Popcorn might be a bit messy for the International Space Station. However, that's the only thing NASA astronaut Michael Barratt will miss when he watches the new "Star Trek" movie. That, and the crowds.

Paramount Pictures transferred "Star Trek" to NASA's Mission Control in Houston, which then uplinked the film to the space station on Thursday, May 14. Barratt plans to watch the film on a laptop computer inside the Unity module.

"I remember watching the original 'Star Trek' series and, like many of my NASA coworkers, was inspired by the idea of people from all nations coming together to explore space," said Barratt. "'Star Trek' blended adventure, discovery, intelligence and story telling that assumes a positive future for humanity. The International Space Station is a real step in that direction, with many nations sharing in an adventure the world can be proud of."

I watched the movie on opening night and those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I said, "Trek is back! The new movie is great. I'm already looking forward to the next one. I hope we get a new series, as well." Although I'm looking forward to watching the IMAX version, I envy Michael for his venue.

This film is not the only one available to the crew aboard the station. There is a collection of DVDs and uplinked movies. The DVDs were delivered during previous shuttle and station missions and will remain aboard for the enjoyment of future crews. Some crews have had movie nights as regular activities. Former station astronaut Greg Chamitoff and his crewmates viewed the entire "Star Trek" series as a regular weekly event.

Barratt launched to the space station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in March. He is scheduled to return to Earth on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission in June. His station crewmates are Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. All three will become part of the station's first six-person crew, Expedition 20, when three new crew members arrive on May 29.

Image Credits (Full Size): Koji Watanabe/Getty Images

Follow me on Twitter!

According to MSNBC, former astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr. will most likely be tapped as the next head of NASA. He is scheduled to meet with President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday morning.

Bolden, a retired Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps, served as an astronaut with NASA from August 1981 until June 27, 1994 when he returned to active duty with the Marines. During that time, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle missions STS-61C, STS-31, STS-45 and STS-60. In 2002, President Bush selected him to serve as Deputy Administrator of the space agency. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2003.

If the president selects Bolden, he would be the first African-American appointed to head the space agency.

Image Credits: NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)

Follow me on Twitter!

Space shuttle Atlantis will meet up with the Hubble Space Telescope today. Engineers continue to examine the images captured during Tuesday’s inspection of Atlantis’ thermal protection system and exterior surfaces. During that inspection, mission managers noted one area of damage on the forward part of the spacecraft where the wing blends into the fuselage. Initially it appears to be very minor and of no concern for the mission, and the flight team notified the crew late Tuesday that no focused inspection of that particular area is necessary.

Extra time has been built into the EVA schedule at Hubble, so controllers hope that if any repair to the shuttle is necessary it can be accomplished within that time.

The STS-125 crew will perform five spacewalks to refurbish, restore and renew the Hubble Space Telescope. The first spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday.

NASA reports that debris hit the Space Shuttle Atlantis 104 seconds into the launch of mission STS-125 yesterday, leaving a 21-inch scratch. Inspection continues and we will provide more information as it becomes available.

After a successful launch yesterday, a busy day is ahead for the crew of space shuttle Atlantis as they continue to close in on the Hubble Space Telescope. Today's wake-up music was "Kryptonite" performed by 3 Doors Down. It was played shortly after 5 a.m. EDT for STS-125 Pilot Greg Johnson.

During their first full day in orbit, the STS-125 crew members will inspect space shuttle Atlantis’ heat shield and prepare for Wednesday’s rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Image Credits: NASA TV

Follow me on Twitter!

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, valves are open and about 500,000 gallons of chilled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are flowing into space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank at Launch Pad 39A. The "tanking" process, as it is known, began at 4:41 a.m. EDT after the Mission Management Team gave the go-ahead to proceed. Liftoff remains on schedule for 2:01 p.m. EDT. The launch weather forecast remains 90 percent favorable.

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final space shuttle mission to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot. Mission specialists rounding out the crew are: veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino, and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Michael Good and Megan McArthur.

Image Credits (View Full Size Image): NASA

Follow me on Twitter!

We won as well!

NASA has received two Webby awards for excellence on the Internet. NASA's main Web site, won the People's Voice award for best government Web site. The Cassini mission Web site, received a Webby award for best science site.

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

The People's Voice award is the second for NASA's Web site, which also won in 2003. More than 500,000 people cast votes this year.

"We're extremely happy to be honored by the Internet community this way," said Brian Dunbar, the content manager for http://www.nasa.gov, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We've always tried to focus the site on giving the public what they're looking for in an engaging and compelling way. Combined with some of the highest customer-satisfaction ratings in the government, this award tells us we're on the right track."

About.com Also a Webby Winner

We’re very proud to announce that About.com was the people’s choice for the Guides/Ratings/Reviews category of the Webby Awards! We would like to thank all of our readers for supporting us.

NASA will induct three new members into the Astronaut Hall of Fame during a ceremony on May 2, 2009 at 3:00PM EST. CNN reporter John Zarrella will host the event. More than 20 hall of fame astronauts are expected to attend, including Scott Carpenter, Walt Cunningham, Jim Lovell and Bob Crippen. The ceremony will take place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. NASA Television will provide live coverage.

Located six miles west of the main Visitor Complex, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame is dedicated to telling the stories of America’s astronauts. Identified by the mockup of a full-size orbiter outside, the Hall of Fame features the world’s largest collection of personal astronaut mementos such as Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s report card; film footage; and real space hardware, like early space traveler Wally Schirra’s Mercury capsule as well as historic spacecrafts, hands-on activities and astronaut training simulators.

Guests to the Astronaut Hall of Fame can enter the theater to watch "To Explore," a film that points out how mankind has sought adventure and enlightenment through exploration, and that the dangers and complexities of space flight are why we owe it to the first American astronauts to honor them by keeping their dream alive.

The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame was established by the Mercury Seven Foundation, now known as the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Its exhibits and many interactive features bring the astronauts’ stories to life.

Also, there is its main purpose, honoring the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the exploration of that last great frontier.

This year's inductees include former astronauts George "Pinky" Nelson, one of only four space shuttle astronauts to fly untethered in space using NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit; William Shepherd, commander of the first crew to live aboard the International Space Station; and Jim Wetherbee, commander of the longest docked shuttle-Mir mission.

The Astronaut Hall of Fame opens daily 10 a.m. Closing time varies with extended hours during summer and holiday periods. It is closed on Christmas Day. Entry fess are currently: Adults, $17; children age 3 - 11, $13.

Image Credits: NASA
Full Size George "Pinky" Nelson
Full Size William Shepherd
Full Size Jim Wetherbee

Follow me on Twitter!

The Challenger flew nine successful missions before that fateful day ; January 28, 1986.

Seventy three seconds into the mission, the Challenger exploded, killing the entire crew.

For many people, the challenger disaster was a defining moment in their history. Share with us your memories of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Read the story, then scroll down and click the link under Readers Respond.

Image Credits: NASA

Follow me on Twitter!

On April 27, 1933, Karl Jansky reported reception of cosmic radio signals in Washington D.C.

In the 1860s, James Clerk Maxwell's equations showed that electromagnetic radiation from stellar sources could exist with any wavelength, not just optical. It wasn't until 1931 that Karl Jansky (10/22/1905 – 02/14/1950), an American physicist and radio engineer with Bell Telephone Laboratories, confirmed the theory. While investigating static that interfered with short wave transatlantic voice transmissions, Jansky used a large directional antenna to track the interference. He noticed that his analog pen/paper recording system kept recording a repeating signal of unknown origin.

This was the beginning of Radio Astronomy.

Follow me on Twitter!