New Star Trek Movie Beamed Up to Space Station

By Nancy Atkinson - May 15, 2009 at 2:26 PM UTC | Site News
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In a convergence of science fiction and current technology, the new Star Trek movie has been "beamed up" to the International Space Station so the three occupants can watch it while orbiting 220 miles above Earth. Paramount sent a copy of the movie to NASA's Mission Control, which then uplinked the movie to the International Space Station. The crew plans to watch the film on a laptop computer in the Unity module.

On board the station are NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Russian cosmonaut and expedition commander Gennady Padalka, and astronaut Koichi Wakata from Japan.

"I remember watching the original Star Trek series and, like many of my NASA co-workers, was inspired by the idea of people from all nations coming together to explore space," Barratt said in a statement provided by Paramount. "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."

Watching movies is one of the favored off-duty pastimes for ISS crews. There is a collection of DVDs and uplinked movies aboard the space station, some of which were delivered during previous shuttle and station missions and which will remain aboard for the enjoyment of future crews.

It's not even the first time Star Trek has screened in space: Former station astronaut Greg Chamitoff and his crewmates viewed the entire Star Trek series as a regular weekly event.

Of course, if you want to see the new Star Trek movie, you don't have to travel to the ISS; it's now playing at movie theaters and IMAX screens. Check your local listings!

Source: SciFi Wire

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com