It came from outer spaceand is landing in neighborhood theaters throughout the world.

An unprecedented effort between NASA, IMAX Corporation of Toronto, Ontario and Lockheed Martin, has created the first-ever three-dimension (3D) IMAX space film.

The film is ready to light up large format IMAX screens around the globe, providing a unique insiders look at whats taking place high overhead in outer space: The building of the International Space Station (ISS).

Space Station features the work of twenty-five astronauts who flew on three different shuttle flights into Earth orbit. The IMAX film is being premiered April 17 at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The new IMAX epic captures what "brave and fascinating people" are doing up there, said movie star, Tom Cruise, who narrates Space Station.

"Certainly you feel ityou feel it in your chest at least for me when I'm watching it. You try and imagine what it must be like for those people who had that opportunity to go out there," Cruise said.

The IMAX film is a bit of cinematic history.

"This film is different than the previous space films in that it is an actual experience of something brand new that nobody's done before," said the film's producer, Toni Myers. "We made the film from all kinds of different footage. First of all, we have interior scenes of the space station as it develops from just a two-module assembly into a multiple module living, working, and functioning research station on orbit," she said.

Between December 1998 and July 2001, more than 13 miles of 65mm film was flown into space and brought back to Earth to produce the large-screen adventure.

IMAX hardware taken into space included new photoflood lights, a laptop computer to operate the camera, as well as digital audio tape recorders.

Astronauts and cosmonauts trained as filmmakers. Crew members became expert in how to load and unload the large rolls of IMAX film, decide on the right lighting angles, and take "picture perfect" film sequences.

Their collective "lightscameraaction" duties were many.

"We did a little bit of everything," said NASA astronaut, Jim Voss. "During the filming I participated, as many other people did, as one of the actors, as well as camera man, a lighting person, set the scene, got people ready, directed, and then took the film out of the camera and sent it back to Earth for processing," he said.

One IMAX in-cabin camera caught action inside the orbiting outpost. Another camera was bolted within the cargo bay of a space shuttle. Through the lenses of these cameras, audiences peek in on ISS teams as they move into their orbiting home, unpack and settle in.

Space Station captures daily life onboard the ISS as space travelers eat, sleep, and "swim" in the microgravity. Strolling through the vacuum, spacewalkers give theatre audiences a spectacular view of awesome Earth - and without those bewildering map lines that bound countries and cultures.

"The 3D component lets you feel like you're there," Voss added. "You see things floating over the heads of people in front of you. You see objects floating like they really are in space. You move like you would there. You see things go bybecause of the 3D effect. It adds a lot to your personal experience of watching this movie," he said.

While daunting in scope itself, the ISS film project is meant to convey a message.

"The intent is to try and document the space station's construction and bring it back to explain to people what it is we're doing, how we do it, how difficult it is," said Brian Duffy, vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Operations, and a retired astronaut.

"IMAX is perfect for this," said Steve Chaudet, vice president of Lockheed Martin's legislative affairs. "We are one of NASA's largest customers. So there was an interest for us to work with our customer. They were intrigued with the IMAX format because they knew it would bring audiences into theaters to learn about space and the excitement of living and working in space," he said.

NASA itself has been under increasing pressure to better explain what, why, and what next aspects of the costly space station program.

For example, late last year, a NASA Advisory Council made it clear to the space agency's message handlers that more work is sorely needed in communicating to the public about the space station project.

The hope is that Space Station is a step in that direction.

Over 80 theaters worldwide have signed up to show the film - the largest IMAX Corporation large-format film release to date.