On-demand American Sign Language and audio descriptor services make the immersive film a more inclusive experience
Philadelphia, Pa., March 26, 2025 – GLOBO Language Solutions, the leading B2B provider of interpreting and translation services, has been selected by Space Center Houston to enhance the accessibility of the first in the Americas premiere of The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks film experience. As a long-standing trusted partner, GLOBO will provide American Sign Language (ASL) and audio description services, ensuring an inclusive and immersive experience for visitors with disabilities.
Now showing at Space Center Houston, The Moonwalkers, a 50-minute immersive film experience created by Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks and Lightroom, debuted in London last year. Projected against multiple walls, the film envelops audiences in the story of humanity's journey to the moon, from the historic Gemini and Apollo launches more than 50 years ago to the Artemis 1 mission and current efforts to return astronauts to the lunar surface today. Interviews with NASA scientists, former astronauts, and the Artemis crew are featured.
Space Center Houston, a premier science and space exploration learning center and Official Visitor Center of NASA Johnson Space Center is the first location outside of Lightroom to host the groundbreaking film. Guests can experience the multi-imaged presentation, with projection mapping on the walls and floor of the newly renovated 270-degree Space Center Theater.
As Hanks narrates, Deaf visitors catch his every word thanks to the integration of GLOBO's latest visual interpretation capabilities. Upon demand, a picture-in-a-picture window activates to seamlessly present a certified Deaf interpreter (CDI) interpreting the film in ASL. In 2024, GLOBO provided Space Center Houston with services for 50 encounters totaling 8,965 onsite minutes. In aggregate, GLOBO provided 5.3K minutes of ASL services to support approximately 45.4K encounters. On a monthly basis, GLOBO ASL services average 448K minutes for approximately 3.7K encounters.
For visually impaired blind visitors, GLOBO offers a recorded deep-level audio description that delivers a stimulating, realistic, and engaging auditory experience comparable to those on popular streaming platforms. The audio describes what is happening on the screen, including physical actions, facial expressions, costumes, settings, and scene changes.
While The Moonwalkers promises a multisensory experience that creates the feeling of being in space, much of the information and entertainment value would be lost to the Deaf and visually impaired visitors without the ASL interpretation or audio description accommodations.
"We support space as the final frontier inspiring people to reach beyond their limits. In this spirit, this includes everyone and not just those who speak English as their first language or don't have hearing deficits. GLOBO is actively focused on breaking down communication barriers to bring people and space closer together," said GLOBO CEO Dipak Patel. "Space Center Houston has long championed accessibility as a key core of their programming. Being their language access partner since 2019 has given GLOBO the privilege of bringing that commitment to life."
"We're always looking to the future and asking ourselves, 'How can we create a safe, inclusive, and equitable experience for all?'" said Jeff Wyatt, Chief Experience Officer at Space Center Houston. "Through our partnership with GLOBO, we're excited to enhance The Moonwalkers immersive experience for everyone to enjoy."
The Moonwalkers is included in general admission to Space Center Houston. Showtimes are every hour, on the half hour. Tickets and other details can be viewed here.
About GLOBO
GLOBO Language Solutions ("GLOBO") is ranked No. 6 in Nimdzi's 2024 top 10 U.S. healthcare interpreting companies facilitating effective patient communication between healthcare providers and LEP patients. The company manages an independent global network of more than 8,000 linguists who speak 430+ languages and dialects. GLOBO supports leading healthcare organizations across the country through on-demand audio, video, on-site, and sign language interpreting; actionable insights; and translation of documents, emails, texts, and chats in a single AI-powered platform. GLOBO has been listed on the Inc. 500|5000 eight times. In 2024 GLOBO was named a 2024 Vendors Division Semi-Finalist in Healthcare Innovation Magazine's annual Innovator Awards Program and designated a Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ winner, putting them among the top growth companies in North America. Become a fan of GLOBO on Facebook, follow us on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Space Center Houston
Space Center Houston's shared purpose is to bring people and space closer together. Over 1.3 million visitors and more than 250,000 students and educators visit each year to connect with the significance of space exploration to pursue a path in STEM or follow along as incredible feats of human spaceflight continue to make new discoveries. Space Center Houston is owned by the Manned Space Flight Education 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and generates an annual $118M economic impact to the Greater Houston area. Space Center Houston is a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Official Visitor Center of NASA Johnson Space Center and a Certified Autism Center. Learn more at spacecenter.org.
GLOBO Media Contact:
Angela Jenkins
Angela Jenkins & Associates, LLC for GLOBO
303.877.0115 (MT)
angela@adjassociates.com
Space Center Houston:
Rashena Franklin
713.301.4577
rfranklin@spacecenter.org
