Roving Mars

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by David Kelly

Has anybody had the opportunity yet to see the new IMAX movie called "Roving Mars"? It looks pretty slick and is dubbed more of an educational movie depicting the work NASA had to go through to get the rovers up there and their missions on Mars. Halfway through the trailer video on the website, I swear I hear the voice of the one and only Mr. Dave Lavery. Dave, did you have any part of this new IMAX film? I can't wait till I get to see it. I am going to try to see it this wednesday before class, as the IMAX theatre is right next my college.

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/rovingmars/

The IMAX film team began to work with the Mars Exploration Rover project very early in the development of the rovers. They filmed the team for over a year prior to launch, and all the way through to post-landing operations. The film does a pretty good job of capturing some of the excitement and emotional commitment involved with a project like this. The filmmaker, George Butler, really concentrated on the human stories involved with the project. You will hear about the project primarily from the viewpoints of the science Principal Investigator, Steve Squyres, and the Entry, Descent and Landing Chief Engineer, Rob Manning. They both do a wonderful job of weaving the story of the entire project. On top of that, seeing the full-resolution photos of Mars returned by the rovers when they are projected on an IMAX screen is truly spectacular (and the exploding parachute footage is fun to see too!). There are a few familiar faces that show up, and I will just leave it at that.

The official premiere for Roving Mars was held last Thursday evening at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. As of Friday morning, it is now showing as a regular feature at the main NASM facility, the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport, and several other IMAX theatres. The movie will have a staggered release in IMAX theatres around the country. It will be released in the Boston/New England area later in the spring, and is not due to show in Southern California until the summer. This is primarily due to existing commitments for screening other IMAX movies that have to expire before they can add a new film to their schedules.

-dave

[Arkorobotics]

Originally Posted by dlavery

The official premiere for Roving Mars was held last Thursday evening at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC. As of Friday morning, it is now showing as a regular feature at the main NASM facility, the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport, and several other IMAX theatres. The movie will have a staggered release in IMAX theatres around the country. It will be released in the Boston/New England area later in the spring, and is not due to show in Southern California until the summer. This is primarily due to existing commitments for screening other IMAX movies that have to expire before they can add a new film to their schedules.

-dave

Is it going to expand to more places? I live near JPL and I am surprised (and angry ) that they are not showing it around here!

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by Arkorobotics

Is it going to expand to more places? I live near JPL and I am surprised (and angry ) that they are not showing it around here!

Take a breath. Now, re-read what Dave said. In particular the part about the staggered launch.

On a side note, IMAX often gets beat around with a stick when it comes to new releases. The Science Museum of Virginia was unable to show Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire until this weekend so it wouldn't compete with the Regal theater that is something along the lines of 1.4 miles away, where 1.5 miles is the contract limit. Science plays second fiddle to Hollywood again.

Wetzel