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Astronauts congratulate 'Gravity' cast and crew on Oscar wins

NASA and several astronauts on Earth and in Space have sent their congratulations to 'Gravity' director Alfonso Cuarón and his team for their seven Oscar wins.

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Warner Bros. Pictures
'Gravity,' starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, opened in theaters nationwide on Oct. 4, 2013.
  • By Megan Gannon SPACE.com News Editor

Real-life astronauts and NASA officials congratulated the "Gravity" cast and crew on their seven Oscar wins Sunday night.

In a statement, NASA gave a special shout out to Alfonso Cuarón for winning best director. And astronauts on Earth and in space released video messages to celebrate the "Gravity" team's Oscar success.

"We took some time from our schedule to watch the movie 'Gravity' here on the space station and were struck by the stunning visuals and stark imagery the movie depicted," Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata said in a video from NASA, as he floated inside the International Space Station alongside NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins.

"Of course nothing beats the real thing here in space," Mastracchio said, while Hopkins did microgravity somersaults in the background. "But we want to congratulate the entire production and directing team and the stars of 'Gravity' for the honors they have earned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in bringing this ultimate in extreme environments to moviegoers around the world. Well done!" [8 Sci-Fi Movies to Watch in 2014]

"Gravity," which stars Sandra Bullock, was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in total. In addition to best director, the space thriller scooped up best original score, best sound editing, best sound mixing, best production design, cinematography, best film editing and best visual effects. "Gravity" also had a shot at nabbing the first science fiction win in the best picture category, but the award went to "12 Years a Slave."

The real-life astronauts who were consulted by the "Gravity" cast congratulated the team on their Oscar wins, too.

"Thank you for making a movie in our backyard and showing everyone around the world that it's their backyard, too," NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said in a video statement. "I was living aboard the International Space Station while you were making 'Gravity,' and talking with Sandra I was thrilled to share our world up their with you and now I thank you for sharing that world and that view with everyone."

That view is also what NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, a veteran of two space shuttle flights, appreciated about the film.

"What I really liked was the feel of space, the look of space, what the Earth looked like up on the big screen," Massimino said in a video, adding that "Gravity" inspired interest in space travel.

"A lot of people have come to me in the past few months and asked me about the movie, the accuracy of it, what are we really doing in space, so you did a very nice service to the world as well by generating a lot of interest in space travel," Massimino said.

Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @SPACEdotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

Copyright 2014 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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