Throughout Hollywood history, space has often been depicted with baffling inaccuracies. It takes dedication and knowledge to ensure a movie correctly portrays space and space travel, and here are a select few that got it bang on.
The Martian
With a direct collaboration with NASA, 2015’s “The Martian” gets an awful lot right when it comes to scientific precision. Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, an astronaut stranded on Mars in the not-too-distant future, and the character’s approach to scientific problem-solving is spot on. By relying on accurate physics, chemistry, and biology along with moments of genius and good humor aplenty, Watney is able to survive against the odds. He conserves air, manages carbon dioxide, produces water, and grows food in ways that current science supports.
Much of the technology depicted in the movie is based on real NASA designs and projects, including the ion propulsion drive used to get to the Red Planet in the first place. While the Hermes spacecraft is a futuristic vessel, its features, such as its rotating gravity ring, nuclear reactor, and ion engines, are based on real concepts and are not pure fantasy. The habitat Watney lives in and the plant farm also closely align with real NASA projects.
Additionally, the Martian environment is largely accurate, especially the dust devils and harsh atmospheric conditions. However, the initial dust storm strength is not scientifically sound. While the movie captures the visuals well, the force of even really strong winds on Mars would have little impact on structures and equipment due to the thin atmosphere. However, as the storm serves as a key plot device, we can forgive this one in the name of drama.
Apollo 13
“Houston, we have a problem” should be “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” for historical precision. But, despite the fact-tweaking and even the occasional noises in space for dramatic effect, “Apollo 13” is regarded as one of the most accurate space movies ever made. Stars Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon all went on extensive astronaut training programs and even undertook lessons on physics and real-world NASA terminology.
During the real mission, with Apollo 13’s computer down, astronaut Jim Lovell had to do critical math by hand to align the Lunar Module. The frantic scribbling of arithmetic calculations was based on actual events, and Tom Hanks read out the historical figures with precision. Lovell later said he didn’t even have a calculator to check his math, and it was necessary to get it right in order to accurately determine the spacecraft’s position in space. The actual card he wrote on became a vital part of American aerospace history, and it was eventually sold at auction for just under $400,000 in 2011.
The weightlessness of space was another of the movie’s convincing factors. It was achieved using a KC-135, more affectionately known as the ‘Vomit Comet.’ It’s a modified aircraft that NASA uses to simulate brief periods of weightlessness through parabolic flights. This meant that the crew had to film in 25-second segments, which was a huge challenge for director Ron Howard and the actors.
But the director’s commitment to authenticity didn’t end there. The miniatures and special effects used for the launch sequence were so realistic that it reportedly prompted a certain Buzz Aldrin to contact NASA to inquire which archived footage had been used, as he had never seen it before. In fact, real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield, who lived on the International Space Station (ISS), even called Apollo 13 “the most realistic of all the space movies.”
However, in an interview with NASA, Ken Mattingly, the command module pilot removed from flight just before launch (and played by Gary Sinise in the movie), said that some events were dramatized. Among them are scenes where the crew turns the lunar module into a lifeboat and another where they fix the carbon dioxide scrubber. Both of these were not improvised on the spot in real life as the movie suggests. He also downplayed the movie version of himself single-handedly solving the power-up sequence and admitted he worked on it with many other NASA engineers.
Interstellar
Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Kip Thorne played a crucial role in the 2014 sci-fi epic “Interstellar.” While listed as executive producer, his primary roles were scientific consultant and advisor. He worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure the movie adhered to real astrophysical principals, with particular attention paid to black holes, wormholes, and time dilation. Thorne set strict guidelines for the story, ensuring that the movie never broke the laws of physics.
In fact, the movie’s black hole, Gargantua, earned praise as the most scientifically accurate black hole in cinematic history. The visual effects for Gargantua were created using real scientific equations, and despite a plotline that eventually got pretty wild, Thorne insisted it was all, at least, theoretically plausible. In fact, the results were so precise that Thorne and the VFX team co-authored an academic paper on the gravitational lensing code developed for the movie.
