Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

What Space Camp forum would be complete without a place to talk about one of the best/worst movies of all time, SpaceCamp, as well as all Space Camp references in pop culture.

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Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by Boomerang »

I finally saw the movie Space Warriors just got it from Net Flix. I will say overall it was an enjoyable movie. always fun getting to see space camp and its facilities. that being said the story was beyond unbelievable even more so than the first movie in my opinion. I had thought i was going to watch the movie try to remember some of the various things that were off a little or a lot then note them here. Turned out to keep track i had to write them down. Ignoring the whole prmise that teams were at camp competing to win a trip to the ISS. Ignoring the hand picked teams. Ignoring the Willy Wonka like awarding of team spots. All of which have been pointed out by others i have quite a list still. Alert Spoilers ahead for those who havbent see it.

1. The CGI effects. I'm sorry but most of the time they just looked cheasy they could have done a better and more believable job with actuall iss footage.

2. The robotics competition shown where Dani is selected is not in Detroit its in the Astro Trek building.

3. The Air Force Base in the mocie is filmed over near Aviation Challenge and has a warning about the Army base on the other side. Not to mention a teenager flying a military drone.

4. the random aviation Challenge Sim inside Hab 1 with decidedly non AC software the stuff at Ac is much better.

5. The shirts seen in the movie seemed randomly assigned. Red us supose to be for camp but is seen on much older kids and Academy and advanced academy shirts also seem random.

6. Some of the audio on ISS footage refers to Atlantis being docked there when the shuttle had been retired already.

7. The first ISS interios seen is one of the space staion modules at camp and in actuality is an old Space Hab mockup.

8. The MAT is based on an old mercury astronaut trainer designed to teach astronauts how to stabalize a tumbling space craft not to simulate reentry.

9. The constant referring to even by the Russian cosmonaut of the Soyuz as simply an escape pod.

10. I havent seen physical training at space camp since the early 90s.

11. Kids who seemed to be at space academy doing Scuba

12. 15 year olds are old enough for advanced academy yet they are in academy shirts

13. A combination of the old name tags and new wrist bands on the kids,

14. Camp teams don't do the great moon buggy race.

15. Robonaut doeesnt have legs and two is already on the ISS

16. Why in the world did the Soyuz land in Aegentina.

17. There is no Columbia module on the ISS there is a Columbus but it is never called Columbus just columbia.

18. thje idea of reinstating the shuttle Atlantis to rescue the crew is rediculous it was one retired two, was being decomissioned, and three couldnt be prepared for launch anyway as there would be no boosters and no fuel tank among many other issues.

19. to my knowledge the ISS mockups referred to as being at marshall havent been there in years they are now at space camp.

20. The idea of deep sleep hybernation though being investigated for long duration missions is science fiction still today.

21. The Columia module in the movie was the space camp lander simulator

22. What exactly was working on the ISS with robonaut empty space suits being remotely controlled?

23. The thrusters for the debris avoidance maneuver were coming out of the pressurized mating adapter a docking port. Plus they were supose to be russian thrusters but were in the us segment of the station not the Russian.

24. There is no Einstein cargo module

25. The ISS doesnt do backflips every 90 minutes to cool down.

26. How were 4 people supose to land in the rescue Soyuz?

27. And the afore mentioned trip to space for the winners of the compeitition. Lets say for a minute NASA would allow it. It was supose to be aboard Orion. Current Orion Specs call for a crew of 4 there were 6 kids. even the older specs only called for 6 max. So the kids are going to fly to the ISS alone with no real astronaut?
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by p51 »

I brought up a few of these issues here: http://habforum.hab1.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2532 and also in my 'everything about space camp movies in wrong' thread here: http://habforum.hab1.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2533
I believe #3 point is well taken, but I really think it was actually filmed right at the fence line behind the main visitor center area, about 30 yards or so up from directly behind where the full sized Skylab mockup sitting outside behind the Davidson building. I've walked that road and I think this is where it was. Besides, I laughed out loud at the idea of any place standing in for Creech AFB could have trees, it's in the middle of the Vevada desert and is a serious spec-ops base where you'd never see civilians just ambling around with their own private drones..
As for #20, they weren't suggesting a 'suspended animation' sci-fi thing, they were suggesting people asleep use far less oxygen, which is correct, in all fairness.

Now that said, I agree with everything else you wrote. I never thought I'd see a SC movie that made the 1986 one sound plausible in comparison, but they did just that with this film.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by SpaceCanada »

I was pointing out several of those points to my husband when we watched it. Only die-hard Space Camp fans will notice half of those, as most people would never know the ISS mock-ups were moved or that most of the scenes were filmed at the USSRC on Space Camp sims. Silly, yes, but using all those Space Camp locations in place of real ones was a good way for me to show my husband the different places around Space Camp. It's complete fiction, like so many films out there, and for what it was, it wasn't too bad. I even saw Vincent in one scene. (He says he's in two but I cannot find the other one!)

