Mark Hamill's Lightsaber to Go to Space and Back

The STS-120 crew of the Space Shuttle will launch in October carrying a big piece of the International Space Station (ISS). But apart from that, it will also be carrying something smaller and shaped like a flashlight. It's Mark Hamill's lightsaber prop which was used in George Lucas's third Star Wars film, The Return of the Jedi. It will be carried on board the orbiter for the duration of the trip to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the popular science-fiction movie series that has created a huge cult following.

Chewbacca, the Wookiee, will officially hand over the lightsaber to officials of the Space Center Houston (shown with lightsaber case is mdirector of marketing Roger Bornstein). The father and son "clone tandem" of Boba Fett and Jango Fett will also be there to for the send off. When it gets back to Earth, it will be greeted by stormtroopers (one on the left looks female), R2D2 and will be housed in an exhibit at Space Center Houston along with moonrocks.

This is a good publicicty stunt for George Lucas, but I'd rather that he be the one sent to space and back, then be the exhibit at the space center, or at least until people get bored of looking at him through a glass case. Maybe they should use carbonite instead for a more permanent exhibit. Yeah, that would work! But seriously, what would the world do without him? His movies have inspired millions to go into the sciences, bringing out the creative juices of many which led to activity and commercialism that continues to spur the world economy. He's a genius.

There's more about this and plus a Luke Skywalker Jedi pose in i-Mash

Light saber weapon being developed in U.S.

Click here to watch the licensed Clone Wars movie sneak peek from thenewsroom.

Take Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber home! This official replica 's not going into space. Order now!

Feel like you're not yet a Jedi? Then take the wisdom of Yoda from Dagobah to your abode instead! "Compelling, am I not?"

Luke, go to Dagobah... There you shall find Yoda, who will teach you the ways of the force.

Queen Guitarist Gets Astronomy PhD Thesis Finished After 30 Years

Rock group Queen's guitarist Brian May has finally completed his thesis in astronomy 30 years after he started it. At 59, the celebrity, famous for being part of old time hits like We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, began studying for the physics subject degree at London's Imperial College in the 1970s but it got cut short due to his group's music success. It's just this year (2007) that he prioritized his studies, even canceling an appearance at a concert for Princess Diana. It's better later than never. He is pictured above, after he received his University of Hertfordshire award for his contributions in music. His academic move is a good example for many who have always wished to be an astronomer, but never really got to it.

Last year, he co-authored the book Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. With his current achievements, Brian May has become a good role model for the scientific community. You may watch a video of the rockstar being interviewed in i-Mash.

brianmay.com
For more science news, go to Macrocosm Magbook.

Resident Evil: Extinction Reminiscent of Mad Max

Remember Mad Max with Mel Gibson playing a former cop in a post apocalyptic Australia? The movie Resident Evil: Extinction, has the same feel as it is set in a desert with rusty vehicles that play a big part of the action. It's the usual zombie movie, though, but instead of using the typical setting of dark and dingy rooms and hallways, this third movie of the video-game-inspired series takes you to a barren wasteland that was once Las Vegas. Movie makers, especially the Japanese, love to portray their cities ruined by giant monsters and robots. Now the West seems to be following their fottsteps as they depict well-known cities in ruins. In Extinction, zombies, and lots of sand, have taken over Sin City. Here, the undead go out during the day as well. Hey, what would they do now that the nightlife in Vegas is no more?

The Dark Knight Has New Teaser

The Dark Knight has a new teaser trailer that follows the first one where the bat insignia is demolished. The new one shows Batman and Alfred exchanging words. It's all dark as usual, but it does show Batman's bike. The new trailer was shown during Wizard World, a popular comic book convention. After that, it will only be shown again in theaters.