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This is not a documentary," Director Alfonso Cuarón said. "It is a piece of fiction."
 
This is not a documentary," Director Alfonso Cuarón said. "It is a piece of fiction."
   
Nevertheless, the film has been praised for the realism of its premises and its overall adherence to physical principles, despite a number of inaccuracies and exaggerations. According to NASA Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, who took part in two Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions (STS-109 and STS-125), "nothing was out of place, nothing was missing. There was a one-of-a-kind wirecutter we used on one of my spacewalks and sure enough they had that wirecutter in the movie." Astronaut Buzz Aldrin called the visual effects "remarkable". He adds, "I was so extravagantly impressed by the portrayal of the reality of zero gravity. Going through the space station was done just the way that I've seen people do it in reality. The spinning is going to happen—maybe not quite that vigorous—but certainly we've been fortunate that people haven't been in those situations yet. I think it reminds us that there really are hazards in the space business, especially in activities outside the spacecraft." Garret Reisman, a former NASA Astronaut, noted that, "The pace and story was definitely engaging and I think it was the best use of the 3-D IMAX medium to date. Rather than using the medium as a gimmick, 'Gravity' uses it to depict a real environment that is completely alien to most people. But the question that most people want me to answer is, how realistic was it? The very fact that the question is being asked so earnestly is a testament to the verisimilitude of the movie. When a bad science fiction movie comes out, no one bothers to ask me if it reminded me of the real thing."
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Nevertheless, the film has been praised for the realism of its premises and its overall adherence to physical principles, despite a number of inaccuracies and exaggerations. According to NASA Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, who took part in two Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions (STS-109 and STS-125), "nothing was out of place, nothing was missing. There was a one-of-a-kind wirecutter we used on one of my spacewalks and sure enough they had that wirecutter in the movie." Astronaut Buzz Aldrin called the visual effects "remarkable". He adds, "I was so extravagantly impressed by the portrayal of the reality of zero gravity. Going through the space station was done just the way that I've seen people do it in reality. The spinning is going to happen—maybe not quite that vigorous—but certainly we've been fortunate that people haven't been in those situations yet. I think it reminds us that there really are hazards in the space business, especially in activities outside the spacecraft." Garret Reisman, a former NASA Astronaut, noted that, "The pace and story was definitely engaging and I think it was the best use of the [[3D]] [[IMAX]] medium to date. Rather than using the medium as a gimmick, 'Gravity' uses it to depict a real environment that is completely alien to most people. But the question that most people want me to answer is, how realistic was it? The very fact that the question is being asked so earnestly is a testament to the verisimilitude of the movie. When a bad science fiction movie comes out, no one bothers to ask me if it reminded me of the real thing."
   
 
Comparison of International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope orbits
 
Comparison of International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope orbits

Revision as of 19:09, 11 December 2013

This article is a list of all the inaccuracies in Gravity.

While it's true that the film is very scientifically accurate, some liberties were made to sustain the story, leading to some minor yet rather glaring inaccuracies.

Reaction from scientists

This is not a documentary," Director Alfonso Cuarón said. "It is a piece of fiction."

Nevertheless, the film has been praised for the realism of its premises and its overall adherence to physical principles, despite a number of inaccuracies and exaggerations. According to NASA Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, who took part in two Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions (STS-109 and STS-125), "nothing was out of place, nothing was missing. There was a one-of-a-kind wirecutter we used on one of my spacewalks and sure enough they had that wirecutter in the movie." Astronaut Buzz Aldrin called the visual effects "remarkable". He adds, "I was so extravagantly impressed by the portrayal of the reality of zero gravity. Going through the space station was done just the way that I've seen people do it in reality. The spinning is going to happen—maybe not quite that vigorous—but certainly we've been fortunate that people haven't been in those situations yet. I think it reminds us that there really are hazards in the space business, especially in activities outside the spacecraft." Garret Reisman, a former NASA Astronaut, noted that, "The pace and story was definitely engaging and I think it was the best use of the 3D IMAX medium to date. Rather than using the medium as a gimmick, 'Gravity' uses it to depict a real environment that is completely alien to most people. But the question that most people want me to answer is, how realistic was it? The very fact that the question is being asked so earnestly is a testament to the verisimilitude of the movie. When a bad science fiction movie comes out, no one bothers to ask me if it reminded me of the real thing."

Comparison of International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope orbits On the other hand, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, astronomer and skeptic Phil Plait, and veteran NASA astronaut and spacewalker Scott E. Parazynski have offered comments about the film's inaccuracies. Nonetheless, Tyson, Plait and Parazynski have all said they enjoyed watching the film. Aldrin hoped that the film would stimulate the public to find an interest in space again, after decades of diminishing investments into advancements in the field.

Inaccuracies

  • The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which is being repaired at the beginning of the movie, has an altitude of about 559 kilometers (347 mi), and an orbital inclination of 28.5 degrees. The International Space Station has an altitude of around 420 kilometers (260 mi), and an orbital inclination of 51.65 degrees. With such significant differences in orbital parameters, it would be impossible to travel between them without precise preparation, planning, calculation, appropriate technology and a large amount of fuel.
  • When Matt Kowalski unclips his tether and floats away to his death to save Stone from being pulled away from the ISS, several observers (including Phil Plait and Neil Tyson) contend that all Stone had to do was to give the tether a gentle tug, and Kowalski would have been safely pulled toward her, since the movie shows the pair having stopped and there would thus be no force to pull Kowalski away. Others, however, such as Kevin Grazier, science adviser for the movie, and NASA engineer Robert Frost, maintain that the pair are actually still decelerating, with Stone's leg caught in the parachute cords from the Soyuz. As the cords absorb her kinetic energy, they stretch. Kowalski's interpretation of the situation is that the cords are not strong enough to absorb his kinetic energy as well as hers, and that he must therefore release the tether in order to give her a chance of stopping before the cords fail and dooms both of them.
  • Dr. Ryan Stone's tears first roll down her face in zero gravity, and later are seen floating off her face. Without sufficient force to dislodge the tears, the tears would remain on her face due to surface tension. However, the movie does correctly portray the spherical appearance of liquid drops in a micro-gravity environment.
  • Stone was not shown to have worn a liquid-cooled ventilation garment or a diaper or even socks under the EVA suit, all of which are always put on to protect against temperature extremes of space.
  • Stone's hair would be floating in outer space.
  • During the re-entry scene, the helmet is still floating. Since the Earth has gravity, the objects wouldn't be floating.
  • The satellite debris orbited Earth east to west.
  • The communications with Earth wouldn't have been wiped out because the communication satellites operate 100 miles higher than the debris field.
  • If the astronauts weren't wearing their solar visors, they would have been blinded by the sun. No character in this film ever wears theirs.
  • When repairing the HST, Stone would have had her own emergency MMU.
  • The real Soyuz Capsule does not feature a window. Only the training simulator module does.