NASA's Google+ Hangout Connects Space Station, "Star Trek Into Darkness" Crews

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May 14, 2013, 12:21 ET

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The director, a writer and some actors in the film "Star Trek Into Darkness" will join NASA as it hosts a Google+ Hangout from noon to 12:45 p.m. EDT, May 16, about how work aboard the International Space Station is turning science fiction into reality.

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Google+ Hangouts allow as many as 10 people or groups to chat face-to-face, while thousands more can tune in to watch the conversation live on Google+ or YouTube.

The hangout also will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Participating in the hangout will be NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, who currently is living and working aboard the space station; astronauts Michael Fincke and Kjell Lindgren at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; director J.J. Abrams, screenwriter and producer Damon Lindelof; and stars of the film, Chris Pine, Alice Eve and John Cho. The participants will ask questions of each other and take questions from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City (home of the space shuttle Enterprise), the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, and social media followers.

Cassidy will provide insights about life aboard the station. Crews conduct a variety of science experiments and perform station maintenance during their six-month stay on the outpost. Their life in weightlessness requires different approaches to everyday activities such as eating, sleeping and exercising.

NASA's social media followers may submit video questions prior to the hangout. Several video questions will be selected and answered by astronauts and the movie cast. Unique and original questions are more likely to be selected.

The deadline to submit video questions is 3 a.m. Wednesday, May 15. To be considered, video clips must be no longer than 30 seconds and uploaded to YouTube and tagged with #askNASA. Submitters should introduce themselves and mention their location before asking their question.

NASA also will take questions submitted leading up to and during the event by fans on YouTube, Google+, Twitter and Facebook using #askNASA. On the morning of the event, NASA will open a thread on its Facebook page where questions may be posted.

The hangout may be viewed live on NASA's Google+ page, the NASA Television YouTube channel, or NASA TV. To join the hangout, and for updates and opportunities to participate in upcoming hangouts, visit the NASA's Google+ page at:

http://www.google.com/+NASA

For information about connecting and collaborating with NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

In 2005, Fincke made a guest appearance on the series finale of the television series "Star Trek: Enterprise." For more information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/Astros_on_StarTrek.html

For more information on Cassidy, Fincke and Lindgren, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cassidy-cj.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fincke.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lindgren-kn.html

For information about the space station, research in low-Earth orbit, NASA's commercial space programs and the future of American spaceflight, visit: