When Tom Cruise cheated death after secret NASA training

Not all reel-life astronauts take their space adventure forward into real life, but according to a recent report, Tom Cruise tried to.

The 53-year-old star, who wanted to be an astronaut on the doomed 2003 Columbia space shuttle mission, was given a secret training by NASA, the Daily Mail reported.

In return for going into space, Cruise voiced a 3D Imax film, 'Space Station,' for NASA and helped "fix" their website.

Toni Myers, director of 'Space Station,' said that the 'Oblivion' star, who flies his own GulfStream IV Jet and is quite qualified as a pilot, wanted to be an astronaut.

He added that Cruise, who was very enthusiastic about doing the movie but also wanted to fly in the Space Shuttle, was given an induction course by NASA in Florida and taught how to replicate walking in a space suit by wading in a water tank.

Myers recalled that the actor had a very good chance of doing so, but then the accident happened and that was the end of that.

All seven crew members died when the Columbia shuttle exploded in 2003.