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Topic: NASA designed projection booth even for zerogravity?

Matthew Bailey
Master Film Handler

Posts: 461
From: Port Arthur,TX
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 08-19-2001 04:59 AM

Just came up with an idea. It calls for a NASA designed projection booth even if it means zerogravity use. Film platters as you know
require a gravitational force of 1 g to operate properly.
A multi deck platter would require vacuum pressure through
perforated decks to hold the film to the decks. Either downward
pneumatic force from perforated air pads above each deck
or some type of friction arrangement to keep the last several feet of
film from tangling during payout or both conbined with vacuum pressure. Friction would be needed to keep the film on the rollers.
A static vac cleaner along witha a fabric roller type cleaner
carefully pressurized with Film Guard & something to keep Film
Guard droplets from floating around in case they do get loose.
As for taking up & removing a print on a platter,platter reels would be used each the exact diameter of each deck. After placing the reel
on the deck with the deck vacuum on,-please remove the payout
centerpiece before doing this-one half of the reel along with
the center hub can be removed.Friction & brakes on the rewinds & MUT
would keep the film from being slack during winding.
As for the projector,Teflon gel lubricated bearings.shafts&gears
as well as a sealed intermittent lubricated with Teflon gel
would be used unless the projector is all electronic like the
Kinoton projectors.A lamp house with powerful vacuum cooling
would have the vacuum cooling keep glass fragments out of
the spacecraft in case the bulb explodes. Any suggestions?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 08-19-2001 05:48 AM

If film absolutely had to be run in zero gravity, it would be a lot easier and more cost effective to just run reels. Typical failsafes would be useless anyway.

Of course if there was to be a giant pultiplex being built in outer space, I'm sure Brad would come up with a kick ass platter design. There is no way we could let Steve Guttag conquer outer space!

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Joe Ritter
Film Handler

Posts: 27
From: Cape May Court House, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 08-19-2001 09:34 AM

Don`t forget thatyou would have to have seat belts to keep the patrons in their seats. Also the popcorn would have to be made very sticky to keep it out of the light beam from the projector ( maybe popcorn with molases would be a new fad).------Thanks----Joe Ritter----

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-19-2001 10:00 AM

There is no need for a film transport system in space. Since space is endless the film could just be spliced into a giant endless loop to keep going around as many times as you'd want to show it.
Mark Jetson

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-19-2001 10:43 AM

I seriously doubt that 35mm (or even 16mm) film will ever make it into space except as camera stock for still and motion-picture photography. The costs of launching stuff into orbit are insanely high; it's something like $10,000 per pound. I find it hard to believe that anyone will be able to justify spending a half million dollars to launch a 35mm feature outside the atmosphere just for entertainment of astronauts. By the time that launch costs come down to reasonable levels, we'll all be dead and so will 35mm film prints.

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 08-19-2001 11:23 AM

I have some titles in my collection that my friends would probably pay to have NASA ship to space... one way.
Other friends will want to send the Holmes 8, and ME along with them.

I need a new set of friends...

A zero gravity projection system. What will M.B. think of next?

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-19-2001 01:48 PM

Keeping customers in their seats would be easy. Just make everybody wear Velcro® clothes!

For the drinks, I'd think that your standard "roadie cup" that people get at drive-thrus, nowadays, would be suffucient to keep the liquid contained. Maybe build a better seal on the lid and have an integral straw.

For the occasional spill, there could be a strong downdraft created by the ventillation system to "blow" all the floating debris toward the floor. The floor could be made out of some kind of grating which leads into a catch basin of sorts. Anything that gets spilled would then be vacuumed up for disposal. In zero-G, nobody would be walking on the floor anyway.

However, I can imagine that the stereotypical "sticky floor" phenomenon in a zero-G theatre would be somewhat expanded to a "sticky walls" phenomenon. Keeping the screen clean in such an environment would be a big pain in the ass, though.

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John Anastasio
Master Film Handler

Posts: 325
From: Trenton, NJ, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 08-19-2001 03:09 PM

Here on Mezzaluna, we never worry about gravity. However, I'm glad that you've found Matthew for us. If you would kindly transport him to the nearest interossiter, we can put him back in his room.

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-19-2001 03:53 PM

Very humorous. I wonder what Matthew is on?

Some interesting facts:

NASA used to launch 70 mm film in to space. The Aurora spy satellite of the 1960s used to have two 70 mm cameras on board and when the film was exposed it used to re-enter the atmosphere and was pick up by an airplane while dangling from a parachute.

By the 1970s the military found that waiting for the satellite to re-enter and get the film processed was too time consuming so they switched to electronic (video) intelligence gathering.

When the astronauts on Mir, or the International Space Station want to watch a film they just plug a DVD in to their IBM laptops. The shuttle astronauts generally don't have enough time to watch a movie.

Most shuttle missions carry an IMAX camera, which NASA has found to be the best way to record precious images. Most shots are carefully choreographed before launch. So there is film in space.

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Ben Wales
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 602
From: Southampton. England
Registered: Jul 99

posted 08-19-2001 04:38 PM

May be sometime in the future NASA or Sony Theatres could build the first outer space Drive-In (or should I say a Space Dock Cinema) either on the Moon or Mars

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-19-2001 05:13 PM

Oh! I could just imagine...

All these shuttles, lined up around an asteroid (or something) which acts like a screen. All their windows would be steamed up. Then suddenly a meteor shower hits and the projectionist has to suit up and go for a space walk.

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Jeff Stricker
Master Film Handler

Posts: 481
From: Calumet, Mi USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-19-2001 05:54 PM

I propose we orbit a huge screen in geosynchronous orbit, such that it can be viewed by a large portion of the western hemisphere. Then using an earth-based projector (since the screen appears stationary, so is the projector), we simply project the film on the orbiting screen using, of course, a very powerful lamp house. Probably 1 MW will be sufficient.

An extremely high flow rate liquid nitrogen cooled gate will be required. I leave this trivial issue to other film-tech'rs.

Of course this solves all the zero gravity projection issues discussed above.

OH, yes sound? Local AM or FM radio stations will rebroadcast the audio feed that they receive via network hook-up.

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