International Space Station Astronauts Congratulate Gravity On Oscars 2014 Wins From Space [VIDEO]

Posted: March 3, 2014 at 11:44 pm

Alfonso Cuaron won for Best Director and the movie took home seven Academy Awards including for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. It was enough to draw the attention of fans who escaped Earth's gravitational pull.

Expedition 38 crew members Richard A. Mastracchio and Michael S. Hopkins, from NASA, and Koichi Wakata, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, congratulated Gravity and the films crew from the ISS. Hopkins, Wakata and Mastracchio took turns discussing life in space, complete with Hopkins tumbling in the background, as well as the movie itself.

Wakata said the stunning visuals and stark imagery of Gravity was what most impressed the astronauts aboard the space station. During the message, Hopkins completed seven full flips and was halfway through his eighth before the end of the video.

Even if Gravity did not win big at the Oscars it would have been easy to call the film a success, in part due to its box office take as well as furthering awareness of space exploration and helping foster curiosity about NASA and their programs. According to Box Office Mojo, Gravity grossed $704.9 million worldwide, $270.5 domestically and $434.4 million overseas, with an estimated budget of $100 million.

During the filming of the movie, Sandra Bullock consulted NASA astronaut Catherine Cady Coleman to prepare for the role of an astronaut. Coleman discussed what movement was like in microgravity and talked to Bullock about life aboard the ISS.

NASA also points to the International Space Station as another star in Gravity. Much like the real ISS mission, Gravity features several scenes where Bullock is conducting experiments. On the ISS there are hundreds of experiments that are assigned to the crew.

During the Oscars 2014 broadcast, NASA launched the #RealGravity campaign on Twitter which highlighted photo galleries of the ISS, the Hubble Space Telescope and views from space. The space agency used the hashtag to highlight upcoming missions to Mars and its asteroid initiative.

You can watch the ISS crew, as well as NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, congratulate "Gravity" below.

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International Space Station Astronauts Congratulate Gravity On Oscars 2014 Wins From Space [VIDEO]

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