Irving, TX (April 5, 2000) - The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has raised concerns about NASA's ability to maintain a high level of safety when the number of shuttle flights increase for the construction of the International Space Station. The concerns appear warranted given the continued delays and expensive problems that NASA experienced in 1999 including a fleet-wide wiring problem which grounded all four orbiters until repairs were made. In response to these concerns, the Shuttle Program Office in cooperation with the newly formed Process Control Focus Group, a think tank comprised of representatives from all the major NASA contractors including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Thiokol, Hamiltion Sundstrand and United Space Alliance, has devised a campaign to heighten awareness of critical mission related processes among its employees and the vast array of sub-contractors who contribute to every shuttle mission. One component of the campaign is a video emphasizing the importance of each individual's personal contribution to the success of every mission. NASA's Public Affairs Office (PAO) chose Fusion Productions and producer Todd Sims to realize its objectives for the video.

Initial creative development began in November and with a March 2000 deadline, Fusion was thrown into full blown pre-production by the first of December. An extensive coordination effort was undertaken to prepare the script and schedule for initial photography in January. "The holidays falling in the middle of our pre-production along with a Shuttle mission that was delayed twice really made it difficult for us to schedule the shoot effectively. We were having to coordinate with several of the prime contractors and everyone is pretty much unreachable during a mission," commented Gina Sims who is working as the production coordinator for the project. The schedule demanded shooting in Hartford, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Palmdale, CA and in the Salt Lake City area all in a three week period. She added, "It was hectic but we got it done." Camera and audio support was provided from Texas while lighting and grip gear and crew were acquired from local companies at each location. Additional shoot days were also needed in the Houston area.

Todd Sims pointed out that "The Shuttle Office is really wanting a presentation that is unique and visually dynamic. That's why we chose a very stylized approach to the visuals." The animation and graphics are being created to coordinate with the dramatic style. One piece of animation will show an entire space shuttle (orbiter, external tank, solid rocket boosters) disassemble into individual components. With over five million individual parts and materials used on the orbiter alone, the task is significant. "Obviously we are not going to show every piece but we want to communicate the complexity of the space craft and the phenomenal engineering which is needed to make a mission successful," said Sims. Final post production will be completed at Johnson Space Center in Houston in April.