Will Be Beamed To The Station During Showing At KSC On October 13

When the movie 'Forbidden Planet' is shown at Kennedy Space Center on October 13, it will also be beamed up to the ISS for viewing by the station's crew.

The movie, and others, are part of a crew moral program called "psych support" by the agency. Prior to the screening, those who have gathered at KSC to watch the 1956 science fiction classic will be treated on an introduction from space presented by American astronaut Sunita Williams, who is part of the Expedition 33 crew currently on board.

Bert Ulrich, the multimedia liaison for film and television collaboration at NASA in Washington, told the New York Times that "The movies that are part of the psych support program are intended as a way to keep our astronauts happy." The screening is being sponsored by Turner Classic Movies, and kicks off a series of movies to be shown by TCM at various locations around the country leading up to its TCM Classic Film Festival in April of next year.

Ulrich said other movies that have been shown to space station crews include "Star Trek" and "The Avengers." But, he added, the movies shown don't have to be in the science fiction or action genres. He said TCM approached the agency to gauge their interest in showing a classic movie to the Expedition 33 crew.

FMI: www.nasa.gov