Space exploration is a staple of science fiction movies and television. Star Wars Gardening on the Red Planet MartianHowever, many people have a loose interpretation of the laws of physics, and scientific facts are often far from the truth.
Greg Brown is an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London and an avid sci-fi fan. He explores the science in four popular space-based sci-fi movies and TV shows, pointing out where they get it horribly wrong – and sometimes surprisingly right. For example, the 1982 Doctor Who In the TV series “Four to Doomsday,” the Doctor (Peter Davison) is stuck in space between his spaceship and the TARDIS, and he finds himself laughing. Unable to get back to his ship, the Doctor throws a cricket ball; it bounces and propels the Doctor towards the TARDIS. The solution is not only a genius, low-tech solution to his problem, it’s also how rockets work – how all motion works.
Other examples are less science-friendly. Interstellar We can’t beat existing theory, but it might be hard to find one, and it would take a billion times more energy than nuclear energy has ever existed on Earth to accomplish the life-saving feats Bruce Willis performs in the film. ArmageddonSo, sit back and enjoy the journey, but don’t be in doubt.
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science fiction
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Science fiction
