NASA Astronaut Talks "Gravity," Spacewalking, ISS 97
Nerval's Lobster writes "The upcoming movie Gravity features a pair of astronauts (George Clooney and Sandra Bullock) stranded in orbit after their space shuttle is destroyed by floating debris. Faced with dwindling oxygen levels, they struggle to reach the nearby International Space Station (ISS). It's a movie, so some deviations from reality are expected, but it also opens up an opportunity to talk with a NASA astronaut about what it's like to live in space. Catherine 'Cady' Coleman, who has spent thousands of hours aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia and the International Space Station, who gave Bullock advice on the role, suggests that the real NASA has the whole orbital-debris issue well in hand, but that it takes a lot of training (and on-the-job experience) to get the hang of living in space. 'When we get up to space and the people up there run around and show us stuff — that's really, really effective and there was nothing like that compared to the classroom.' Despite the physical and mental demands, and the the time spent away from family, she sees the endeavor as supremely worth it. 'We're all very privileged to do this job,' Coleman says. 'They spend a lot of money making you ready, and you have a responsibility to do your job.'"
Won't come close to Apollo 13 (Score:5, Informative)
Ron Howard really set the standard ages ago when they filmed large portions of Apollo 13 in actual zero gravity.
Re:Won't come close to Apollo 13 (Score:4, Informative)
They've got it easier here, they spend most of the movie in their suits in open space. Relatively trivial to do with CGI these days and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than 15 trips on the vomit comet.
Re:What has the ISS ever done for us? (Score:4, Informative)
i can has wiki? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station#Purpose [wikipedia.org]
the basic answer is that they do science experiments.
Reach the "nearby" ISS? From Hubble? Uh, No. (Score:5, Informative)
they struggle to reach the nearby International Space Station (ISS)
In this NY Times review, Astronaut and a Writer at the Movies [nytimes.com], Dennis Overbye and astronaut Michael J. Massimino watched and discussed the movie together... "There is a hole in the plot: a gaping orbital impossibility big enough to drive the Starship Enterprise through."
Plot *SPOILER* or orbital physics lesson, take your pick:
... Michael J. Massimino, who flew missions in 2002 and 2009 to service the Hubble Space Telescope — the same telescope the astronauts in “Gravity” were sent to repair. ... there is a hole in the plot: a gaping orbital impossibility big enough to drive the Starship Enterprise through.
After they stop tumbling and find the shuttle destroyed and their colleagues all dead, Mr. Clooney tells Ms. Bullock that their only hope for rescue is to use his jetpack to travel to the space station, seen as a glowing light over the horizon. “It’s a long hike, but we can make it,” he says.
To have the movie astronauts Matt Kowalski (Mr. Clooney) and Ryan Stone (Ms. Bullock) zip over to the space station would be like having a pirate tossed overboard in the Caribbean swim to London.
Re:What has the ISS ever done for us? (Score:4, Informative)
If nothing else, it has given us a basic understanding of life in space. If we ever want to send manned missions to Mars or beyond, there will likely be a pit-stop at L2 [wikipedia.org]
There's plenty to be learned about human physiology (and plants) in a zero-g environment, before we move on to bigger challenges.
Re:Won't come close to Apollo 13 (Score:3, Informative)