Short answers, pulled from the story.
Mark Cowen and Tom Hanks joined forces to create the documentary. This project marked the third Apollo-related work for Hanks following his involvement in the film Apollo 13 and the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.
The film premiered in IMAX theaters on the 23rd of September 2005. A DVD release followed on the 6th of November 2007 making the documentary accessible to home viewers.
Morgan Freeman voiced Neil Armstrong while John Travolta took on the role of James Irwin. Paul Newman played David Scott and Bill Paxton portrayed Edgar Mitchell with Bryan Cranston and Peter Scolari reprising their roles as Buzz Aldrin and Pete Conrad from the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.
Buzz Aldrin described the lunar landscape as magnificent desolation during the Apollo 11 mission after stepping onto the Moon. The phrase originated from a conversation between Aldrin and Neil Armstrong and was also predicted nineteen years earlier in George Pal's 1950 film Destination Moon.
On the 16th of February 2006 Jack Geist Johnathan Banta and Jerome Morin received an award from the Visual Effects Society. They were honored with Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Film for their work on the documentary.