{"id":19383,"date":"2016-05-17T23:11:01","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T15:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/a-beautiful-planet-astronauts-and-space-moviemakers-reflect-on-films-final-frontier\/"},"modified":"2016-05-17T23:11:01","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17T15:11:01","slug":"a-beautiful-planet-astronauts-and-space-moviemakers-reflect-on-films-final-frontier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/a-beautiful-planet-astronauts-and-space-moviemakers-reflect-on-films-final-frontier\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A Beautiful Planet\u2019: Astronauts and space moviemakers reflect on film\u2019s final frontier"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_250319\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250319\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-250319\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/160517-imax-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"Terry Virts on International Space Station for 'A Beautiful Planet'\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/160517-imax-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/160517-imax-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/160517-imax-1240x698.jpg 1240w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/160517-imax.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-250319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA astronaut Terry Virts aims his camera through the Cupola, the best window on the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cA Beautiful Planet\u201d&nbsp;is a 3-D visual feast for the eyes, but the astronauts who filmed the IMAX space extravaganza made sure that\u2019s not all it is.<\/p>\n<p>For example, NASA astronaut Terry Virts said he recalled the feeling of life on the International Space Station as he watched the movie today at Seattle\u2019s Pacific Science Center.&nbsp;\u201cWhen I was going down into the Soyuz to say goodbye, I can feel what that suit felt like. Just how to move in weightlessness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>His crewmate, Kjell Lindgren, was struck by the sounds of a&nbsp;spacewalk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe microphone captured the sound coming through the structure of the suit,\u201d he told GeekWire. \u201cThe anchors banging around, the sound of the breathing, just the suit flexing, the joints slipping on each other. Just the sensation of what it\u2019s like to move outside, and to see these guys moving around outside. That\u2019s what it feels like. It\u2019s very visceral.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When a spacewalker\u2019s tether pulled taut, the resulting&nbsp;twang drew a&nbsp;gasp&nbsp;from the audience&nbsp;\u2013 as if they were watching a \u201cGravity\u201d-type thriller, not a real-life documentary about the space station and our&nbsp;planet below.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the kind of scene&nbsp;that producer\/director\/editor Toni Myers, who\u2019s been in on 10 IMAX movies, loves to spring on filmgoers.&nbsp;\u201cThere\u2019s such a thing as a golden eight seconds, and that was one of them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"A Beautiful Planet IMAX\u00ae Trailer\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZEnhWHAlslM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Myers, Lindgren and Virts were in Seattle today to give a boost to \u201cA Beautiful Planet,\u201d which had its premiere a little more than two weeks ago. This morning\u2019s audience consisted mostly of schoolkids, which Lindgren said was apropos. \u201cThere\u2019s somebody in the audience potentially today \u2026 who could be the first person to set foot on Mars,\u201d he told the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>The 45-minute 3-D film, narrated by Jennifer Lawrence, takes you&nbsp;through two tours of duty on the space station. You get to see Virts go on a spacewalk with NASA crewmate Butch Wilmore. You get to watch Scott Kelly\u2019s arrival on a mission to spend nearly a year in space.<\/p>\n<p>The camera is rolling when Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tastes a zero-G&nbsp;espresso. (\u201cWow, that was good,\u201d she says.) It\u2019s also rolling when Kelly and Lindgren sample space-grown lettuce. (\u201cKinda like arugula,\u201d Kelly says.)<\/p>\n<p>To get those shots, the astronauts themselves were trained in advance of their flights by cinematographer James Neihouse, who also made the trip to Seattle. Some scenes were meticulously planned out&nbsp;\u2013 for example, a \u201cGrand Central\u201d moment showing the astronauts crossing paths as they unpacked supplies. Other scenes were improvised,&nbsp;like&nbsp;a shot showing a bag of cookies and a&nbsp;pouch of milk floating in zero-G, waiting for Santa\u2019s Christmas arrival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of a sudden, I thought, \u2018We need a cookie scene,&#8217;\u201d Virts recalled.<\/p>\n<p>Another spontaneous moment shows Lindgren playing \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d on his bagpipes as he looks out on Earth from the space station\u2019s Cupola observation deck. \u201cI had my set of bagpipes, and we thought it would be fun to capture a moment on the space station,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Interspersed among all those space station moments&nbsp;are plenty of glorious, wall-filling views of Earth as seen from space, at day and at night. \u201cOne of my favorite scenes is the aurora sequence&nbsp;with the music in the background, because it reminds me of the aurora that I got to see while I was up there,\u201d Lindgren said. \u201cIt is unbelievable that that is not a special effect. \u2026 Every time I see that, I get goosebumps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=643069534773968897&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2016%2Fbeautiful-planet-astronauts-toni-myers-space-station-movie%2F&amp;sessionId=fff9de471962d8fff87dd3ef07f240595f7a0837&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"643069534773968897\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782804604834187457=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Gorgeous moonset into #aurora. How many satellites can you spot streaking across the stars?  I count 8, 3 at 1 time!https:\/\/t.co\/17ntCiNC4p<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) September 13, 2015<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not all. Myers includes 3-D scenes that feature the Curiosity rover\u2019s view of Gale Crater on Mars, the Earth-size exoplanets that circle a star called Kepler-186 and views of flares erupting from the sun. Those otherworldly scenes reinforce the message that Earth holds a special status for humanity, and that there are plenty of frontiers in science and engineering left to explore.<\/p>\n<p>So what about the frontier for space films? Will virtual reality render big-screen movies obsolete?&nbsp;Myers doesn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said that about TV. When television came along, they said no one will go out to the movies anymore, the movies are dead, it\u2019s going to kill them,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think so. People like to go out and share an experience with people, and VR \u2026 if there\u2019s anything that<em> isn\u2019t<\/em> shared, it\u2019s that. You\u2019re totally isolated in your own little box. So I think there\u2019s a place for both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And even though NASA astronauts are routinely sharing their pictures via social media, Virts said tweeters will never replace theaters. \u201cSocial media is kinda like a cookie,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd an IMAX movie is like a steak dinner. \u2026 Every kid in America, every kid everywhere, should see this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lindgren said the view should be even better in a couple of decades, when astronauts are taking trips to Mars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have these HD cameras pointing down at the Earth from the space station, so you can get fairly incredible views when you turn on NASA television,\u201d he said. \u201cTo experience Mars with the crew through VR \u2026 that is going to change the face of exploration. Not just because we have a rover on the planet, but because you will experience it through commentary and through familiar movement, and see what the crew is seeing. Just think how different it\u2019s going to be. \u2026 I\u2019m already thinking about the IMAX camera we\u2019re going to be carrying to Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA astronaut Terry Virts aims his camera through the Cupola, the best window on the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA) \u201cA Beautiful Planet\u201d&nbsp;is a 3-D visual feast for the eyes, but the astronauts who filmed the IMAX space extravaganza made sure that\u2019s not all it is. For example, NASA astronaut Terry Virts said he recalled [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5333,717,4550,190,4918],"class_list":["post-19383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-imax","tag-international-space-station","tag-movies","tag-nasa","tag-pacific-science-center"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19383"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19383\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}