19 January 2012
Media - Tourism (Strange)
The Film That NASA Banned
May see the light of day
by Carol Pinchefsky
When Richard Garriot de Cayeux, the founder of the Ultima series of computer games and the world’s sixth space tourist, went to the International Space Station ( ISS) in 2008, he didn’t just kick back and bask in zero gravity. No, during his twelve-day journey he conducted experiments on the crystallization of protein molecules, took photographs, conducted an art show (really) and…made a horror movie.

This eight-minute movie, Apogee of Fear, written by famed fantasy author Tracy Hickman, is probably no Prometheus. Still, it can boast the claim that it was the first-ever movie to be made in space. But there’s a reason you haven’t seen it: Space.com recently revealed that its release has been blocked by NASA.

Asked to speculate about why NASA wouldn’t give permission to release the film, Garriott offered up a few ideas.

“It’s too playful,” he told SPACE.com. “It’s just not their message.”

He doesn’t think the space agency actively dislikes “Apogee of Fear” or wishes to suppress it. Rather, he believes NASA simply sees no reason to support it. “It’s just that the default answer is no,” Garriott said.


Want to know more about the little film that can't? Check out my original article.
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Carol Pinchefsky 19 January 2012
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