Realistic space movies

CastAway · Post by **CastAway** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:23 am

I added this to this forum because I noticed the "Race to Space" thread... Vincent, feel free to move if you feel it goes better somewhere else.

So... I really enjoy a nice, realistic space movie. Apollo 13 comes to mind, of course, but there are also fictional efforts like Space Cowboys, or even as far as Armageddon... anything in the present time or near future and with Nasa's involvement. So, I am looking for suggestions... anyone have any?

I just saw Space Cowboys for the first time since the theatre, and I must say, I really enjoyed it... it seems they got a good number of things quite right!

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:06 pm

Well even though both Armageddon and Space Cowboys are enjoyable movuies they are far from realistis in many ways. Both have alot of problems.

CastAway · Post by **CastAway** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:18 pm

Huh? Space Cowboys seemed fairly accurate to me!

And of course Armageddon is going to be less realistic... it's made that way.

But basically, I'm looking for movies with Nasa as a main part of the storyline.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:53 pm

Well instead of me trying to write it all here is a great page talking about the scientific problems of the kovie. http://badastronomy.com/bad/movies/spacecowboys2.html

One other one i noticed is the speed they give for the shuttle at touch down is far lower than normal. Also the completely mannual reentry though theoreticly possible is extremely difficult. Remember if a commander is doing all the flying through reentry he has to makie sure he bleads off exactly the right amount of energy and keep the orbiter at the right angle to keep it from burning up. If they dont bekleed off enough energy the shuttle overshoots the runway if too much it wont make it to the runway. In the movie Clint Eastwood is intentionally bringging it in at a stteper angle through peak reentry heating to try to bleed off more energy. That is a quick way to end up like the Columbia crew. There is a reason the computers fly the orbiter through the peak heating periods of reentry and for a time after that its to make sure the numbers are correct and the problems mentioned above dont happen. Theoreticly its possibler for someone to fly it through there but it would take more training then eastwood had. Lets not forget that hawk was the only one of them that even attmepted to fly the shuttle in the simulators.

Carrie · Post by **Carrie** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 4:33 pm

If you have an IMAX theater near you, there's an IMAX movie called Magnificent Desolation coming out this fall that has actual footage the Apollo astronauts filmed that's been converted to the IMAX format. Should be cool...I wish the museum I volunteer at would get it, but I haven't heard they will...ggrrr.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 7:24 pm

The museum where i work has an imax theater and i believe they are getting it. I know i have heard about it.

ApolloXI · Post by **ApolloXI** » Sun Jun 26, 2005 11:29 pm

Argh and not so argaah
If the USSRC gets it I will have to drive down there becuase the only IMAX we have here plays only Hollywood movies.

Who · Post by **Who** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:14 am

USSRC will be getting it.

CastAway · Post by **CastAway** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:53 pm

Do you know from when to when?

I may have to drive down there to see it.

DanM · Post by **DanM** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:47 pm

I saw magnificent desolation 2 times! I saw it in 3d at my lochal Imax, and not in 3d, but in omnimax at the museum of science and industry.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 4:46 pm

And i still havent seen it but have heard its great.

Right Stuff · Post by **Right Stuff** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:18 pm

I saw Magnificent Desolation when i went to AC April 2nd or 3rd i think... then on thursday we saw Red Flag... it was awesome! they both were really good.

tennisrox014 · Post by **tennisrox014** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:01 pm

I just saw magnificent desolation for the second time last thursday when i was in huntsville. It's a pretty good movie.

rycho626 · Post by **rycho626** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 4:46 pm

I love the right stuff. Even though its not really about space but about what the program did to the people involved and not involved...i love it

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:03 pm

Another good but 56 year old movie that is suprisingly realistic and even somewhat acurate despite being filmed 19 years before the first moon landing is Destination Moon. Yes the special effects are cheesy yes the rocket looks like a modified V-2 but alot of the details of the direct ascent method of lunar landing that was later proposed but not used are pretty acurate. Heck even when they step on the moon they claim it in the name of all mankind.

Like i said for such an old film its actually pretty good has alot of acuracy compared to most movies of the time and even compared to some today. Keep in mind when watching it though this was 20 years before apollo 11 so not all the details are perfect but its good.

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:56 pm

I'm a big fan of the From the Earth to the Moon series. While they took a fair amount of creative license a lot of the actual historical stuff is quite accurate.

tennisrox014 · Post by **tennisrox014** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 12:12 am

yeah!
i love from the earth to the moon!!!!!!
definitely my favorite, except for armageddon, but only because armageddon has ben affleck.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 4:17 pm

From the Earth to the moon is great hewck they even got actors who matched pretty well to who they were playing with the biggest exception being Chris Kraft who turned from a skinny guy to a rather large man due to the actor playing him. Anyone ever notice there were also 2 Pete Conrad's in the movie?

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:43 am

LB206 wrote:From the Earth to the moon is great hewck they even got actors who matched pretty well to who they were playing with the biggest exception being Chris Kraft who turned from a skinny guy to a rather large man due to the actor playing him. Anyone ever notice there were also 2 Pete Conrad's in the movie?

I did notice that and it really confused me for the first few minutes of the second guys early scenes.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 5:36 pm

I didnt think much of it till i saw it a couple of times since the first guy on;y appeared in a few scenes of the first episode. \besides i always liked Paul Mcrane who played conrad in the apollo 12 episode he was great on ER.