There are few things more awe-inspiring than the vastness, beauty, inaccessibility, tranquility, wonder and fear of space. NASA captures some of the most incredible images of the universe surrounding our planet, and now those images and videos have been brought to Earth in collaboration with the Houston Cinema Arts Society.

The CineSpace competition placed actual NASA imagery in the hands of filmmakers, who created short films around the stunning space-scapes. Richard Linklater, who directed "Boyhood" and "School Of Rock" and a ton of other fantastic films, helped NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society judge 194 contest entries from 22 countries and 32 U.S. states.

The short films created for the contest weave reality and fantasy into complete stories as short as 37 seconds. This year's first place winner, "Higher Ground" from Mary Magsamen and Stephan Hillerbrand, shows a family gathering their gear, building a rocket out of garbage cans and doll houses, and blasting off together into the unknown.

Other films tackle human extinction, love, hope and home, all against the backdrop of outer space.

All of the films are really great, but I get a kick out of this little guy: