‘Gravity’ eclipsed by NASA and some real-deal shots from space

[Buster's Uncle]

‘Gravity’ eclipsed by NASA and some real-deal shots from space
Shawn Langlois  March 2, 2014, 9:31 PM






“Gravity” had to be the most overrated movie of the year. Two hours spinning around in space with a weepy Sandra Bullock and a philosophical George Clooney is more than any moviegoer should have to endure.

What isn’t overrated is the reality of what goes on out there.

And that’s where this photostream from NASA comes into play. Truth is much more fabulous than fiction in this particular case. Here’s a few of the highlights from some real space shots NASA released to coincide with the Oscars this weekend.


Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless II, is seen further away from the confines and safety of his ship than any previous astronaut has ever been. This space first was made possible by the Manned Manuevering Unit or MMU, a nitrogen jet propelled backpack. After a series of test maneuvers inside and above Challenger’s payload bay, McCandless went “free-flying” to a distance of 320 feet away from the Orbiter. This stunning orbital panorama view shows McCandless out there amongst the black and blue of Earth and space. (02/12/1984)


From 220 miles above Earth, one of the Expedition 25 crew members on the International Space Station took this night time photo featuring the bright lights of Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt on the Mediterranean coast. The Nile River and its delta stand out clearly as well. On the horizon, the airglow of the atmosphere is seen across the Mediterranean. The Sinai Peninsula, at right, is outlined with lights highlighting the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba.


Astronaut Sunita L. Williams, Expedition 14 flight engineer, used a pistol grip tool as she worked on the International Space Station in the first of three spacewalks slated to occur over a nine-day period. During the 7-hour 55-minute spacewalk that took place on Jan. 31, 2007, Williams and station commander Michael E. Lopez-Alegria (out of frame) reconfigured one of two cooling loops for the Destiny laboratory module, rearranged electrical connections and secured the starboard radiator of the P6 truss after retraction.


The city lights of Spain and Portugal define the Iberian Peninsula in this photo from the International Space Station. Several large metropolitan areas are visible, marked by their relatively large and brightly lit areas, including the capital cities of Madrid, Spain—located near the center of the peninsula’s interior—and Lisbon, Portugal—located along the southwestern coastline. The ancient city of Seville, visible to the north of the Strait of Gibraltar, is one of the largest cities in Spain. The astronaut view is looking toward the east, and is part of a time-lapse series of images.


The bright sun greets the International Space Station in this Nov. 22 scene from the Russian section of the orbital outpost, photographed by one of the STS-129 crew members.


Russian support personnel work to help get Expedition 29 crew members out of the Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft shortly after the capsule landed with Expedition 29 commander Mike Fossum, and flight engineers Sergei Volkov and Satoshi Furukawa in a remote area outside of the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. NASA astronaut Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Volkov and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Furukawa are returning from more than five months onboard the International Space Station, where they served as members of the Expedition 28 and 29 crews.

Check out the rest of the collection on Flickr. They’re all worth seeing.


http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/03/02/gravity-eclipsed-by-nasa-and-real-deal-shots-from-space/

[Buster's Uncle]

NASA, Astronauts Beam Congrats to 'Gravity' on Oscar Wins
SPACE.com
by Megan Gannon, News Editor  2 hours ago



"Gravity," starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, opened in theaters nationwide on Oct. 4, 2013.



Real-life astronauts and NASA officials congratulated the "Gravity" cast and crew on their seven Oscar wins Sunday night.

In a statement, NASA gave a special shout out to Alfonso Cuarón for winning best director. And astronauts on Earth and in space released video messages to celebrate the "Gravity" team's Oscar success.

"We took some time from our schedule to watch the movie 'Gravity' here on the space station and were struck by the stunning visuals and stark imagery the movie depicted," Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata said in a video from NASA, as he floated inside the International Space Station alongside NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins.

"Of course nothing beats the real thing here in space," Mastracchio said, while Hopkins did microgravity somersaults in the background. "But we want to congratulate the entire production and directing team and the stars of 'Gravity' for the honors they have earned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in bringing this ultimate in extreme environments to moviegoers around the world. Well done!"

"Gravity," which stars Sandra Bullock, was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in total. In addition to best director, the space thriller scooped up best original score, best sound editing, best sound mixing, best production design, cinematography, best film editing and best visual effects. "Gravity" also had a shot at nabbing the first science fiction win in the best picture category, but the award went to "12 Years a Slave."

The real-life astronauts who were consulted by the "Gravity" cast congratulated the team on their Oscar wins, too.

"Thank you for making a movie in our backyard and showing everyone around the world that it's their backyard, too," NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said in a video statement. "I was living aboard the International Space Station while you were making 'Gravity,' and talking with Sandra I was thrilled to share our world up their with you and now I thank you for sharing that world and that view with everyone."

That view is also what NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, a veteran of two space shuttle flights, appreciated about the film.

"What I really liked was the feel of space, the look of space, what the Earth looked like up on the big screen," Massimino said in a video, adding that "Gravity" inspired interest in space travel.

"A lot of people have come to me in the past few months and asked me about the movie, the accuracy of it, what are we really doing in space, so you did a very nice service to the world as well by generating a lot of interest in space travel," Massimino said.


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-astronauts-beam-congrats-gravity-oscar-wins-164917014.html

...

Today is a bad day for avoiding movie cross-promotion "news", alas.

[Geo]

See those bright lights halfway between Sharm-el Sheik and Eilat in the Egypt/Sinai peninsula pic (fourth picture)?
Geo was there.

[Buster's Uncle]

Shoop in a pointer and post it.

[Geo]

 

[Buster's Uncle]

Have you ever seen any of the Michael Palin travel shows?  I really like how he rides on top of the train and eats bugs or whatever like the po' folk wherever he goes.  Luxury travels shows are a dime a dozen.  It would be neat to have a local friend everywhere and get away from just the tourists traps when you travel.  That's how Mylochka did Turkey.

[Geo]

Tourist traps are easily avoided if the location in question is not your thing.
That said, nature's beauty is often made into a tourist trap of itself. But it helps if you're able to go places outside 'tourist hours' or, as you said, have tips from locals or people knowing the area.

The only Palin I ever heard of hails from Alaska, so I guess not. And perhaps my parents (they're Turkophiles as well) might learn a thing or two from your sister then.

[Buster's Uncle]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Palin -of Monty Python fame.

The Turks all wanted to keep her, they were so friendly.

[Geo]

Well, normally this May I'll more or less follow in the tracks of a 'continental railways documentary' in Switzerland, by one Michael Portillo...

Great Continental Railway Journeys (Michael Portillo) Ep.4 Switzerland