth and other early Russian triumphs in space.
18x08 The Russian Right Stuff: The Dark Side of the Moon
February 27, 1991 8:00 pm
NOVA reveals the details of Moscow's secret plan to reach the moon ahead of the Americans. Was Neil Armstrong's "giant leap for mankind" almost upstaged?
18x09 The Russian Right Stuff: The Mission
February 28, 1991 8:00 pm
In an unprecedented insider's look, NOVA covers the training, flight and recovery of a cosmonaut crew that visits the Soviet space station Mir. Unexpected emergencies show that space travel is still far from routine.
18x10 Swimming with Whales
March 5, 1991 8:00 pm
Gregory Peck narrates a scientific voyage around Vancouver Island in search of whales. Humpbacks, Killers, Grays and other whale species make their appearance in spectacular, never-before-seen footage both above and below the waves.
18x11 Sex, Lies and Toupee Tape
October 1, 1991 8:00 pm
NOVA covers the causes and attempted cures of baldness. Some men take pride in their bald heads; others will go to great lengths to cover up. Alan "Douglas Brackman" Rachins of NBC's LA Law hosts.
18x12 So You Want to Be a Doctor?
October 9, 1991 8:00 pm
In a two-hour special, NOVA follows seven aspiring doctors through four years of medical school. The first examination, the anatomy lab, the first death, the first baby-it's all part of becoming a doctor. Neil Patrick Harris, star of ABC's Doogie Howser, MD hosts. (Follow-up to the program 1521 "Can We Make a Better Doctor?")
18x13 Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls
October 15, 1991 8:00 pm
Forty years after they were discovered, the Dead Sea Scrolls have yet to be published in their entirety. NOVA looks at the laborious-some say scandalous-process of compiling and releasing this religious treasure.
18x14 Suicide Mission to Chernobyl
October 22, 1991 8:00 pm
NOVA accompanies Soviet scientists on a deadly mission inside the sarcophagus-the massive structure that entombs the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Will there be another deadly explosion?
18x15 Taller Than Everest?
November 5, 1991 8:00 pm
The tallest mountain in the world? Think again—cartographers had to when satellite date revealed a peak called "K2" might be the real champ. Which is the world's tallest mountain?
18x16 Fastest Planes in the Sky
November 12, 1991 8:00 pm
The fastest machines in the sky are going to be slow stuff when the latest speed demons on the drawing board take to the air. NOVA looks at the intoxicating lure to fly even faster.
18x17 Avoiding the Surgeon's Knife
December 3, 1991 8:00 pm
NOVA follows the efforts of four participants in a celebrated California study to unblock arteries without using drugs or surgery before their heart disease becomes fatal. A studio segment featuring experts with varying medical views will air as part of the 60-minute program. ABC News Medical Correspondent George Strait moderates.
18x18 Skyscraper! A NOVA Special
December 10, 1991 8:00 pm
This 80-minute NOVA pledge special chronicles the building of the Worldwide Plaza, 47-story office tower in midtown Manhattan, from a hole in the ground to a 770-foot skyscraper.
18x19 The Fine Art of Faking It
December 17, 1991 8:00 pm
Science comes to the aid of art. Museums now employ scientists to find forgeries and give insight into the process of artist creation. Richard Dreyfuss narrates.
