NASA Astronaut to Watch New "Star Trek" Movie Among the Stars
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.
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