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Author
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Topic: Tom Cruise flying on space shuttle Columbia?
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cfreeze79
Member Posts: 458
From: Herndon, VA, USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-27-2016 05:24 PM
   
Anyone out there know anything on this? Tom Cruise was reportedly training for a top secret mission, but this one wasn't for the big screen. The Sun reports that the actor was almost on the Columbia Space Shuttle mission that ended in tragedy when it exploded over Texas, killing all seven... This smacks of publicist-speak, and my gut is Cruise got a "big-boy's Space Camp" trip from NASA and that's about it.
Methinks it's a load of "dingo kidneys." |
p51
Member Posts: 1670
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 05-27-2016 05:34 PM
The page was taken down.You couldn't do anything 'top secret' when it came to manned space launches from an STS. Seriously, how was NASA going to hide a Hollywood movie star climbing aboard? And really, what talents would any movie star have that a trained astronaut (which NASA had several of in that timeframe of course) wouldn't? This smacks of a 'news item' you'd read on The Onion website or something. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 44023
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-27-2016 05:35 PM
CBS News pulled the linked article, hence the link now being broken. The story was first "reported" by the Star, a British tabloid, which seems to have misunderstood what IMAX director Toni Myers said in an interview. "He was very enthusiastic about doing Space Station 3D but the deal was he also wanted to fly in the space shuttle. He had a very good chance of doing so but then the accident happened and that was the end of that." Obviously, if the loss of Columbia dashed Cruise's chances of flying on the shuttle, he couldn't very well have been considered for a flight aboard STS-107, too.Here's the final word from Bob Jacobs, NASA's news chief: Guys, don't bother sharing those stories about Cruise secretly training as an astronaut. It never happened. I'd know, I was in the meetings [with Cruise] prior to the '02 space station documentary's release. |
328KF
Member Posts: 1267
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 05-27-2016 07:15 PM
It seems like a pretty looney demand to make on his part. "Sure, I'll narrate your movie, but only if you give me one of the most coveted experiences one can imagine."Goes to show how out of touch with reality some celebrities are. I'd like to hear from that NASA spokesman what the reaction to this was among the others present. |
DeepSea
Member Posts: 69
From:
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 05-28-2016 07:53 AM
My understanding was that the only person in the public eye who NASA was considering flying in the pre-Columbia days was Miles O'Brien. |
AlanC
Member Posts: 155
From: Scotland
Registered: Nov 2014
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posted 05-29-2016 03:29 PM
I seem to recall John Denver was keen to fly on the shuttle but I don't know how close he came to achieving this. |
cfreeze79
Member Posts: 458
From: Herndon, VA, USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-29-2016 04:46 PM
I submitted a FOIA request on the topic some years back and, according to NASA's records, all John Denver ever did was take a flight physical with them (which is more than most). |
toniuk
New Member Posts: 1
From: england
Registered: Jun 2016
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posted 06-10-2016 04:49 PM
I'm not sure if anyone here has seen it, but there is a photo of Tom wearing an (ACES) pumpkin suit. |
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