Star Trek: Frontiers

HOUSTON, May 15 /PRNewswire/ — 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.

For more information about Barratt and the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

To learn more about the science of “Star Trek,” visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/star_trek.html

About “STAR TREK”
Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present a Bad Robot Production
“Star Trek” starring John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris
Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin,
Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy.

The greatest adventure of all time begins with “Star Trek,” the incredible
story of a young crew’s maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever
created: the U.S.S. Enterprise. On a journey filled with action, comedy and
cosmic peril, the new recruits must find a way to stop an evil being whose
mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind.

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James T.
Kirk (Chris Pine), is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other,
Spock (Zachary Quinto), was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all
emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but
powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through
unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before!

SOURCE Paramount Pictures

John Yembrick, Headquarters, Washington, +1-202-358-1100,
john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov, or Kelly Humphries, Johnson Space Center, Houston,
+1-281-483-5111, kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov, both of NASA