Prisoners of the Ice
NOVA probes the Arctic's most enduring exploration enigma. In 1845, two Royal Navy ships and 129 men led by Sir John Franklin set sail from London on an elaborately prepared expedition to conquer the elusive Arctic route and were never heard from again. Poignant clues suggest the expedition became icebound, short of food and that the stronger members resorted to murder and cannibalism. Or did their own provisions poison them? Now, 150 years later, a team of historians and forensic scientists journeys to a bleak wilderness on a quest for the truth behind the Franklin mystery.

Ice Survivors
After the Franklin expedition, more than a half-century would pass before an innovative explorer finally conquered the Northwest Passage. Unsupported by naval might or government funding, a 29-year-old Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, set out with improbably slim resources: six men and a tiny, shallow vessel, the Gjoa, which he presumed could slip through channels that endangered larger ships. Caught by the winter ice, Amundsen did what the earlier Franklin crew had been unable or unwilling to do: he turned to the native Inuit to learn their ancient skills of Arctic survival. What they taught him - seal hunting, building igloos and handling dog teams - not only ensured the success of his voyage but were crucial training for his conquest of the South Pole in 1912. NOVA retraces Amundsen's triumphant voyage, taking viewers to the Canadian Arctic, where his name is legendary among the native people.

Not currently scheduled.