Brad Pitt to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station about Artemis Program

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As NASA prepares to send the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024 under the Artemis program, Brad Pitt is playing an astronaut in his latest film. Now the actor will have the opportunity to discuss what it's truly like to live and work in space with a NASA crew member living aboard the International Space Station. 

Pitt's Earth-to-space call will air live at 11:35 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 16 on NASA Television and the agency's website. 

NASA astronaut Nick Hague will answer questions from the actor. For nearly 20 years, astronauts have continuously lived and work on the International Space Station, testing technologies, performing science and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. 

In Ad Astra, which Hague and his Expedition 60 crewmates recently watched during their downtime aboard the orbiting laboratory, Pitt travels across the solar system, including to the Moon and Mars. Without providing spoilers, the parallels between the movie and the current state of human spaceflight stop there, making the film more science fiction than reality. However, the agency did provide visuals for the film and some technical expertise. 

"We reviewed a script of Ad Astra early in production," said Bert Ulrich, the agency's liaison for film and TV collaborations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Although there was no NASA storyline, we provided some of the exciting images and footage for the film especially of the Moon and Mars. Sci-fi films like Ad Astra, the Martian, Interstellar, and Gravity take movie audiences out of this world incorporating some of NASA's most inspirational photography and footage."

Inspiring the next generation of explorers ? the Artemis Generation ? ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery. Additional information about working with the agency on a feature or fictional film is available online under the Media Usage Guidelines.

The agency is planning to return astronauts to the Moon in the next five years with commercial and international partners. First, NASA will send a suite of new science instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon on commercial landers.

Following the 2024 crew landing, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon about once per year thereafter and establish sustainable lunar exploration by 2028. After gaining experience at the Moon testing new systems, such as NASA's Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and human landers, NASA will take humanity's next giant leap, sending astronauts to Mars.

Follow America's Moon to Mars exploration at:

https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

SOURCE NASA