eric@apollo.uucp (Eric Peters) (06/26/85)
"The Dream is Alive", the new IMAX movie about the shuttle was released to the public last weekend, and I was lucky enough to be invited by the Smithsonian to see it. First the one-word review: WOW!!! More detail: See this film if there is any way possible! I think it will do more to revive interest in space and confidence in ourselves than any prior event, including the moon landings. What kept going through my mind as I sat watching was "This is real!" And in spite of the fact that it's "only a movie", it has fantastic impact. There are several launch scenes, including one from the tower right next to the spacecraft. The sound, by Ben Burtt of Lucasfilm, is terrific. Good Lord!!! The launches alone will make a believer of you. There is one landing scene from the point of view of the shuttle pilot. If you've ever flown a landing in a conventional aircraft, you'll appre- ciate what a 30-degree approach angle is. It feels like riding a rock out of a catapult! There is some time taken with astronaut training exercises, and for the most part, I didn't find them too interesting. The swimming pool in Houston where they practice working in "zero-g" is huge, but just a swimming pool after all. There is one training scene worth seeing, but I don't want to spoil it. You'll know it when you see it. A lot of the film is of day-to-day activities in the spacecraft, and this I found fascinating. The little blurry images we see on TV of the astro- nauts give almost no feeling of what it's like to be there. This movie fixes that problem. After a while, I even began to get used to people standing around at odd orientations and flying through hatchways in floors, walls, and ceilings. There was also a fair amount of time spent looking out the windows. There are a number of scenes of activity in the cargo bay, including the repairs on Solar Max. And the Earth is gorgeous! From shuttle altitude, high mountains stand out in clear relief, and a lot of detail of human civilization is visible. A good deal of time was spent just letting the Earth glide by outside, and it is wonderful! A comment I heard while leaving the theater: "I may be afraid of flying, but I WANT TO GO!" I can only add now I want to go too! So SEE THIS MOVIE, if you care anything about space! Eric Peters (...decvax!wanginst!apollo!eric) Apollo Computer Inc., Chelmsford, MA 01824