MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: John G. Watson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 1998
PRODUCERS OF 'BABYLON 5' TAP JPL'S BRAIN POWER FOR NEW SERIES
Through a unique technology transfer program, space
scientists and engineers have begun sharing their brain power
with producers and writers at Babylonian Productions, producers
of "Babylon 5" and the new science-fiction television series
"Crusade."
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will provide "Crusade"
producers with new visions of technology and will assist them in
portraying science and astronomy as accurately as possible,
forecasting science and technology issues circa the year 2250.
The producers, whose "Crusade" debuts on Turner Network
Television (TNT) in January, were able to tap JPL's expertise by
participating in the lab's Technology Affiliates Program, through
which businesses form strategic alliances with JPL either to
license intellectual property or to gain access to JPL's
engineers and scientists to help solve technological problems.
To date, more than 120 companies, large and small, have utilized
the program to solve upwards of 200 specific technology
challenges.
"It's exciting for us to be able to share knowledge from the
space program in order to help ensure the realism and accuracy of
popular science-fiction programming," said Joan Horvath, a
business alliance manager with the Technology Affiliates Program.
"We have a very challenging task before us on the production
side, visualizing and creating different planets and planetary
bodies complete with civilizations, flora and fauna," said
"Crusade" producer John Copeland. "The scientists and engineers
at JPL will be advising us on how to depict the future."
Copeland became aware of JPL's capabilities in large part
through his acceptance of an invitation by the Caltech Management
Association (CMA) to speak about "Babylon 5" to JPL employees
last spring. JPL engineer Michael Eastwood, a CMA events co-
chair, explained, "As a thank-you, we gave the 'Babylon 5' team a
lab tour. John Copeland was excited and impressed with what he
saw and called me two days later asking how we might all work
together more closely. The Technology Affiliates Program was a
perfect fit."
"Crusade" and "Babylon 5" are produced in association with
J. Michael Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds, Ltd. and Netter
Digital Entertainment, Inc. under Babylonian Productions. JPL is
a division of the California Institute of Technology. More
information about JPL's Technology Affiliates Program is
available at the Commercial Technology Program web site at
http://techtrans.jpl.nasa.gov/tu.html .
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8-17-98 JGW
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