Astronauts Watch Star Trek in Space

NASA astronaut Michael Barratt didn’t have to stand in line to see the new Star Trek movie when it premiered but he also didn’t get to snack on delicious movie popcorn either since he and his two cremates watched the movie while on board the International Space Station floating high above the earth.

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 planed 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.”

The space station has a collection of DVDs and uplinked movies that are brought on board by various astronauts, then left behind for everyone to enjoy. Former station astronaut Greg Chamitoff and his crewmates viewed the entire Star Trek series as a regular weekly event. NASA psycologists say that movies, books and other leisure items are very important to the well-being of astronauts when they’re away from home on these long-duration missions.

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.

For more information about Barratt and the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

To learn more about the science of “Star Trek,” visit: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/star_trek.html

Photo: Paramount Pictures