dbarak

So it sounds like a solar flare may or may not damage radio equipment. I guess that's a matter of the flare's strength and maybe the fragility of the equipment. The plan for this film is for the flare to last a few days, which I understand is possible, but in the case of a short-duration flare, would electronic equipment on the night side of the Earth be safe?

Actually, this all relates to another issue I had considered - radio frequency transmissions from unattended transmitters. My thought was some power generation systems could continue to run unmonitored for awhile. Although I understand - vaguely - the workings of GPS, I assume it would be of no value in space, at least the way the system is set up right now. But then again, as you mentioned, computer systems are more powerful now. In fact, I just read an article about some crewmembers from the ISS preparing to return to Earth, and how they would need to fire the ending for four minutes, 41 seconds in order to begin a descent under the correct parameters. Even with Apollo 13, the crew did a fair amount of manual calculation for things like rocket burn times.

Oh, you don't know what you've gotten yourself in to... Actually, I would appreciate your advice on things! Should I do that offline here, or via the forum? What I may do is collect my thoughts a bit and send a few questions at once so I don't clobber the forum or your in-box. Dave

Actually, navigation isn't something I'd even considered! That's a good point, and I'll figure that into the story. I know I won't be able to get everything technologically right, but hopefully I'll get enough either right, or likely correct based on projections into the near future. I want to avoid anything groan-worthy. (I'm also doing some fairly heavy research into optical and radio-astronomy, astrobiology and SETI for another film I want to do someday - think "Contact" if it were to REALLY happen.)

By the way, my brain knows how to spell but my fingers don't. I meant "ex-ACT-ly". I'm not really stipud.

Exaclty! I've been watching quite a few videos of astronauts on the moon, and a lot of people forget there's no wind to help spread things around. Now that I think about it, kicked-up dust may be something that needs to be added later on.

Green screen is an option, but my hope is that we can do it as a live effect so the actors have a bit more to react to. There are a few sand and gravel quarries here in San Diego that might work if I can get permission (and permission to shoot at night). There are dunes east of here that could work too, but the actors might not be too keen on driving two or three hours (I wouldn't either!). But green screen is an option that we may end up having to go with.

First, thanks NovaSilisko, we need all the good luck thoughts coming our way! As for the rotating set, it would only be rotated between shots with the actors gone. In the long run, they'd all still be on what is actually the bottom of the set. We may have them lie on a platform or something now and then so their hair is streaming "up" or "out." Our number one goal is safety. We don't want a tragic Sarah Jones death or injury, and if any actors or crewmembers have any concerns at any time, they'd be addressed. I couldn't live with myself if something like that happened. Helium balloons? Cool idea, and possibly better than mine. I was thinking of using black bungee cords (I can buy it in bulk), and hanging the actors (only one in a shot at any one time) and hanging them a couple of feet of the ground with the cords under their arms or attached to some sort of harness. It would also need to be shot in slow motion since dust falls back down slower than here (one sixth the speed? I'll have to check on that). - Dave

Hello everyone, I'm new here, so if what I'm posting isn't permitted, please let me know. Anyway, I'm working on a short film that I hope to later turn into a feature, and I figured I'd mention it here - you all seem like you might be interested in this (I've been a space fan since the Gemini days, and I would have been since Mercury if I'd been old enough to realize what was going on). The film is "...and miles to go before i sleep." http://www.milestogo-movie.com "A deadly flu pandemic strikes Earth as a team of astronauts work on the moon. A solar storm wipes out communications and an injury forces them to leave for Earth "in the blind," not knowing what to expect back home. " What's unusual about this film, especially for an independent short film, is the level of realism we're trying to achieve. We have some plans for simulating zero-g by using a rotating spacecraft set (rotated between shots, so that what was up is now down or left or right, etc.), along with some other tricks. We'll also be simulating the one sixth gravity on the moon, something I don't believe I've ever seen another film attempt. We're also working to make the spacecraft set realistic. The instrument panels are based on those found in spacecraft from Mercury through the Space Shuttle. Not exact, but based on them. Some will even be interactive so that when the actors press a button, something will happen. It's ambitious, yes, but it would be cheating if it weren't. The website has links to photos, videos, social media sites and downloadable wallpapers, etc. Visit the site and see what the film is all about! Again, if this isn't something appropriate for this forum, please let me know and I'll delete the post or see if I can have an admin do it. I don't want to break any forum rules. - Dave