The Dream Is Alive
Encyclopedia
The Dream is Alive is an IMAX
movie, released in June 1985, about NASA
's Space Shuttle program
. The film was narrated by Walter Cronkite
, and directed by Graeme Ferguson
.
(STS-41-B
) on its approach to the Kennedy Space Center
at Cape Canaveral
, complete with sonic boom
.
Mission STS-41-C
, the 11th for the shuttle program and the fifth for Challenger
is featured most heavily, beginning with the deployment of the Long Duration Exposure Facility
(LDEF) satellite. The capture and repair of the Solar Max
satellite also receives a great deal of coverage, including a detailed overview of training for the mission in a large pool at NASA. This particular mission is of interest, as the first attempt at capturing the satellite failed, and a second attempt almost 12 hours later had to be made. That portion of the mission was a success, with the satellite being brought to the payload bay on the next attempt, and was repaired quickly by astronauts James van Hoften
and George Nelson
. Other STS 41-C mission activities included a student experiment located in a middeck locker to determine how honeybees make honeycomb cells in a microgravity environment.
Other shuttle missions are interspersed during the feature with the STS-41-C footage. Highlights include:
Additionally, a small amount of time is also dedicated to other aspects of the shuttle program, including:
, and includes appearances by the shuttle Challenger itself, and two astronauts, Francis Scobee
and Judith Resnik, who died in the accident.
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
movie, released in June 1985, about NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
. The film was narrated by Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
, and directed by Graeme Ferguson
Graeme Ferguson
Ivan Graeme Ferguson, CM is a Canadian filmmaker and inventor who co-invented IMAX. Ferguson was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1993...
.
Synopsis
The movie includes scenes from numerous shuttle missions, beginning with footage of a de-orbiting (uncredited) ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
(STS-41-B
STS-41-B
STS-41-B was the tenth NASA Space Shuttle mission, launching on 3 February 1984 and landing on 11 February. It was the fourth flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Following STS-9, the flight numbering system for the Space Shuttle program was changed...
) on its approach to the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
at Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
, complete with sonic boom
Sonic boom
A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves created by an object traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding much like an explosion...
.
Mission STS-41-C
STS-41-C
STS-41-C was NASA's 11th Space Shuttle mission, and the fifth mission of Space Shuttle Challenger. The launch on 6 April 1984 was the first direct ascent trajectory for a shuttle mission...
, the 11th for the shuttle program and the fifth for Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
is featured most heavily, beginning with the deployment of the Long Duration Exposure Facility
Long Duration Exposure Facility
NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility, or LDEF, was a school bus-sized cylindrical space experiment rack that exposed various material samples to outer space for about 5.7 years, completing 32,422 Earth orbits.- Construction :...
(LDEF) satellite. The capture and repair of the Solar Max
Solar Maximum Mission
The Solar Maximum Mission satellite was designed to investigate solar phenomenon, particularly solar flares. It was launched on February 14, 1980....
satellite also receives a great deal of coverage, including a detailed overview of training for the mission in a large pool at NASA. This particular mission is of interest, as the first attempt at capturing the satellite failed, and a second attempt almost 12 hours later had to be made. That portion of the mission was a success, with the satellite being brought to the payload bay on the next attempt, and was repaired quickly by astronauts James van Hoften
James van Hoften
James Dougal Adrianus "Ox" van Hoften is a former NASA Astronaut.-Personal data:Van Hoften was born June 11, 1944, in Fresno, California. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. He considers Burlingame, California, to be his hometown. ...
and George Nelson
George Nelson (astronaut)
George Driver "Pinky" Nelson is a former NASA astronaut.Nelson was born in Charles City, Iowa, but considers Willmar, Minnesota, to be his hometown. His wife Susie is from Alhambra, California. They have two daughters, Aimee and Marti....
. Other STS 41-C mission activities included a student experiment located in a middeck locker to determine how honeybees make honeycomb cells in a microgravity environment.
Other shuttle missions are interspersed during the feature with the STS-41-C footage. Highlights include:
- STS-41-DSTS-41-DSTS-41-D was the first flight of NASA's Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery. It was the 12th mission of the Space Shuttle program, and was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 30 August 1984...
: The first launch of DiscoverySpace Shuttle DiscoverySpace Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
, with footage of liftoff, the deployment of two of the three satellites on this mission, and special attention given to the novelty of the experimental OAST-1 solar arrayPhotovoltaic moduleA solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells...
, which was a precursor to the solar arrays of the International Space StationInternational Space StationThe International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. (These arrays were also a highly publicized portion of shuttle mission STS-116STS-116-Crew notes:Originally this mission was to carry the Expedition 8 crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:* The STS-116 mission delivered and attached the International Space Station's third port truss segment, the P5 truss....
, during which the astronauts made multiple -- and eventually successful -- attempts to fold the arrays for movement around the station.) Footage is also shown of Discoverys landing and transport from its landing site at Edwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
to Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space CenterThe John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
on the back of the Shuttle Carrier AircraftShuttle Carrier AircraftThe Shuttle Carrier Aircraft are two extensively modified Boeing 747 airliners that NASA uses to transport Space Shuttle orbiters...
.
- STS-41-GSTS-41-GSTS 41-G was the 13th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the sixth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. Challenger launched on 5 October 1984, and conducted the second shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center on 13 October...
: The sixth flight of Challenger, notable as the largest crew aboard the shuttle at that time, the first time two women flew together on the shuttle, and the first spacewalk by an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman, Kathy Sullivan. Footage of Hurricane Josephine is also shown.
Additionally, a small amount of time is also dedicated to other aspects of the shuttle program, including:
- Other crew that work on the shuttle;
- The work of inspecting and replacing the shuttle's heat tiles;
- Training the astronauts must complete to prepare for missions;
- What the astronauts eatSpace foodSpace food is food products, specially created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space. The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for the health of individuals working in space, while being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume in the machinery...
on spaceflights; - How astronauts would bail out if an emergency occurred on the launch pad.
Challenger disaster
The movie was produced and shot 15-18 months before the Space Shuttle Challenger disasterSpace Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
, and includes appearances by the shuttle Challenger itself, and two astronauts, Francis Scobee
Dick Scobee
Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee was an American astronaut. He was killed commanding the Space Shuttle Challenger, which suffered catastrophic booster failure during launch of the STS-51-L mission.-Early life:...
and Judith Resnik, who died in the accident.