NASA informed Tuesday that International Space Station (ISS) astronauts are preparing themselves to see the brand new Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And yes, they are going to do it so while they are orbiting in space.
The information was first tweeted by the spaceflight reporter Robin Seemangal, on Tuesday. According to him, he received a confirmation “from Disney and NASA sources” about the team up in space watching the most recent movie of the Star Wars saga. Then, Inverse followed the space agency and received the re-confirmation from a spokesperson.
Although the day when the ISS team is going to see the movie is still unknown, none of them can’t wait for it. The overwhelmingly positive reviews are ranking The Last Jedi as one of the greatest movies of the year – with IMDb giving it 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%, and Roger Ebert 4/4.
The way experts on Earth are going to send the movie to the astronauts is, also, still unknown. However, Inverse wrote that it’s quite possible they are going to do so inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule that was headed to the ISS on Friday.
This is not the first time that astronauts see a movie in space. Two years ago, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was also delivered to the ISS.
Joe Acaba, Mark Vande Hei, and soon Scott Tingle, are the NASA astronauts onboard of the ISS residents from Expedition 54.
“[I] can confirm the crew will be able to watch it on orbit,” NASA Public Affairs Officer Dan Huot told Inverse. “Don’t have a definitive timeline yet. They typically get movies as digital files and can play them back on a laptop or a standard projector that is currently aboard.”
NASA’s pointing to get better
NASA is aiming to send large groups of people to space in private and public trips. It has worked with SpaceX, which is also pointed to work with the National Aeronautical and Space Administration for a long time.
However, Elon Musk’s company is not the only one competing for NASA’s final approval. The space agency recently announced the Phase 3 for tier 3D printed habitat, and there are impressive designs of many companies that have enchanted a lot of experts.
Also, the space agency is looking to give the astronauts a more comfortable place to live in while they’re up in space. Little thing like sending movies to astronauts shows how committed NASA is to do it.
Practically, NASA is thinking that there is going to be a moment when Star Wars is not going to be a fantasy anymore. Thus, making the experts understand how the human body reacts to microgravity fully.
“Some of the research on the next cargo resupply flight could rival the healing powers of bacta, including a new synthetic material to accelerate bone repair, and another to combat muscle atrophy,” says the press release.
The NASA is also looking to create a new spacesuit that would let astronauts work with more flexibility while they’re out of the ISS.
Source: Inverse