, 3D film, showing in the Force Field theatre at the , London, from 20 July
Between July 1969 and December 1972, NASA put 12 men on the moon. Nobody has been back since, but plenty of people are still consumed with curiosity about how it feels to make the trip.
鈥淚鈥檓 often asked, what is it like to go to the moon?鈥� says former astronaut , who in 1971 spent 67 hours on the lunar surface as commander of .
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Now Scott 鈥� perhaps motivated by the fact that at 77 he is one of the youngest of 9 surviving astronauts who walked on the moon 鈥� has teamed up with London鈥檚 Science Museum and animation company Metropolis to give us the next best thing.
is a 5-minute, 3D animated movie taking you from the Earth to the moon and back. It recreates parts of the Apollo 15 mission 鈥� one of three final 鈥渟cientific鈥� missions and the first to use a moon buggy.
Exploring the moon
Scott and his partner spent a total of 18 and a half hours driving and walking around the Mare Imbrium, prospecting for rocks and minerals to test theories about the age and origin of the moon. NASA sees Apollo 15 as the most successful moon mission of all.
The movie combines sharp 3D visuals with lurching and vibrating seats 鈥� to recreate the G-force of a Saturn V rocket launch, the bumpy landing on the moon and the billowing bounce of a moon buggy excursion 鈥� the 鈥済unpowder鈥� smell of the lunar regolith, and even a splash of water as the return capsule splashes down in the ocean.
鈥淲ords are difficult, but the sound, motion and imagery can really give you the feel,鈥� says Scott. 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e tried to do is give you that experience 鈥� to feel and see what it is like to go to the moon.鈥�
Nothing, of course, can create the experience of actually visiting the moon, but you鈥檒l come away from this with a better understanding 鈥� and deeper admiration 鈥� for what Scott and his colleagues achieved.
More: Books celebrating the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11
Film review: 鈥楳oon鈥� movie mines inner space
Competition: Win a piece of moon rock
