As a real "space" nut, this episode was even harder to watch.
Footage of a spacewalking astronaut was used - the famous EVA of Ed White, who later died in the Apollo 1 oxygen fire. This was both tasteless and lame.
The fictional astronaut is alleged to have been a Gemini astronaut. Mulder says that he stayed up at the age of 14 to watch the spacewalk. If the spacewalk occurred during the Gemini program, then Mulder would have to have been born around 1950 or 1952 - making him at least 10 years older than Duchovny. This is small, but it shows the carelessness of the writer towards the subject matter.
I don't work for NASA, but I know enough to recognise technobabble when I see it. Star Trek Voyager was more realistic. Worst mistake was the NASA "logo" in "mission control" - there are two NASA logos in use - the 70s style "Worm" - the one on the shuttle, and the "Meatball". The one in mission control on the wall was made up. Again, a small detail, but it shows a complete carelessness towards the subject.
Operations of the fictional shuttle program were pure bizarro-world - a PTSD Gemini Astronaut as Czar? With no oversight? This is post-Challenger NASA we're talking about - where you can't attach a screw without filling out sixteen forms.
The idea that the Shuttle astronauts couldn't take manual control of the orbiter without disconnecting communications with Earth and risking death was the single most ludicrous aspect, with even less basis in reality than a Gemini astronaut being possessed by a hill from Mars - and yet again showed us a writer pulling plot devices out of his posterior.
It was not pretty to watch.
And what was with the guest actors? Their chewing of the scenery was fit for a REAL-LIFE X-file...
Spooky.
You could watch this one for fun, in an MST3K sort of way...or make a drinking game out of it. Every time Colonel Blink or Astro-Girlfriend pops a vein, take a shot of Tequila.
Footage of a spacewalking astronaut was used - the famous EVA of Ed White, who later died in the Apollo 1 oxygen fire. This was both tasteless and lame.
The fictional astronaut is alleged to have been a Gemini astronaut. Mulder says that he stayed up at the age of 14 to watch the spacewalk. If the spacewalk occurred during the Gemini program, then Mulder would have to have been born around 1950 or 1952 - making him at least 10 years older than Duchovny. This is small, but it shows the carelessness of the writer towards the subject matter.
I don't work for NASA, but I know enough to recognise technobabble when I see it. Star Trek Voyager was more realistic. Worst mistake was the NASA "logo" in "mission control" - there are two NASA logos in use - the 70s style "Worm" - the one on the shuttle, and the "Meatball". The one in mission control on the wall was made up. Again, a small detail, but it shows a complete carelessness towards the subject.
Operations of the fictional shuttle program were pure bizarro-world - a PTSD Gemini Astronaut as Czar? With no oversight? This is post-Challenger NASA we're talking about - where you can't attach a screw without filling out sixteen forms.
The idea that the Shuttle astronauts couldn't take manual control of the orbiter without disconnecting communications with Earth and risking death was the single most ludicrous aspect, with even less basis in reality than a Gemini astronaut being possessed by a hill from Mars - and yet again showed us a writer pulling plot devices out of his posterior.
It was not pretty to watch.
And what was with the guest actors? Their chewing of the scenery was fit for a REAL-LIFE X-file...
Spooky.
You could watch this one for fun, in an MST3K sort of way...or make a drinking game out of it. Every time Colonel Blink or Astro-Girlfriend pops a vein, take a shot of Tequila.