The 1990s and 2000s saw a number of space-themed films come to the big screen, complete with big name casts and a significant amount of box office success.
Houston has played a major part in these films, either setting it as the backdrop for the entire film or providing a set-piece for a particular plot point.
Some of the space films that have featured Houston in some way are: Apollo 13 (1995), Independence Day (1996), Armageddon (1998) and Space Cowboys (2000).
Except for Independence Day which featured a scene where Houston is destroyed by a nuclear missile, these films have used Houston as an integral part.
Apollo 13, an American drama created in 1995, directed by Ron Howard, is a dramatisation of the real story of the lunar mission of the same name.
It features a number of high-profile celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton and has been nominated for a number of awards, winning Academy Awards for Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing.
Houston obviously plays a pivotal role in the film - strengthened with the famous quote - 'Houston, we have a problem'.
The Mission Control room featured in the film is based in Houston, yet the real NASA one was not used within the film, to allow for easier filming and artistic control.
The actors flew in reduced gravity aircraft to simulate zero-gravity thanks to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The two films, Armageddon and Independence Day deal more with the destruction of the Earth, though both do feature space and NASA involvement.
Space Cowboys is more similar to Apollo 13 but Houston is only seen with the occasional contact with NASA from the spacecraft.
Houston is a vital area for space exploration and observation, containing the Lyndon B.
Johnson Space Center, which is NASA's center for human spaceflight, as well as a number of Houston executive suites tailor-made for administrative work within space exploration.
It is only logical then, that Houston plays an important role within any space film, just as it does in real space flight.
As space movies begin to stretch into more surreal fare, such as Moon (2009), Houston seems to be playing less of a role; however where the new generation of films focuses its importance is yet to be seen.