Print this page

Back to gravity: Russians talk about world's 1st space movie

Written by  Tuesday, 19 October 2021 12:53
Write a comment
Back to gravity: Russians talk about world's 1st space movie
In this photo taken from video footage released by Roscosmos Space Agency, actress Yulia Peresild sits in a chair shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-18 space capsule, southeast of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Oct.
17, 2021. The Soyuz MS-18 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko aboard after a 3 1/2-hour trip from the International Space Station. Credit: Roscosmos Space Agency via AP

A Russian actor and a film director who spent 12 days in orbit making the world's first movie in space said Tuesday they were so thrilled with their experience on the International Space Station that they felt sorry to leave.

Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko flew to the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft together with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov. After a stint on the , they returned to Earth on Sunday with another veteran Russian cosmonaut, Oleg Novitskiy.

Peresild and Klimenko filmed segments of a movie titled "Challenge," in which a surgeon played by Peresild rushes to the to save a crew member who needs an urgent operation in orbit. Novitskiy, who flew the film crew home, stars as the ailing cosmonaut in the movie.

Speaking to reporters via video link Tuesday, 37-year-old Peresild lamented that a busy filming schedule left little chance to enjoy the views.

"We realized only a day before the departure that we didn't spend enough time looking in the windows," she said. "I had a mixed feeling. On the one hand, it felt like an eternity but on the other hand it felt like we just arrived and immediately need to return."

Peresild and Shipenko said they were feeling fine but still were having some trouble adapting to the pull of gravity.

Back to gravity: Russians talk about world's 1st space movie
In this photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency, Russian space agency rescue team members help film director Klim Shipenko out from the capsule shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-18 space capsule about 150 km (90 miles) south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The Soyuz MS-18 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko aboard after a 3 1/2-hour trip from the International Space Station. Credit: Roscosmos Space Agency via AP

"We have to learn again how to walk," Peresild said, adding that she still instinctively tries to attach various items with Velcro to prevent them from floating away.

She said she slept very well in orbit and four hours of sleep were enough to have a good rest.

Shipenko, 38, who has made several commercially successful , said he filmed over 30 hours of movie material on board the station.

"Of course, it posed both artistic and technical challenges," he said.

Shipenko, who will continue the shooting on Earth after filming the movie's space episodes, said the film's release date would be announced next year.

Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, was a key force behind the movie project, describing it as a chance to burnish the nation's space glory and rejecting criticism from some Russian media over the efforts spent on it.

  • Back to gravity: Russians talk about world's 1st space movie
    In this photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency, Russian space agency rescue team members carry actress Yulia Peresild shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-18 space capsule about 150 km (90 miles) south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The Soyuz MS-18 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko aboard after a 3 1/2-hour trip from the International Space Station. Credit: Roscosmos Space Agency via AP
  • Back to gravity: Russians talk about world's 1st space movie
    In this photo released by the Roscosmos Space Agency, film director Klim Shipenko, centre, speaks with Head of Russian First Channel Konstantin Ernst shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-18 space capsule about 150 km (90 miles) south-east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The Soyuz MS-18 capsule landed upright in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko aboard after a 3 1/2-hour trip from the International Space Station. Credit: Pavel Kassin, Roscosmos Space Agency via AP

Before Russia took the lead in feature filmmaking in space, NASA had talked to actor Tom Cruise about making a movie in orbit.

NASA confirmed last year that it was in talks with Cruise about filming on the International Space Station with SpaceX providing the lift. In May 2020, it was reported that Cruise was developing the project alongside director Doug Liman, Elon Musk and NASA.


Explore further

Russian rocket tests briefly destabilise space station

© 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Citation: Back to gravity: Russians talk about world's 1st space movie (2021, October 19) retrieved 19 October 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-10-gravity-russians-world-1st-space.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Read more from original source...

You must login to post a comment.
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.

Be the first to comment.