Einstein’s theory of relativity is correctly applied to the time dilation caused by an intense gravitational field. Time slows down for astronauts Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and Brand (Anne Hathaway) when they disembark on a water world known as Miller’s Planet. In the short time spent there, crewmate Romilly (David Gyasi) ages 23 years while waiting for them aboard the Endurance spacecraft. This was not only a poignant moment for the present crew members when they reunited, but it also meant that their families back on Earth had aged considerably during the time they were on the gravitationally intense planet.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Despite being made as far back as 1968, director Stanley Kubrick stuck to scientific principles when making the sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.” In order to make the film’s technology and the physics of space absolutely sound, Kubrick hired former NASA experts to work on the movie. Former chief of space information systems Frederick Ordway and former head of future projects Harry Lange had both previously worked on spacecraft design, and their input went a long way to ensuring props and sets were realistic.
Scientific principles were also strictly followed, with space being completely silent, which worked well in terms of creating the eerie atmosphere throughout the film. Travel times and communication delays were also correct, while a chunk of the movie’s budget was spent on creating a rotating centrifuge on the Discovery One spacecraft to realistically generate artificial gravity through centrifugal force. No expense was spared, and the massive set took six months to build, but Kubrick was determined to avoid common sci-fi tropes, and experts praised the movie’s zero-gravity portrayal for its accuracy.
On top of the movie’s exact science, it also predicted a lot of modern-day technology with almost spooky precision. Among them were the space station, in-flight entertainment, commercial spaceflights, and an uncannily spot-on modern-day tablet. The writer of the original novel, Arthur C. Clarke, called it a newspad. The astronauts watched the news on it while they ate breakfast and drank coffee in an all-too-familiar fashion. The newspad was even used as evidence in a real-life legal battle between Apple and Samsung in an attempt to prove that the design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was not in violation of Apple’s patents.
However, with all the foresight on display in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” let’s hope today’s AI doesn’t malfunction like the HAL 9000 did.
First Man
“First Man” is a 2018 movie depicting mankind’s ‘giant leap’ and stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong. The movie’s director, Damien Chazelle, was keen on maintaining technical accuracy while creating a realistic depiction of the astronauts’ experiences. “First Man” places an emphasis on the emotional toll of spaceflight and an exact portrayal of the Moon landing.
Chief Historian of NASA, Bill Barry, was hired as a consultant to make sure all technical details were right for the time. He made script corrections, including a piloting inaccuracy. He told IFLScience that “in the script, Neil was pulling back on the stick to try and extend his glide … and any pilot will tell you that pulling back on the stick does not extend your glide; it actually makes you land sooner!”
His inclusion in the crew ensured that other inaccuracies were also put right and that the film remained technically true in regard to its portrayal of spaceflight. However, Barry also made sure the script was altered to reflect Armstrong’s piloting style better. He made corrections that showed the first man on the Moon to be as methodical and unflappable as he was in real life.
The film also correctly depicts the dangers that Armstrong faced during training, including near-fatal test flights and the emotional burden placed on his family. The actual Moon landing was also faithful to the real sequence of events. Original NASA flight plans, footage, and maps were used to get every detail exact. A full-scale Lunar Module was built, and the surface of the Moon precisely matched Tranquility Base.
Lighting detail was also meticulous, with a bright source angled perfectly to represent the Sun, and Armstrong’s first step and words were depicted exactly as they happened. Additionally, astronauts, such as Jim Lovell from the Apollo 13 mission, were consulted on the sounds they had heard during their space flights in order to get an authentic-sounding space environment. In fact, if you watch the movie again, you can run a YouTube video of the actual Moon landing side-by-side and witness the extremes the filmmakers went to in the name of authenticity.
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So while Star Destroyers zapping lasers and Death Stars creating deafening explosions when wiping out entire planets are entertaining, they are unrealistic. Creating an accurate depiction of space is sometimes what we want to see, and the movies included here are all thrilling while maintaining plausibility.
Sometimes realism needs to be balanced with drama, given that entertainment is the name of the game, and some small dramatic liberties are easily excused. But for many space lovers, accuracy and attention to detail go a long way to creating movies that are acclaimed for generations. That said, we can all agree that “Star Wars” is still pretty awesome.
