• Air date: 12 Oct '87 30 episodes
      3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G. Atkins, who was responsible for much of the scientific content of the show, felt that the TV program wouldn't replace a classroom but would open the viewers to ask questions about the scientific purpose of things.
  • List of Episodes (30)
    • 1. Japan: Precious Oysters, Rare Salamanders

      12 Oct '87
      David and Kaori visit the Mikimoto Pearl Farm and see the 100-year process of culturing pearls. David and Kanae Nishio go wading in a forest stream, hunting for a giant salamander. This information supplied by Chuck N. Thank you, Chuck.
    • 2. Japan: Landslide!

      13 Oct '87
      Impeding Japanese throughout is the erosion of Mmighty .t Fuji. David sees what steps are being guarded to help the Japanese society in spite of it. Included is a building where rainstorms and landslides are simulated.
    • 3. Japan: Paper and Kites

      14 Oct '87
      David and Kaori visit the Furutas, whose family has been making paper by hand for two centuries. They follow the Furutas as they make a batch of fine paper. David, Kaori, and Chizuru Ishizaka join a kite expert and test a kite designed to fly in little wind. This information supplied by Chuck N. Thank you, Chuck.
    • 4. Japan: Earthquake!

      15 Oct '87
      David and Kaori get a glimpse of architects designing buildings that can resist the force of some natural disasters.
    • 5. Japan: Judo and Computers

      16 Oct '87
      How would you like to write your messages in a strictly-ordered way, knowing that one mistake could change the meaning of your sentence? It can happen in English, but it's easier to write Japanese wrong. David and Kaori visit a software researcher and test out software that is designed to read and identify handwritten Kanji characters. (David puts his skills to the test and fails.) David and Kaori also participate in a grueling judo workout, after which they learn about a computer that helps
    • 6. Detectives: Skin and Bone Detectives

      19 Oct '87
      Archaeologists are seen trying to demystify the Mayans, Egyptian mummies, and a prehistoric cave where flint was mined.
    • 7. Detectives: Tool and Trash Detectives

      20 Oct '87
      There are ""archaeologists"" in Arizona that are analyzing modern humans from samples of their trash! It's a far cry from the tools of ancient man, or so you would think.
    • 8. Detectives: Wildlife Detectives

      21 Oct '87
      This show observes owls in the wild and the ecosystems in a salt marsh.
    • 9. Detectives: Dinosaur Detectives

      22 Oct '87
      In the centerpiece of this episode, a museum moves a large dinosaur exhibit into place.
    • 10. Detectives: Pattern Detectives

      23 Oct '87
      Can you tell a pattern when you see it? A combination of new and recycled material shows all sorts of patterns in nature.
    • 11. Architecture: Raising the Big Top

      26 Oct '87
      Basic architecture can be whittled down to beams and a sheet. This is seen through circus tents, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and other things.
    • 12. Architecture: Home

      27 Oct '87
      The frame is vitally important to anything architectural. We see how animals make their perfectly-designed shelters, how the Japanese can join two boards without glue or nails, and find the traditional Kenya home.
    • 13. Architecture: Stack It Up

      28 Oct '87
      How do you build the world's largest Gothic cathedral? It all comes down to using marble cut in certain ways. The arch and the buttress are featured in the ongoing construction of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
    • 14. Architecture: Made to Fit

      29 Oct '87
      There is a branch of architectural science called ergonomics, which states how things are built to fit certain people. David Quinn sees if he can improve the ergonomics of a kitchen.
    • 15. Architecture: Light But Strong

      30 Oct '87
      The shape and composition of architectural materials can prove vital for various reasons. The I-beam and the triangle brace are highlighted in this episode.
    • 16. Mammals: Rats and Bats

      02 Nov '87
      Hard to believe mice and rats are mammals, as are bats. But this program shows why rodents are classified this way.
    • 17. Mammals: Keeping Warm

      03 Nov '87
      Fur and hair are mammals' chief arsenal to stay warm. But what about sea otters?
    • 18. Mammals: Live Birth, Warm Milk

      04 Nov '87
      This show witnesses the births of elephant seals and wildebeests. Also seen are young black bears and kangaroos.
    • 19. Mammals at Play

      05 Nov '87
      Play is an important part of growing, as we see from watching babboons, chimpanzees, sheep dogs and even kids playing.
    • 20. Big Mammals: The High Cost of Living

      06 Nov '87
      There is a price ecosystems pay when big animals are confined. This program shows the elephant, the rhinoceros and the tapir groping with spatial problems.
    • 21. Modeling: Things on Wheels

      09 Nov '87
      Models are used to test ideas before they become large-scale. A class of intermediate-school students go through modeling tactics in building a spring-driven car. We also see newsreel clips of models that produced both commonplace items and inventions that didn't pan out.
    • 22. Modeling: Through Ice and Air

      10 Nov '87
      Models observed in this episode include those of Canadian ice shields, fast bicycles, and modern airplanes.
    • 23. Modeling: The Earth

      11 Nov '87
      Surveyors are seen at work, as are schoolkids who devise a map of their own neighborhood.
    • 24. Modeling: Knees and Small Things

      12 Nov '87
      Models are shown in museums and in the medical world.
    • 25. Modeling: Spaces

      13 Nov '87
      Much of this program focuses on a zoo's constructing an uncannily accurate rain forest for its animals.