Film that blends thriller and existentialist themes. Despite some flabby physics and technical gaffes, this remains a reader favorite.
This Academy Award-nominated drama explores the contributions made by Black NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson as they helped overcome segregation and sexism as part of the Mercury program.
What is the Space Launch System?
The SLS is our most powerful rocket to date. It will deliver astronauts back to the Moon and eventually propel people on journeys towards Mars and beyond.
Space-X and Orbital ATK are developing crewed flights to the International Space Station for NASA; Virgin Galactic offers suborbital tourism rides; but missions to other star systems won’t begin until SLS makes its debut. It represents both a formidable engineering feat as well as political struggle.
At Nasa’s lofty goals and with its astonishing vision for an improved future in mind, the SLS rocket propels astronauts in Orion – Nasa’s next-generation crew vehicle – towards deep space. Engineered to travel further, faster and carry heavier payloads than its predecessor Saturn V, it represents one of the most powerful vehicles ever created by humanity.
What is the Space Station?
Space stations are artificial outposts located in outer space designed to serve as bases for astronauts and receive regular visits by other spacecraft carrying passengers and cargo. Space stations are intended to stay in orbit long-term for scientific research purposes.
The International Space Station is an impressive symbol of international cooperation that brings many economic, technological and scientific advantages to humanity.
As part of human exploration missions to Moon and Mars, astronauts onboard are conducting experiments to explore what effects living in microgravity has on people over extended periods.
As there is no gravity on Mars, soapsuds tend to stick everywhere – including to astronauts! Therefore, for showering purposes they use liquid soap mixed with water and no-rinse shampoo for optimal results. When going to the bathroom they use a special toilet that draws urine and air into a tank before flushing.
What is the Orion Spacecraft?
NASA’s Orion spaceship is designed to take people on missions beyond Earth. Launched atop its massive Space Launch System rocket, Orion has already made one trip out to the Moon and back – testing out systems in preparation for an Artemis crewed mission.
Orion’s test flight included several payloads designed to perform deep space research: 10 shoebox-size satellites that pop off as soon as Orion begins moving and can reenter Earth’s atmosphere without damage, carrying out their missions without interruption. Furthermore, this spaceship also carried small samples of moon rock and bolts from one of Apollo’s rocket engines as cargo.
An orange spacesuit-clad full-size dummy fills the commander’s seat of Orion, fitted with sensors to record acceleration and vibrations, as well as monitor cosmic radiation — one of the primary risks associated with spaceflight. Furthermore, three displays and 67 physical switches on board ensure full system monitoring by this robot spacecraft.
What is the Olympus Spacecraft?
Patrick Stewart narrates this short docudrama to outline the incredible contributions of NASA’s Space Shuttle program and its dedicated astronauts, while also placing our current space exploration initiatives such as International Space Station and Orion into perspective.
Olling also touches upon Project Olympus, an inflatable transport vehicle featuring three radial arms which would allow it to unfold in space and launch from atop the new Space Launch System, which generates over 9 Million pounds of thrust.
Olympus-based ISS would separate from its logistics spacecraft upon reaching space station orbit and dock with the top of its hub nose-on, providing astronauts with access to its arms for long-term exploration of Polar-orbiting stations as well as living quarters that could support five-year missions.