Tom Cruise is getting ready to do the greatest gravity-defying operation, which will involve him dangling from a space shuttle 254 miles above Earth’s surface. In fact, not only this Mission Impossible star going to space for his upcoming movie, but, he also could be the first citizen to conduct a spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS). Cruise’s image as a reckless actor, built in large part by his habit of performing his own feats, is about to skyrocket.
Donna Langley, president of Universal Filmed Production Company, recently told the BBC that they want to shoot a scene in which Tom Cruise does a manned vehicle stunt outside the International Space Station. The picture continues to be in the works, but it has apparently received approval from Universal. To prepare for his part as a man charged with rescuing Earth, Cruise is said to have boarded a spacecraft and be headed for low Earth orbit. Although the story may be predictable, the film’s production may set some new benchmarks.
Should be a lot of fun
During a BBC interview, she disclosed that Cruise and filmmaker Doug Liman had presented the project to Langley in 2020. A tweet from NASA chief Jim Bridenstine at the moment indicated the agency’s enthusiastic support for the endeavor. ‘NASA is pleased to collaborate with Tom Cruise on a movie onboard the Space Station!’ he gushed. There were rumors that Cruise was collaborating with Elon Musk’s private space enterprise SpaceX on the endeavor, with the celebrity perhaps using one of SpaceX’s launchers to reach the ISS. Should be a lot of fun!” Musk tweeted in response to Bridenstine’s announcement.
Should be a lot of fun!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020
Axiom Space’s Ax-1 project sent four private astronauts to the International Space Station early this year for a 15-day stay to test out the company’s plans for future commercial projects. To prepare for the arrival of a second private crew in the latter part of 2023, NASA has issued a request for ideas for a couple more commercial astronaut flights to the ISS, one of which might launch to low Earth orbit as soon as next year. However, NASA has made it clear that any plan for a commercial mission that includes spacewalks would be rejected.
However, a spacewalk is on the plan for the December launching of the privately funded Polaris Dawn program. Because the Polaris squad has been preparing for their journey since May, it is unclear if Cruise will have sufficient time to beat them to the honor of the first civilian spacewalk. However, a spacewalk is on the plan for the December launching of the privately funded Polaris Dawn program. Because the Polaris squad has been preparing for their journey since May, it is unclear if Cruise will have sufficient time to beat them to the honor of the first civilian spacewalk.
Spacewalks are no laughing matter, so Cruise had best be prepared for life in zero gravity.
