What's one of the problems with living on the International Space Station? No decent way to watch television shows or movie! I'm guessing that being in outer space and being able to witness extraordinary views of the earth and stars must get kind of old after a while, am I right? Yes, I'm being facetious...
Actually, there are some benefits to having this new addition on the ISS. Up until now, the only devices that the scientists had to view data, video chat with family members, and yes, watch movies and shows, were on 13-inch screens. So how cool would it be to be able to video chat with family members on a 65-inch projection screen? It would make them nearly life-size! With the isolation of space, and being away from one's family, it has to get a little rough.
So how do you send up a monitor into space that one) will survive the launch intact, and two) cut down on the cost it would take to send something of this size and weight up to the ISS? The short answer is...you don't.
NASA reached out to a company called Screen Innovations and asked them to design a projection screen, what Screen Innovations refers to as Slate, that could be rolled up, sent into space, and deployed flat under zero-gravity conditions. Why their Slate is so impressive is because they've developed a material that not only can handle all of the above mentioned requirements, but it also gives an ultra-bright picture due to an "ambient-light rejection projection system," which is important for a crisp, clear picture because the lights on the ISS are never turned off. Like I said, this is just the screen. They also received a 1080p digital project to go with their new toy. Here's a short video featuring this endeavor:
So now, when the wonders of space become boring and common-place, they can kick back and enjoy the wonders of television. The first movie they plan to watch on it? Gravity!
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