Many former astronauts and cosmonauts have written about their viscerally emotional reactions to flying, and in many cases, floating in space. Each one of them has been overwhelmingly touched by the entire experience. Astronaut Rusty Schweickart eventually penned his own thoughts after undergoing a spacewalk during the flight of Apollo 9 in March of 1969. In time, and with the help of poet Archibald MacLeish and arranger Kirke Michem, Schweickart’s poem became the musical piece, “Island in Space”.
This work was performed by The City of Angels Community Choirs on May 17, 2015 at First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills in Granada Hills, CA. The piece was conducted by Richard Medrano, the choir’s musical director. Recorded in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Stereo, this video also features HD film footage shot from space by NASA and ESA astronauts. Interspersed is footage showing the Earth’s natural beauty and man’s ordinary activities on planet Earth.
Special features also include embedded audio effects of rocket engines, quindar tones, and audio recordings of Schweickart’s own space walk. There is also creative use of video editing to provide an additional emotional effect for the viewer. The film is dedicated to the late test pilot, Fitz Fulton, one of NASA’s men who had “The Right Stuff” to make flying in space possible. The film was produced by Leg Lamp Productions.
The film can be found at the following locations:
1. Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/137042421
2. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUzl87XiE5o
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