As seen on the popular CBS sitcom "The Big Theory", the fictional Wolowitz was shown floating on the International Space Station, serving as a member of the station's crew.
He was not on the space station. The first episodes of the real Expedition 31 ended three months before they aired. Helberg was on a sound stage at the Warner Brothers studio lot.
Helberg's space surroundings were used for a Super Bowl commercial and in the film "The Day After Tomorrow", where they played host to the Energizer Bunny.
The real-life NASA Astronaut, Mike Massimino, was included in Helberg's crew, as well as the fictional crew patch that they wore on the show.
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Mike Massimino built a Lego Mars shuttle in zero gravity.
Behind the scenes, the job of delivering Wolowitz to the outpost was done by production designer John Shaffner and his team.
You can rent a space station, but not a Russian one.
Shaffner was looking for a Russian Soyuz capsule when the fifth season finale called for Wolowitz to launch.
The first thing we always do is ask if we can rent it. Shaffner told collectSPACE.com that there weren't any Soyuz replicas to be found.
Shaffner and Shea used photos from NASA and parts from a junkyard in Los Angeles to build a realistic capsule for the Soyuz.
Shaffner found a space station when he was looking for the Soyuz.
I immediately said that we need the space station when the producers called this summer. No fear. Shaffner said he made sure we could put it on hold.
The WonderWorks space station set for rent looks more like a shipping crate than a real space station, but inside there are replica science and equipment rack, panels and hand holds that make up the general layout and appearance of the real space station. The challenge was to make it look like it was living in a space station.
I collected things that looked like what the space station looked like.
There were cameras, pens, family photographs, and lots of different cases of things, she said. I got one of those and we labeled it a food warmer.
Shaffner got together with the directors, visual effects supervisors and cinematographers to use unique camera angles and creative framing to create more space than they actually did.
They added a section to the rented module to allow other actors to enter and exit, giving viewers a sense that a vast outpost continued beyond the lab.
Shaffner said that they really examined ways that the spaces could be reinvented.
They achieved the appearance of weightlessness, which made possible part of that. Rather than raising the roof and suspending the actors by wires, the solution came from below.
Shaffner said that it was done by supporting the people from underneath.
Shaffner said that the actors deserved some credit for mastering the motions of microgravity.
He said that they studied and did a great job with acting the weightlessness.
There was a chance for some feedback when a real Astronaut was on the set. Massimino reprised his role on the show for a few episodes.
Shaffner said that Massimino was so impressed by the set that he was blown away. He said, "You guys did an amazing job!" This really feels like it. This is how big it is.
Shaffner said that he was very appreciative and that he got a big kick out of it.
The show's long commitment to serving the storyline by being honest and truthful with its visuals was the reason for the attention to accuracy.
Shaff said that they are very committed to making sure that the set or the visual environment doesn't make you believe the story, to take your interest and your mind out of what the characters are living through.
We work very hard on creating our authenticity, and it is a theatrical authenticity to some extent. He said that by looking and researching and trying to make it authentic, they believe it helps the story.
You can read an interview with Mike Massimino, who was on the space station, and a behind-the-scenes look at the show's fictional patch at collectSPACE.com. All twelve seasons of The Big Bang Theory can now be watched on-demand.
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady created The Big Bang Theory.
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady are the creators of The Big Theory.
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady created The Decoupling Fluctuation, the second episode of the sixth season of The Big Bang Theory.
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady created The Big Theory, a show about a group of people.
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady created The Big Bang Theory.
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