March 1, 2024: The Return of Dune

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Dune: Part Two movie poster. (Warner Bros.)

While Dune: Part Two might have been delayed, I expect it will be more than worth the wait. In the meantime, check out the official movie site and latest trailer. I have also dropped in a few of the gallery photos below.

And you might want to check out an earlier New York Times article if you missed it. Titled “How Is ‘Dune’ So Prescient About Climate Change? Thank This Native American Tribe,” it may give you some insights into Frank Herbert’s thinking as he created his story of Dune.

Note: You should also check out this Dune cast interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live (in two parts). It’s a lot of fun.

 Image (Credit): Baron Harkonnen relaxes. (Warner Bros.)
 Image (Credit): Paul Atreides on the planet Arrakis. (Warner Bros.)
Image (Credit): The Harkonnens on the surface of Arrakis. (Warner Bros.)

Space Quote: NASA Cannot Do Everything in this Budget Environment

Posted on by onespaceman2000
 

“The current budget environment has significant implications for mission and safety risk. NASA has a very full mission plate. To the extent that their budget request is not fully funded, the leadership will need to acknowledge and make critical decisions with respect to program content or schedules, which will need to be adjusted to meet fiscal realities. Attempting to do all planned efforts on expected timelines will introduce unacceptable and unmanaged risk. The Agency will need to rely on its developed strategic vision, objectives, and architecture to establish well-defined priorities to ground its endeavors in reality – taking fully into account the risk-benefit tradeoffs.”

-Statement in the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s 2023 Annual Report regarding NASA’s operating environment. One particular area of risk relates to Artemis III, which entails a crewed landing on the Moon. The report states:

In addition, prior to the Artemis III mission, NASA will need to address whatever issues arise from the Artemis II mission, including the possibilities of hardware (HW) and software (SW) changes to both the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion. Orion flight time on Artemis III will exceed previous durations. Given that it is a new rocket, a new human capsule, and a new human spaceflight environment for this generation of NASA workers, it is not unreasonable to think that NASA will still have a great deal of discovery to do with every Artemis mission for the foreseeable future, and that both schedules and workloads will need to expand accordingly.

Movie: I.S.S.

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Bleecker Street

Speaking of the crowded International Space Station (ISS), it appears things could be much worse if you had a chance to watch the newly release film I.S.S. This trailer is all you need to see. I am not sure watching the movie will be at all helpful to your mindset.

Don’t be fooled by the subtle description on the official movie page:

Tensions flare aboard the International Space Station between US and Russian astronauts in this high-stakes space thriller.

In the trailer, these people are going at each other with kitchen knives. This is not “tensions flare,” it is “Oh my God, it’s the end of the world!”

We have seen this before, and not so long ago. Remember The Midnight Sky in 2020 with George Clooney trying to warn an exploratory spacecraft away from a dying Earth? Or how about Rubikon in 2022 about a space station orbiting above a dying Earth?

In these earlier movies, the dying Earth was a mystery. In the case of this new film, it appears it is just trigger-happy governments wanting to end the human experiment once and for all. 

I am not sure this stuff is worth the price of a movie ticket. I would rather watch NASA TV for now as it shows the events related to the real ISS and wait for the online release of this latest film if I truly run out of things to do with my day.

A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Steven Spielberg

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Scene from the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. (Universal Studios)

On this day in 1946, Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. The American film director is best known for his many science fiction films, such as Jaws as well as the Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park series. However, he has a special place in the hearts of space fans for his other films, including:

  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977);
  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); and
  • War of the Worlds (2005).

You may wonder what he plans to work on next. So does he. In a Deadline interview earlier this year, Mr. Spielberg stated this when asked about his next project:

It’s kind of a nice feeling. And it’s also a horrible feeling. It’s nice that I can actually have control of my life again and makes my own choices in my real life. But I need to work and I love to work and that’s the biggest question I’m going to have with the rest of the year trying to figure this out.

Let’s hope he considers something space-related again.

Movie: Dune, Part Two Not Due Until Next Year

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Scene from Dune, Part Two. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

I had been posting the planned November 3, 2023 date for the premiere of the film Dune, Part Two, but the movie has had some issues and it is not planned for March 15, 2024. Yes, I know, it’s a big disappointment.

Many of you probably already know this. I guess I haven’t been watching the press on this one because Variety magazine and others reported on the delay back in August, attributing it to the writer’s strike.

The last official trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures was three months ago, but it is worth watching again if only to prepare for what is to come (you can see a variety of other more recent trailers floating around from various parties, such as this one from Screen Culture).

I am glad the second film is coming, regardless of the delay. I will just have to re-watch the first part a few more times to get ready for the big battle.