NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman on ‘Gravity’ Oscar Win
NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman congratulates the cast and crew of the Academy Award-winning film “Gravity” on their achievement. Coleman lived aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 27, while “Gravity” was being filmed, and spoke with the film’s star, Sandra Bullock, from space. Coleman thanks the filmmakers for “sharing that world and that view with everyone.”
Awesome.
Astronaut Cady Coleman sends congrats to #Gravity on your wins tonight at the #Oscars2014: http://youtu.be/i9LIV5vHRqM [video] #RealGravity
I fully understand NASA's need to get all the help they can in getting a disinterested public with a short memory and even shorter attention span interested in space exploration.
But give me a break! That movie is so technically inaccurate on so many levels it is hard to believe they could have gotten that much wrong about a subject that can so easily be fact checked. Movies that aspire to be taken seriously should inform people while they entertain them, not misinform them.
Bullock's character freaking out and loosing it so often, and her emotional problems in dealing with the loss of her child? On a Shuttle mission? Really? A medical doctor working on Hubble? All the clowning around? Hubble and the ISS in close proximity? The debris used for the whole bases of the plot, hitting every 90 minutes? All the items floating around freely in the ISS? Using a fire extinguisher to maneuver in space? Not so easy, and a novice! Being out in space in the Russian suite (obviously not pressurized) with no umbilical and no life support pack? Getting to the Chinese station (not as big as pictured and no where near ISS or Hubble) in Soyuz just by aiming and firing the landing engines? Flying the Chinese craft by playing "ini mini mini mo" with the buttons? Right! The ping pong paddle and ball on the Chinese station? A bit stereotypical.
There are some things they can be given a pass on, like the actual difficulty in grasping with "pressurized gloves" on and the lack of the liquid filled cooling garment worn under the EVA suite when she got out of the suite. But 70% of the plot depends on things that are grossly inaccurate or implausible. The way the plot was going, I was surprised she was not attacked by a snake or a crocodile when she was in the water.
Finally, if you are doing "Superman" "The Transformers" "Thor" etc. accuracy and plausibility are no big thing because it is pure fantasy and not to be taken seriously. But if you want to be taken seriously, then at least look like you tried to get the big stuff right! If you write a serious plot that requires you to fudge on so many technical facts, it is just weak! I thought it was an insult to my intelligence!
As is so often the case, the sound and visual effects were incredible, and it seems that is all it takes to entertain and make money, along with plenty of stunts and stuff blowing up!
NASAs we have a problem.
Awesome! Thanks to you all for presenting us with new perspectives from Space and continuing to do so!