2 IMAX films show off NASA work

Two big-screen films currently showing in the Salt Lake area have the amazing ability to lift the viewer beyond Earth — and at the same time, remind us of the value of our space agency.

They are the IMAX films, "Roving Mars," about the pair of Mars rovers that landed two years ago, and "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D," about the moon explorations of 1969-72. The first is playing in Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons, located in Sandy, and the moon show is at Clark Planetarium at The Gateway in Salt Lake City.

Each of these short films is rated G and given three and a half stars in the Deseret Morning News online reviews. For the true space fanatic, however, each easily earns four stars, six planets and eight asteroids.

A special free screening of the premiere of "Roving Mars" was arranged by NASA's solar system ambassador program Thursday night. Members of "virtually every astronomy club in the state" were present, said Patrick Wiggins, one of the ambassadors who was instrumental in arranging the event.

A criticism that has been written about both movies, which is true, is that the excellent animation makes it hard to know what's real and what's concocted in the studio on the basis of actual photos and films.

The Mars film shows noisy views of the rockets in space (where, as all who watch Alien know, nobody can hear you scream), created in the lab. The moon film mocks the ridiculous position taken years ago that nobody landed and it was all filmed in a studio; but then it shows an elaborate scenario of a moon buggy breaking down and the astronauts barely getting back safely to their lander — events that never happened.

Although the film says twice that this didn't happen, the startling images of it happening right in front of you in perfectly believable views, in three dimensions, make you wonder, well, couldn't Hollywood fake a landing?

But those are quibbles. To a fascinated audience, the films are uplifting and a tribute to the dedicated men and women of NASA.

"Roving Mars" takes a more documentary approach, spelling out some of the many steps that scientists, technicians and administrators went through in order to land the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Although built to last 90 days, two years later these robots are still at work, trekking across Mars, sampling rocks and radioing back literally other-worldly panoramas.

For the latest news about Spirit and Opportunity, check the project's NASA Web site, marsrovers.nasa.gov.

Following Thursday's screening of the rovers film, Siegfried Jachmann, past president of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, said, "I thought it was spectacular — just mind-boggling to think that we can do something like that."

Wiggins commented, "Really, just a fun movie. Space geeks will love it. It's good to see good stuff about NASA."

After all the recent criticism about the space agency, this is an example — among many such situations — where "NASA done good," Wiggins joked.

Seeing both films should help people keep in mind how much NASA has accomplished, and what greater feats may be on the horizon.

---

E-mail: bau@desnews.com