A movie about a video conference between Manx schoolchildren and Astronaut Nicole Stott on board the International Space Station was used to open an international telecommunications summit this week.
The short film, entitled ‘Out of this world – The first Manx astronaut’, tells the story of the video link set up by Manx Telecom.
The video conference with the International Space Station was set up on 19th October last year, when Manx school pupils gathered at the Manx Museum’s lecture theatre.
The signal travelled from the space station via satellite to NASA’s mission control HQ in Houston and then to the Isle of Man – a distance of 159,000kms.
Astronaut Nicole Stott has strong Manx connections as she is married to Manxman Chris Stott who is chairman of Mansat, an Isle of Man registered company involved in space commerce.
During the video conference Nicole answered questions from pupils and wore a tee-shirt with Manx insignia especially for the occasion. She gave pupils a guided tour of the International Space Station where she was based for three months.
Executives of Telefonica, the parent company of Manx Telecom, were so impressed by the film, and the link-up with NASA, that video of the event was chosen to open Telefonica’s largest customer summit on 7th April in Miami, Florida.
The summit was for the CEOs of 900 multi-national companies and had Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell as the keynote speaker.
Telefonica executives were particularly interested in the educational angle and that the film was shot by primary school children from the Island.
Maxim Weitzman, vice-president of marketing for Telefonica USA, explained why the Manx Telecom video conference was chosen to open the summit.
"I can’t tell you how much expectation this amazing broadcast has created among the executive team," said Mr Weitzman.
"We wanted to wow the audience with a futuristic opening that shows Telefonica’s capabilities and showcases Manx Telecom."
Chris Hall, Managing Director of Manx Telecom, said it must have been the longest ‘long distance’ communication ever made from the Island.
"It’s not that long ago that a transatlantic phone call was a significant achievement, but the link up to the International Space Station shows just how much the future for the next generation of Manx children is inextricably bound up with technology, and we were very happy to help make it all happen.
"Doing so involved a lot of hard work, and it was gratifying that NASA made a point of saying how much they enjoyed working with the Manx Telecom team. We often get compliments – but getting one from NASA is certainly a first for us."
Setting up the hour long video link with Astronaut Stott was a real team effort between staff at the Manx Museum, Department of Education, Manx Telecom, and, of course, NASA.
Picutred: Astronaut Nicole Stott in her Ellan Vannin tee-shirt on board the International Space Station.