Completely ridiculous story, but it's a movie, they can get away with it. Still, sending kids on Orion... that makes me shake my head. It's till better than some of the kids shows on TV these days.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by p51 »

SpaceCanada wrote:...using all those Space Camp locations in place of real ones was a good way for me to show my husband the different places around Space Camp.
Yeah, I tried to point out stuff that I'd been to, but my wife couldn't have cared less (and she made it quite clear she didn't want to hear anything about what wasn't correct).
I bought the DVD primarily for two reasons:
1. It's a time capsule of the first time I ever went to SC, as they wrapped on the film a couple of weeks before I went there.
2. It really shows off the area well, and places you normally don't see often in film.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by SpaceCanada »

The only difference is that my husband is coming with me to Space Camp, and he wants to have a clue about where this place is and what we'll be doing before he gets there. Last year he probably would have rolled his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and mumbled something about 'you're obsessed with Space Camp' or the like. :D
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by Boomerang »

I would like to say something about the competitive aspect of this movie and A Smile As Big as the moon. Though there is competition at camp today in the form of top gun, best mission etc, the competition is hardly mentioned. AC the Top Gun award though is a highly competitive in some cases award we actually had kids come to AC each year just trying to win Top Gun and you would not believe lengths some went to at home to prepare for it but thats a diffrent story altogether.

The first time i went to space camp in the early 90s there was definately more competition and we knew it to a certain extent. Awards i remember from 91 were Right stuff, Outstanding camper, Best mission, Best large space structure and seems like i'm forgetting something but those are atleast most of them. I remember a good chunk of our graduation being the awards portion of it. This seemed to be deemphasized as the years went on. The competitiveness in A Smile As Big as the Moon which i believe took place in 1989 or 90 is not far from what i remember. We even competed in pool activities like shown in the movie even though we were at a pool not the UAT. That movies depiction of that aspect is pretty right on but it was also a diffrent time.

I also know Space warriors talked to camp alumni me being one of them though at the time it was by totasl chance. Some of the alumni had not asttended camp in many years they may have given the impression competition was more a part of camp then it is now I don't know its is a possibility though. But the movie seriously over did it and turned it into the whole purpose of the camp.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by Hotdog »

Best Mission Patch! An award I certainly took seriously and glad I did :)
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by gt0163c »

When I went to camp in late 89's/early 90's, there were plenty of awards given out.
Right Stuff
Best Mission (I think...could be wrong about this one)
Best Mission Patch
Best Space Station
Space Bowl
The Mission Specialists competed in a different design competition. One year it was balsa wood bridges, another it was egg drop.
We might have been timed for building the tetrahedron in the pool (Academy Level I) but I don't believe there was an award given out for it.

But I don't remember the competition aspect really being emphasized. It might have been mentioned, particularly for Space Bowl and the design competitions, but none of the counselors really pushed us too hard about it and none of the campers were really into the competition. We were in it to do well and have fun and the awards were just an add-on. Cooperation and teamwork were more stressed and I think that made camp more enjoyable for me.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by Hotdog »

Yeah from my experience in the early 90s Space Camp was as competitive as you wanted it to be; meaning it wasn't pushed by the counselors, they just threw it out there and you ran with it as you wished. The level of enthusiasm would vary some from team-to-team and some counselors (or "crew trainers" as they call them nowadays) would be more into it than others. I, for one, enjoyed the competitive aspect as it seemed to make the experience more challenging, more "real" and rewarding when things would go your way. Competition is really just another method of team building (overcoming adversity as a group). I remember one summer ('91 i think) every team had a chant (like a Marine marching cadence) for when we would pass another team outside in the rocket park or museum. For Rockwell team, it was "We are We are Rockwell (we will we will rock you)" like the Queen song. Ahh, good times.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by Boomerang »

Wow Bryan thats one i forgot about i have no clue whjat chant we might have had at the time though.
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by p51 »

Hotdog wrote:Best Mission Patch! An award I certainly took seriously and glad I did :)
As of 2012 and 2013, they weren't giving out award patches for anything, but I saw a big box of such patches in the HAB in September with the new logo on them, so i guess they're coming back!
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Re: Space warriors review and whatthe hecks?

Post by Saint »

Actually, we do give award patches during the week-long programs, for Commander's Cup, Best Mission Patch, and Outstanding Team.

The short programs get award pins (used to be a shuttle, we're transitioning to Orion capsules), for Best Mission, Best Mission Patch, and Outstanding Team
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