Mission to Mars

[BarkingGhost]

Recently, I watched Mission to Mars on HDnet or HDnet Movies. For the technical presentation of being in high-definition the movie was fine. But the movie, for someone like me, found myself being cynical (again). I want to re-title the film:

Mission to Mars: Or How Not to be an Astronaut While Cruising the Planetary Neighborhood

My beef comes when the rescue mission is interrupted by a micro-meteorite storm. Everyone is racing to reboot the ships computers, sealing the air leaks, etc., etc., etc. All goes well and no more leaks and the computers are successfully rebooted.

Ok, I am not an astronaut, never finished college, never been to space camp, and don't know of anyone being or haven been employed by NASA. Yet, how smart is it to presume a micro-meteor storm would only puncture holes in the living spaces and nothing else?

This movie was made in 2000. It came out after the Challenger shuttle disaster and before the Columbia disaster. Yet, something in me screams "you idiots" for not checking the propulsion system's plumbing, which apparently is completely exposed to anything flying around in space.

Smart; very smart. Ok, then let's take a look at the scene in question in which some of the liquid fuel squirts out of the supply line, freezes and breaks off, travels back to the main engines' nozzles. I have a problem here.

First, the fuel froze, and very very quickly. Ok, so its blue in color, but apparently it is a liquid that is not based Oxygen or Hydrogen. Must be liquid a near vacuum of space cold temps, but not when fully exposed. I didn't see any thermal insulation on that plumbing, especially where it was damaged. So, how do they manage to keep in in liquid form unless it naturally is that form in cold temps, but not a hair's breadth away in space?

Next, this ship they are traveling in is about to go into orbit around Mars. I expected the ship to orient itself in such a manner that the nozzles from the man engines to be pointing in the direction is existing travel. I only assume this as this is how the space shuttle brakes its speed to slow down and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.

So, if this is the expected orientation then why should I expect pieces of frozen and broken off fuel to travel after and ahead of the ship and pretty much in the same direction (directly ahead of the main engine nozzles) and not in some angular direction away from said ship?

To me, we can forget all about the basic precepts of engineering, aerospace fluid dynamics, physics, etc., etc., etc., but doesn't good common sense astronaut-ship dictate maybe someone should like at the liquid fuel system (especially since you are already on an EVA!!!)? I mean, I know I am a pessimist but this is taking optimism to a whole new level of Darwin Award-ism.

Maybe this film was catering to the lame in the brain? Were there no technical advisers worth their weight in employment? It made me wonder if we, as a species, could have lasted long enough to make the first human mission to Mars, let alone make an Idiots on Parade rescue mission plausible.

Ok, enough of the Sunday morning rant. I know this was suppose to be a feel-good movie, but honestly it depressed me.