Category Archives: Space films and videos

Video: Trailer for “Hidden Figures” film

Below is the trailer for the movie Hidden Figures, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer & Janelle Monáe. It  reaches theaters on January 13, 2017:

HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, and Glen Powell

The film is based on the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.

Videos: Asteroid Day is on line today – Watch film “51 Degrees North”

Happy Asteroid Day!

Asteroid Day is a global awareness campaign where people from around the world come together to learn about asteroids, the impact hazard they may pose, and what we can do to protect our planet, families, communities, and future generations from future asteroid impacts. Asteroid Day is held each year on the anniversary of the largest impact in recent history, the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia.

Leaders in the field and several scientific organizations are participating in the event. For example, the European Space Agency says Every day is Asteroid Day at ESA.

In collaboration with Discovery Science, there is a live blog and on line discussions and presentations all  day. See the schedule of Live Streams.

Here is a seven part video series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson about asteroids and Asteroid Day:

More about the event:

In February 2014, Dr. Brian May, astrophysicist and famed guitarist for the rock band QUEEN, began working with Grigorij Richters, the director of a new film titled 51 Degrees North, a fictional story of an asteroid impact on London and the resulting human condition. May composed the music for the film and suggested that Richters preview it at Starmus, an event organized by Dr. Garik Israelian and attended by esteemed astrophysicists, scientists and artists, including Dr. Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and Rick Wakeman. The result was the beginning of discussions that would lead to the launch of Asteroid Day in 2015.

Continue…

For 24 hours only, the film 51 Degrees North is available on line for free.

Kickstarter for documentary about searching for and messaging ET

Here is a crowd-funding campaign for a documentary about :
Earthling’s Quest – Alien hunters and a message to the stars by Alexander, Per & Malla — Kickstarter

This is not fiction – this is the human pursuit for extraterrestrial intelligence led by real-life legends from the SETI Institute in California – Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Eavesdropping on ET has been around for a long time and the search for an alien signal that would change everything. Is it time that we start broadcasting targeted signals as well? If so, are we putting the entire civilization at risk? Prominent scientists think so. In this film you will see the hunt for the alien signal along with METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) International’s quest to start up the controversial project of broadcasting messages from Earth.

Your support will ensure that this fascinating story reaches Earthlings, making you part of a team with a duo of award-winning Directors and the Co-producer of an Oscar-winning film.

More about the project:

Join the Earthlings Quest! This is a cinematic feature-length documentary that will tell the story of SETI – the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence through the SETI Institute and METI International. You will meet Jill Tarter, Seth Shostak, Jon Richards and Douglas Vakoch among others. Jill was the inspiration for the Hollywood blockbuster movie “Contact” (1997), where we witness Jodie Foster as the character Ellie Arroway, receiving a signal from ET. Both Jill and Seth have been role models for spreading the word of science and inspiring future generations.

93c49af07a7d6b2d718e51c0c359110e_original

Video: CineSpace 2016 – short film competition

I’ve posted a couple of times (see here and here) about the CineSpace short film competition, which is sponsored by NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS). What makes this competition unique is the requirement that the creators use NASA imagery to some degree in the films.

Below is a new video encouraging filmmakers to enter the competition. Submissions can be made between June 1, 2016 12:00 a.m. EST – July 31, 2016 11:59 p.m. EST. “Winners will be announced and screened along with all finalists at Houston Cinema Arts Festival, November 10-17, 2016.”