William Shatner has boldly phoned where no man has phoned before. Ok, so Shatner may not be the first person to call the International Space Station, but he is the first former captain of the Starship Enterprise to make verbal contact with an astronaut in space.
Of course, this shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Shatner has already conversed with astronaut Chris Hadfield via Twitter .
Shatner said on the phone :
“I’m so moved to be able to speak to you for this brief moment. You’ve been a test pilot, the utmost example of courage.”
Hadfield was quick to return the compliment. When Shatner asked how he deals with the fear of being alone in space, Hadfield responded :
“I read somewhere that you always knew your lines whenever you had a job in the acting profession … I have tried to always know my lines. What I’m scared most of is not knowing what to do next … After years of training, you practice everything down to the details so you have the confidence that comes with that.”
Shatner and Hadfield have communicated on Twitter and via phone, and now the Star Trek actor says that he wants to get together for a drink when Hadfield returns to earth.
At the end of the conversation, Shatner said:
“It’s a pleasure Chris, I look forward to meeting you in person and siting down with a whiskey and a cigar.”
Here’s a video of William Shatner’s phone call to the International Space Station.