On 21/01/2018 16:37, Mike Horvath wrote:
> The main thing that bothered me was that Clooney basically tells Bullock 
> to point directly toward the Chinese module and hit the gas.
> 
> But:
> 
> 1. Isn't it really hard to move between two locations in a straight line 
> in Space, so close to a large body such as the Earth? Aren't successful 
> orbital maneuvers really complicated, time-consuming and hard to pull off?
> 2. Wouldn't it take a really long time to cover the distance between two 
> space stations at the rate she was moving in her suit (e.g. slow enough 
> so she could stop herself by grabbing on with her hands, IIRC)? Or do 
> space stations typically live within a few kilometers of each other?
> 
> Never got to see the movie in imax.
> 
> 

I think the real problem is that orbital mechanics is not cinema 
friendly. The public expect (from their experience on Earth) that if you 
accelerate towards an object you get closer, quicker in a straight line. 
Not that your orbit will get higher or lower. That is what stopped me 
watching any of the Star Wars follow ups.

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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