Three/Point/Eau: Theatre 40 @ San Jose City College

Sunday, May 17, 2009

May 15, 2009, 6:52 pm

Real Live Astronauts are Watching ‘Star Trek’ in Outer Space - Right Now

By Rebecca Cathcart, New York Times

Paramount Pictures The bridge of the Enterprise in the new “Star Trek” film

Right about now in outer space, three men are crouched in a node of the International Space Station, watching J.J. Abrams’ reboot of “Star Trek” on a laptop. They chose the node, said NASA spokeswoman Nicole Cloutier, because it was “dark and quiet” and would be “a good spot” for three “Star Trek” fans to hunker down for the ultimate viewing experience.

“They just ended their crew day,” said Ms. Cloutier, “so they’re watching it now, or just finishing it up. They can go all day without seeing each other, so this is a good chance to get together.”

Michael Barratt, the American astronaut, requested the film before boarding a space-bound shuttle in March, said Ms. Cloutier. He told NASA officials that he was a lifelong admirer of the TV series and did not want to miss this latest big-screen installment while off-planet. It was beamed up to them - really - after being reformatted by NASA technicians in a five-hour procedure Thursday night and beamed up Friday morning.

Mr. Barratt, 50, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, 50, and Koichi Wakata, 46, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency settled into the node, named “Unity,” after dinner and secured their feet with floor straps to keep from floating during the screening, she said.

They are the 19th crew since 2000 to put in time at the International Space Station, which is a series of large modules connected by smaller nodes. Getting together for a “movie night,” she added, was a tradition on the station.

Mr. Barrat said in a press release that the original series inspired him to become an astronaut and would be a perfect film selection for the space station.

“‘Star Trek’ blended adventure, discovery, intelligence and storytelling that assumes a positive future for humanity,” he said. “The International Space Station is a real step in that direction, with many nations sharing in an adventure the world can be proud of.”