NASA Invites Media to Explore Mars Science Fiction and Fact in Cinema

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Sep 10, 2015, 06:33 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media are invited to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, Sept. 15 for a fresh perspective on the journey to Mars. Cast members from the soon-to-be-released 20th Century Fox movie "The Martian" will meet with NASA scientists and engineers to see the real technology and spacecraft being developed for future Mars exploration.

At 10:30 a.m. EDT, NASA Television will broadcast an employee technology roundtable with "The Martian" cast members Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis, Johnson Center Director Ellen Ochoa and NASA scientists, engineers and astronauts.

NASA Television also will provide live coverage as the cast members visit the Mission Control Center from 3:30 to 3:45 p.m., and talk with astronauts living on the International Space Station. Participating media may follow along during briefings at the International Space Station training facility, planetary rovers and the Orion spacecraft, and visit the control center where flight controllers provide support for space station research and operations.

Also in the afternoon, Ochoa, NASA personnel and "The Martian" cast members will be available to answer in-person media questions about the movie and how the space station, Orion and technology development efforts in Houston are paving the way for human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. Media must be at Johnson to participate. The day will conclude with a full-length screening of "The Martian" at a nearby theater.

NASA innovation is fueling the journey to Mars, and information about the cutting edge technology being developed by NASA is available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/1NqheRR

Registration is limited to U.S.-based media outlets and reporters. Media interested in attending must contact the Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 1 p.m. Monday, Sept.14, for accreditation and additional details.

For more information about NASA's journey to Mars, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasas-journey-to-mars

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SOURCE NASA