The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 American science fiction thriller film produced and directed by Robert Wise, based on Michael Crichton's 1969 novel of the same name and adapted by Nelson Gidding. The film stars Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, and David Wayne as a team of scientists who investigate a deadly organism of extraterrestrial origin. The film follows the book closely with only a few exceptions. Everyone in the small town of Piedmont, New Mexico, is dead after a mysterious satellite crash landed nearby. Members of the investigation team are the film's protagonists.

The special effects were designed by Douglas Trumbull, and are notable for their use of advanced computerized photography. Real laboratory scenes using a spectrograph were shot at Caltech. Composer Gil Mellé recorded actual laboratory sounds for the film at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for authenticity while doing research for the film score. Microbiologist Abigail A. Salyers noted that the film raised real concerns with the larger public about the risks of interplanetary contamination. Environmental scientist Michael Paul Meltzer referred to the larger story as a "touchstone for planetary protection specialists in discussing matters of back contamination and the dangers that they present".