By now, we’ve probably all had the chance to see some of the astonishing images of the cosmos that the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has sent back down to earth. And it’s a safe bet that most if not all of us have reacted to these stunning pictures with a shared sense of wonder at the powerful beauty to be found in outer space.
On March 19, premiering at the Smithsonian Institute’s Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. with national release later the same day, the film IMAX: Hubble 3D will offer the public the best opportunity to experience the telescope and its final repair mission short of actually suiting up and blasting off as one of the crew.
The HST was launched in 1990 but it wasn’t until the first repair mission in 1993 when errors in optics equipment were corrected that the telescope was able to begin truly living up to expectations. Subsequent repair missions over the years provided maintenance as it was needed and improvements as new technologies became available, culminating with 2009′s STS-125 mission which sent a crew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. As the HST nears the end of its operational life, this final repair mission is hoped to prove adequate to keep it operational until the James Webb Spate Telescope goes into service in 2014. One extra piece of equipment was included on the mission manifold for STS-125: an IMAX camera.
Mission astronauts collected footage of their journey and of their work for the express purpose of making this film. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio and clocking in at 43 minutes in length, the movie was made through a collaboration between IMAX, Warner Bros. Pictures and NASA.
A special website has been created that offers more information about the telescope, the astronauts and their mission behind the final repair trip, the remarkable footage and of the movie itself. Early reviews are glowingly enthusiastic for a unique film experience that promises to be unforgettable.
Photo courtesy of NASA via Wikimedia Commons.
