Washington, Feb 25: The television production team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the US has made new, fully spherical short film called "Return to the Moon", which takes imagery and data sets from the Apollo, Clementine, and other missions and projects them on a six-foot sphere.

Designed expressly for the Science On a Sphere platform, it opens in science museums and elsewhere around the US on February
27.

The six-foot sphere gives the startling impression of the moon hanging magically in the center of darkened theaters.

During the five-minute film, viewers will witness NASA's legacy of lunar exploration and come to understand the rationale for the Agency's ambitious plans to return to the moon, beginning with a robotic mission called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or LRO.

"Return to the Moon" is the latest in a series of films from the Goddard Television team, employing this system, using novel techniques and technology of its own for making spherical movies.

"Spherical filmmaking brings the moon and planetary science down to Earth," said Michael Starobin of Goddard Television, producer for "Return to the Moon".

According to Starobin, "The subject is often difficult to relate to because the scale is so large or out of context with people's lives."

"However, when you project it on a sphere, people suddenly understand the size of regional events while also comprehending the global connections of the science being introduced. Pure data falls flat, but spherical films make planets approachable," he added. (ANI)