Category Archives: NASA

2016, Acceptable Science, Astronauts, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Black History, Civil Rights, Docudrama, Human spirit, Love Story, Mathematician, NASA, Netflix DVD, Race Relations, Racism, True Story

Hidden Figures (2016)

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From IMDB:

The story of a team of African-American women mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the US space program.

For a synopsis of the film read the Wikipedia account.  Recall that the events take place in the 1960’s and that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 supposedly ended racial segregation. If anything, this film is exactly about racial segregation in the government. For example, the main character, Katherine Goble, worked in a NASA building which had no bathroom for non-whites so that in order to go the bathroom, she had to leave her building and travel to another building.  Black Katherine’s calculations were project-saving whereas white John Glen received all the admiration. Be sure to read the final screen notes which explain how Kathering was finally honored. For example, to quote Wikipedia:

In 2015, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a new 40,000-square-foot Computational Research Facility at the Langley Research Center was renamed the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility in her honor the following year.[

Here the facts are more important than the entertainment value of the film.

 

2015, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Science, Astronauts, Could be boring, Ethical struggles, Human spirit, NASA, Suspense

The Martian (2015)

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From IMDB:

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

Nerds with a scientific bent will love this long (2 hours, 21 minutes) film. However, others may find this long film boring and indeed I have heard that complaint from friends. Personally I was compelled by the film, but am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I had to watch in pieces, interrupted by some lesser form of entertainment.

What takes so long? As you might expect, things do always go smoothly. During most of the film, after NASA has learned that Mark Watney is still alive and kicking, there are various schemes and efforts to rescue Mark. Each scheme involves politics such as: who tells whom what, who pays the expenses, what should the public learn, when does someone tell Mark’s former crew members? Mark is a botanist as well as a scientist of all trades who never gives up trying.

“Martian” just has to be Matt Damon’s best film, better in my opinion than “Good Will Hunting”. He has matured.

So if you enjoy scientific mumbo-jumbo, are thrilled by space travel, are a survivalist interested in growing potatoes on Mars, or any of the above, then you will enjoy this adventure.