I recently post another of my Science Fiction Fact & Fancy posts that talked about the hazards of living and working in outer space – I mean, beyond the obvious, absolute vacuum thing. Today I found this trailer for a new movie about to come out called Gravity, and I thought it was worth tossing it in here as a follow-up to that post. See… told ya!
If it won’t play, watch it on YouTube:
Others in this Series:
Science Fiction Fact & Fancy: Space Travel
Science Fiction Fact & Fancy: Propulsion-Engines
Science Fiction Fact & Fancy: Propulsion-Exotic
Space: A Really Dangerous Place to Live
Science Fiction Fact & Fancy: Navigation
There’s also the Van Allen radiation belt and the loss of bone minerals as well as other effects not known yet. The recent Commander of the space station, a Canadian, Chris Hadfield, is still undergoing treatment and tests for his record six months in space.
Yes, there is so little we know about the long term effect of weightlessness. We’re just now starting to find the problems and devise workarounds. I’ve watched some of the videos that outgoing commanders of the ISS make. They’re fascinating in some of the details we might not think of. For instance, exercise equipment can be used to fight bone density loss and muscle atrophy, but it must be mounted in such a way that the inertia of moving the machine doesn’t set up vibrations or motions in the station what would cause… say… the solar panels to start flexing.
Okay see my comment on one way trip to mars and times that by a hundred for reasons not to leave the ground. Do you know I won’t even get on a plane, haven’t in 20 years! Great trailer, but I couldn’t watch a film like that. Horror and Zombie films don’t scare me, but the psychological sense of their vulnerability in that situation would stop me from sleeping.
I’m just the other way around. Horror movies disturb me greatly, space adventure doesn’t. Encountering psychotic killers wandering the woods hold a grain of plausibility – drifting into space with nothing but a space suit to keep me alive does not. No such thing as zombies? You’ve never been to Wal-Mart at midnight!