![]() ![]() ![]() The spinning was also so fast it would have been very tough for the crew in the Ranger ship to withstand the g-forces of about 6–10 times that on the Earth, but it is feasible for trained pilots to do so. However, in the second (and more exciting) docking, the crew were very lucky that the station started spinning the right way. The spacecraft first moves to align its docking port with the rotating station’s port, and once they are well aligned, you start spinning the craft so that you don’t damage the port with friction. The Endurance has its port located on its axis of rotation, so that the port moves as little as possible. The docking scenes are quite possibly the most exciting scenes in Interstellar, and the film essentially nails the physics of it. Quite naturally, with our current more limited technology, gravitational slingshots are more about saving fuel than time. The idea is the same as throwing a ball at a driving truck, which will make the ball go faster, though I suggest you do not try this. The idea behind gravitational slingshots (also called gravity assists) is to use the gravity of a planet to push the spacecraft even faster than it moved previously. Rosetta, (which, if you haven’t been following the news, recently landed on a comet) performed several of those, including around the Earth and Mars. The gravitational slingshot around Mars helps in reducing that too: gravitational slingshots are real manoeuvres, and real life spacecrafts perform them regularly. This is a lot faster than the most fuel-efficient journey, which would last about five and a half years, but still within the realms of plausibility. The journey to Saturn takes about two years. At several points, when the ship turns, the seats orient themselves so that the pilots are better able to withstand the strong g-forces. ![]() Another detail the film remembers are g-forces, which you feel when accelerating, for example when taking off in an aeroplane. This is why the station is ring-shaped, so that the occupants feel a similar force across the ship. Interstellar does it correctly by making the ship rotate, which creates a centrifugal force, and so the occupants can walk around as if they were on the surface. Generating gravity on a ship is simply impossible, as an absolutely gigantic amount of mass is required. One of the main themes of Interstellar is gravity, and indeed it is one of very few films to get artificial gravity right. So all in all, a very exciting film for science and space nerds like me! I’ll especially focus on the physics of the film, going from the more practical to the more theoretical. In general the film never fails to demonstrate its love of science, with the main character wanting his son to study sciences, and the film even remembers the importance of genetic diversity. And not just any physicist, but Kip Thorne, one of the world’s leading experts on Einstein’s theory of general relativity. (Summary for those who haven’t seen it: there are a few moments where the film takes artistic liberties, but overall it respects the laws of physics even better than most films, even those about the space race!) Now, Hollywood isn’t known for paying attention to scientific accuracy (it is often joked that the biggest drawback of studying physics is seeing all those glaring issues), so it may surprise some that Nolan has actually consulted a professional physicist for his film. Before I say anything, be aware this article contains spoilers, so if you haven’t seen Interstellar, go see it now! It is one of those films you’ll really want to see on the big screen. Interstellar is Christopher’s Nolan latest film, and one of the biggest science fiction films of the last few years. Science & Technology on 10 December, 2014. ![]()
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