In 1997 astronomer Jim Scotti discovered the asteroid 1997 XF11. Initial calculations predicted that the asteroid would make an extremely close approach to Earth in 2028. A collision would result in a global catastrophe, killing hundreds of millions of people. More accurate calculations of the orbit of the asteroid, however, determined that its probability of colliding with Earth is zero. Nonetheless, Hollywood films such as Deep Impact and Armageddon, both released in 1998, illustrated the global crisis that a comet or asteroid heading toward Earth would generate. Together with the alarming news about 1997 XF11, these movies heightened public awareness of the threat from an asteroid impact. As a result, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) doubled its funding to $3 million a year for searching for near-Earth objects (NEOs). In addition, NASA initiated the Spaceguard Survey, intended to find 90 percent of all NEOs larger than 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) in diameter by 2008. Ultimately, the Torino scale, developed by astronomer Richard Binzel, was released in 1999 as a means of categorizing the likelihood of an asteroid or comet colliding with Earth.
Deep Impact and Armaggedon are two of over a hundred science fiction films about space that have generated interest in space exploration. For instance,2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) illustrated what space travel may have been like in the year 2001. In addition to its artistic use of visual and soundeffects, that film introduced fascinating ideas for new technologies. The Star Wars trilogy and the Star Trek movie franchise also offered ideas for advanced technological devices. Other science fiction films, such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Contact (1997) in which humans make contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life have sparked the imagination and curiosity of viewers, generating excitement about exploring the depths of space.
Extraterrestrials emerge from their spacecraft to warn humans of impending nuclear disaster in a scene from the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still.
A year before humans walked on the Moon,2001: A Space Odyssey opened in theaters. This movie has had such a great impact on society that a NASA spacecraft en route to Mars was named after it: the 2001 Mars Odyssey. Adapted from the novel by Arthur C. Clarke and directed by Stanley Kubrick,2001: A Space Odyssey foresaw a colonized Moon and a piloted mission to Jupiter in the year 2001. While the Moon has not yet been colonized, scientists are looking closely at Mars, where settlement may be easier because of the possible presence of water. Perhaps the enthusiasm generated by the piloted trip to Jupiter shown in the movie will be caused by the first human mission to Mars.
Settling Mars, however, will probably require a process known as terraforming. The atmosphere of Mars is composed of carbon dioxide, which may be converted to breathable air by this process. As an example, the movie Red Planet (2000) suggests one possible way of terraforming Mars—using algae to create a greenhouse effect that would allow life to thrive there. Some ideas for new technologies introduced by 2001: A Space Odyssey exist today. For example, videoconferencing as shown in the movie is feasible via the Internet along with an inexpensive video camera. However, an intelligent computer such as HAL 9000 is still science fiction, although advances in artificial intelligence have produced expert systems that help professionals make decisions.
Technology
George Lucas's Star Wars trilogy generated another wave of enthusiasm for space travel. The technology of Star Wars is highly advanced, although the ideas behind it have caused people to ponder their possibilities. The lightsaber, a powerful energy-based sword, is one example. Today researchers can use lasers to cut through some materials, but there is nothing like the lightsaber. Another interesting concept in those films is the hyperdrive, which can transport a starship at a speed faster than that of light. Scientists are just beginning to ask directed questions about the possibility of lightspeed travel. Similarly advanced is the idea of antigravity. Researchers have been able to simulate antigravity under extremely cold temperatures for small objects, but true antigravity is only a theoretical concept. Other technologies, such as the holocam, the proton torpedo, the blasters, and the electrobinoculars, are high-technology devices that with human ingenuity may become realities.
The Star Trek television series and movies offer a myriad of advanced technologies, the most prominent being the transporter and the holodeck. The transporter can convert every atom of an object into a stream of matter and send it to its destination to be reconstructed there. By taking advantage of the properties of quantum mechanics, scientists have been able to "teleport" a photon, or light particle, a promising achievement. The holodeck can produce a holographic environment that feels as real asreality. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been able to make small holographic imaging devices with force-feedback, but holodeck-type rooms are technologies of the future. Like the high-technology devices in Star Wars, the tricorder, the warp drive, and the phaser in Star Trek remain to be explored.
The crew of the starship Enterprise in a scene from the 1986 film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Fans of the series Star Trek successfully petitioned the White House to name the first space shuttle orbiter "Enterprise."
Extraterrestrial Life
The discovery of extraterrestrial life would be one of the greatest achievements in human history. As a result, many movies that depict an alien encounter have generated enthusiasm for space exploration. Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial touched many viewers' hearts through its depiction of the love of an alien, giving people a motivation to explore outer worlds. Similarly,Contact, based on scientist Carl Sagan's novel, motivated space exploration through the words of an advanced alien being. However, the central theme of Contact was the process of decoding a message that described how to build a machine with an unknown function. Contact illustrated how the message united people around the world for the common goal of building a machine that might reveal the purpose of humanity. Other films, such as Cocoon, The Abyss, and Mission to Mars, have given humans a motive to explore space: the possibility of an encounter with an alien civilization and the rewarding consequences it might have.
Science fiction movies express ideas that may become realities and provide reasons to examine the depths of space more closely.
