posted 04-29-2008 11:19 PM               

NASA list of books, movies, television shows, and music maintained on the International Space Station (ISS) for recreational/off-duty consumption [PDF 1.76mb] as released by the Johnson Space Center on April 23, 2008 in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The document does not list two books that were brought and left on the ISS by spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi: "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein and "Faust" by Johanne Wolfgang von Goethe. "I say I am starting a library -- there are books up there, but anyway I'm the first one to say it should be a library, so I am taking up a couple of books," said Simyoni as to why he brought them.

The list is also missing the DVD copies of the TV show "Firefly" and its theatrical spinoff "Serenity," brought to the ISS by "Browncoat Astronaut" Steve Swanson on STS-117.

posted 05-28-2008 04:04 PM               

The blockbuster movie "Iron Man" reaches new milestones every day and now the film has achieved astonishing new heights -- literally!

Astronaut Garrett Reisman, currently orbiting Earth in the International Space Station (ISS), apparently couldn't wait to get back home to see "Iron Man." So, he'll be watching a copy of the film being beamed up the ISS for his viewing pleasure!

posted 05-15-2009 06:19 PM               

NASA Astronaut to Watch New Star Trek Movie Among the Stars

Moviegoers likely will sit in crowded theaters to watch the new "Star Trek" movie, which premiered on May 8, but not NASA astronaut Michael Barratt. He will have the opportunity to watch the film aboard the International Space Station, while he and two crewmates fly 220 miles above Earth. The only thing missing will be the popcorn.

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."

There is a collection of DVDs and uplinked movies aboard the space station. 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.

Aside from watching movies and television shows, space station astronauts have a number of options for their leisure and personal time, such as reading books or magazines, listening to music, and playing musical instruments and board games. Chamitoff played chess in orbit with ground teams from station control centers around the world and the public. During one game, the public voted on the next move, choosing from four possibilities that students from Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Wash., suggested.

Films, books and music are important aspects of psychological support for astronauts on 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.

posted 10-22-2009 08:32 AM               

The International Space Station Discovers 'Planet 51'

To celebrate the Solar System Premiere of Columbia Pictures' new animated comedy Planet 51, which will be released in theaters on Earth November 20, 2009, the film is currently orbiting the planet on the International Space Station!

The film was launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on August 28, 2009, and was transferred to the space station by the astronauts a few days later. The film is now cruising high above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour and orbiting the planet every 90 minutes, which is the exact running time of the movie, so it will make a full Earth orbit as the movie premieres on the ground.

Credit: NASA/Sony Pictures

In a joint statement, producers Guy Collins and Ignacio Perez said that, "Planet 51 is a fun film for all the family and one of its strong messages, particularly for children, is to not be afraid of the unknown. That is what NASA has been showing the world for 50 years and I hope that our film will encourage children to increase their understanding of the Universe and NASA's work."

Joshua Ravetch, a Senior Vice President at HandMade Films who arranged for the movie to get to the space station said, "What's really amazing about this is that the movie will open day and date domestically, internationally and now, even a copy of the film will be available 'orbitally' circling the Earth for the astronauts to view at their leisure."

In a photo accompanying the announcement, a disc of the film can be seen floating weightlessly in space, observing Earth as it floats by a Space Station window. The photo mimics a shot from the film, in which Lem, an alien from Planet 51, observes his home planet from the window of a spaceship for the first time.

About the film:

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum. The film is directed by Jorge Blanco, written by Joe Stillman, and produced by Guy Collins and Ignacio Perez Dolset.