The Museum of Flight, a Smithsonian affiliate, has dedicated its entire June 18 film schedule to premiere Space Next in 4K stereoscopic 3D. The opening was timed to coincide with the NewSpace conference of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and policy leaders, held by the Space Frontier Foundation. At two of the premiere screenings, open to the public, Space Next director Luke Ployhar of Afterglow Studios in Minneapolis will introduce the film and show how scenes were created. Ployhar is a seasoned Hollywood filmmaker and effects artist whose credits include Minority Report.
“We are thrilled that Space Next will be seen at the Museum of Flight by NewSpace 2016 conference delegates, because the movie’s message is that space research, industry and exploration are alive and well in the 21st Century global community,” said Ployhar.
Museum of Flight CEO Doug King said, “Space Next fits the Museum’s commitment to be the foremost educational air and space museum in the world. It is a perfect fit for attendees and fans of the NewSpace conference, and for young people inspired by the subject matter.”
“These deep space missions, robotics, satellites, space tourism, life changing science breakthroughs and data visualization may seem like science fiction, but are part of modern-day reality,” said Tina Ratterman of Big & Digital, Las Vegas-based distributor of Space Next. “Space Next was designed to engage and inform the public and serve STEAM education with a realistic picture of our present and future in space.”
Space Next is a movie on the frontiers of cinema as well as space. It was produced in realistic, digital animation to screen on the world’s Imax and Giant Screen Theaters and most advanced cinema systems - ultra-high resolution and custom immersive theaters most often found in science museums and state-of-the-art planetariums. It was formatted to accommodate multiple digital platforms in 2D, 3D, flat-screen and Fulldome, and resolutions up to 8K.
Space Next first summarizes the history of space exploration, which was primarily government-led through the end of the NASA shuttle program in 2011. Then the movie delves into the rich variety of modern-day government and private industry activity on today’s space frontiers.
“We worked with leading scientists and consultants from NASA and other institutions,'” said Ployhar. “Space Next presents actual possibilities of what lies in the future of space development.”
Among the aerospace innovators covered in Space Next:
Bigelow Aerospace, Las Vegas, and its pioneering space station design with inflatable modules was field tested on the International Space Station on June 3
SpaceX, Hawthorne, California, a private developer of space vehicles that recently successfully landed a rocket on a drone barge as proof of concept for reusable rockets
NASA, whose satellites have advanced the study and understanding of space and weather phenomena with unprecedented levels of image capture and data visualization
Space Next is screening at Tycho Brahe Planetarium in Copenhagen, National Infantry Museum, Columbus Georgia; and the US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville Alabama. It is rolling out at additional venues in North America, Europe, Asia and Japan.
Space Next run times include 38 and 25 minutes. The film is supported with a comprehensive marketing campaign and includes a 23-page Educator’s Guide with activities to support Next Generation Science Standards and STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).
Ticket and schedule information: click here
Afterglow Studios http://www.afterglowstudios.com
Big & Digital http://www.biganddigital.com
The Museum of Flight http://www.museumofflight.org