NASA Shows "Perseverance" In Short Directed By brother's Theodore Melfi

This short for NASA, titled Perseverance--directed, produced and co-written by Theodore Melfi, and narrated by Octavia Spencer--heralds the planned launch later this month of the Mars Rover, named Perseverance, with a landing on the Red Planet projected for February 2021. 

Perseverance, which debuted on the Today show last week and is now proving popular on social media, provides an inspiring look at NASA’s storied history spanning triumphs, tragedy, ingenuity and resilience. Production house behind the short was brother, the shop founded by Melfi and exec producer Rich Carter.

The short continued Melfi's fruitful collaboration with NASA which earlier yielded the feature Hidden Figures (2016).  Hidden Figures garnered three Oscar nominations, including two for its director/producer/co-writer Melfi (Best Motion Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay); the third nod went to Spencer for Best Supporting Actress. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book, Hidden Figures centered on three African-American women at NASA who made vital contributions to the space race. Their workplace is segregated (with separate bathrooms and drinking fountains) but the women’s incredible resilience and smarts eventually make their mark. Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae and Spencer portrayed, respectively, mathematician Katherine G. Johnson, budding engineer Mary W. Jackson and computer supervisor Dorothy Vaughan.