A series of IMAX
space films that launched the grandeur of human spaceflight onto expansive screens
around the world is headed for televisions across the United States, even as
astronauts prepare to make a new film at the Hubble Space Telescope next month.
On Sunday,
April 12, the Documentary Channel will broadcast the first of its catalogue of
21 IMAX films to celebrate the birth
of human spaceflight and NASA's space shuttle fleet. The three-film marathon
kicks off with the 1982 film "Hail Columbia!" in high-definition and will air
on the simultaneous anniversaries of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's historic first spaceflight in
1961 and NASA's inaugural launch of the space shuttle Columbia in 1981.
"It is only
fitting that we premiere these three magnificent IMAX films, including
"Hail Columbia", on this same date to celebrate one of America's
greatest achievements and to recognize the heroes and triumphs of NASA,"
Documentary Channel founder and CEO Tom Neff told SPACE.com.
The
Documentary Channel is the first cable network to secure the U.S. television
rights for the entire IMAX XXI Film Package, the network said. Some titles,
though, have
been released on DVD.
In addition
to "Hail Columbia!," which chronicles the debut flight of NASA's
first space shuttle, the Columbia orbiter, the channel will also premiere
the 2002 documentary "Space Station" and the 1994 film "Destiny in Space" on
Sunday night. Other IMAX films, including the space exploration features "The
Dream is Alive" and "Mission to Mir," will follow beginning April 19.
The group
of films also includes recent IMAX productions such as "Magnificent
Desolation: Walking on the Moon."
The
Documentary Channel's IMAX film line-up comes as seven astronauts are preparing
to launch with
their own IMAX camera to document NASA's fifth and final mission to
overhaul the Hubble Space Telescope.
Commanded
by veteran astronaut Scott Altman, the mission is slated to launch May 12 and
include five back-to-back spacewalks to add new instruments to Hubble, replace
ailing batteries and gyroscopes, add a docking ring for future robotic vehicles
and repair equipment that was never designed to be fixed in space.
That Hubble IMAX film is set for release in 2010 and will mark Warner Bros. Pictures' first-ever venture into space, NASA officials have said.
The
Documentary Channel's space IMAX film line-up premieres Sunday, April 12 at
8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check local listings.
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