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Emily Burch

Jonathan Barnes

Phys 1040

April 17, 2017

Sci-Fi Critique: Prometheus

The 2012 movie Prometheus, directed by Scott Ridley, shows science that we have

today such as, cryogenic sleep chambers, space ships, and medical pods, only advanced to such

an extent that this kind of advancement is highly unlikely. Preserving a human body for years

without significant aging will likely never become possible. It is possible to slow aging through

lowering metabolic rates, but not significantly. Space ships will never become large and will

remain rod shaped to better travel through space. For a machine to perform surgery is highly

unlikely. While machines are less prone to error they are also unable to react accordingly to

perform surgery. Prometheus is a Sci-Fi film, and was more focused on aliens and bio-

weaponry than correct science.

The movie utilizes the long standing SciFi idea of cryogenic sleep as a means for the

scientists to travel great distances through space. The scientists in the movie have traveled

farther than current technology would allow them. A means for full cryo-preservation and

restoration remains a long way off still (Bradford). While the technology for Hollywood cryo-

sleep does not exist yet, medical advancements have enhanced sciences ability to put humans

into a deep sleep in which metabolic rates are low enough for humans to sleep for extended

periods of time. In cryogenic sleep the risk of sickness due to Initial Mass in Low Earth Orbit

(IMLEO) is significantly reduced. This technology will allow for sustainable long term deep

space travel as far as Mars. (Bradford)

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The scientists have traveled to another galaxy, and their cryosleep has kept them from

aging, suggesting great evolutions in cryogenic sleep in a short 100 years (Prometheus). Given

that it took a decade for the New Horizons spacecraft to reach Pluto after cutting off two years

time with a kick start off of Jupiters orbit, it is safe to say that it would have taken them a few

decades to reach their destination, if not more. This feat would have taken an extremely fast

space ship, and that would require antimatter at the very least. (NASA)

Most Sci-Fi movies use antimatter as the fictional power for their ships because it is far

more portable and powerful than chemical fuel. Antimatter powered ships come with some great

advantages such as speed. Kirby Meyer said, "Our advanced designs, like the gas core and the

ablative engine concepts, could take astronauts to Mars in half that time, and perhaps even in as

little as 45 days," in reference to the regular 180 day trip. Another advantage is safety during

takeoff, because antimatter has a slightly smaller danger zone should it explode during takeoff as

compared to a nuclear reactor which has twice the fallout radios in a failed launch. While there

are great advantages there are also disadvantages. (Dunbar)

Antimatter can produce high blasts of gamma rays, which would endanger the crew, and

could possibly result in the engines becoming radioactive. An antimatter powered space ship

that will produce less powerful gamma rays is still being researched. Researchers hope that by

using positrons instead of antiprotons they can produce engines that produce gamma rays with

400 times less energy. While 400 times less powerful gamma rays are much better, they are still

dangerous, and antimatter powered ships would not be freezable for years because of gamma ray

exposure. (Dunbar)

The Prometheus space ship that got the scientists to the planet could not have been an

antimatter ship, without the scientists getting sick and possibly dyeing given that they traveled to
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a distant solar system within the Milky Way Galaxy (Prometheus). The ship is also not

structurally made for high speeds; it consists of a long hull and opposable jets at the end of four

limbs which give the ship the maneuverability of a car. The ship is then able to put the limbs

down and turns into a land vehicle. This ship would have had a hard time not collapsing in on its

self as it was more like a house on wheels. The ship held rooms for all crew members as well as

a large hotel like room that doubled as an escape pod, housing a giant medical pod, cafeteria,

garage, laboratory, and recreational rooms.

The medical pod was not like the kind one may find at a hospital or a clinic. The med-

pod was a capsule bed with machinery capable or preforming procedures that would normally

require a surgeon. In the movie it is not calibrated for a woman, but is still sophisticated enough

that a woman climbs in, selects settings for abdomen obtrusion, and is able to have an abortion

preformed. The machinery recognized organic life, and successfully cut open her abdomen, took

out the alien, and did not kill her in the process. Abortions can be dangerous with a doctor who

is able to react to a specific situation. A medical pod with this type of ability is unfeasible even

in the distant future.

Current medical pods are machines that patients stick an arm into or that have easy to use

equipment for patients to get blood tests, blood pressure, and heart rate taken. In some cases the

machine has a panel for patients to answer questions. Questions include diet, smoker or

nonsmoker, exercise, and consist of yes or no. A machine would require the ability to take in

images and recognize how to react. It would be incredibly difficult to program a machine to

recognize different areas of the body, and perform surgery accordingly. (Medical Cart)

Professors and students from the departments of electrical engineering and surgery at

Washington State University are trying to create a medical trauma pod for the military. This
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program would allow for medical pods to operate on soldiers in the field, but still requires a

surgeon to operate the machinery from miles away. The essence of this machine relies more

upon robotic arms than the ability to recognize a situation. This is the first attempt at a medical

pod and there is no attempt to make a program which will perform operations on its own.

(Harrill)

In the 2012 movie Prometheus highly evolved technology is used to create the

futuristic scene, but the technology in the movie is sophisticated beyond what advancements

could bring in the next 100 years. Cryogenic sleep is being advanced, but to preserve a living

human so well is next to impossible. Space ships are becoming faster, and safer, but large and

bulky ships are not practice for space travel. For surgeons to be replaced with medical pods

seems like a good idea, but current technology only suggests the possibility of a surgeon

performing surgery from distances that are nothing compared to the distances of space.
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Works Cited Page

Bradford, John. "Torpor Inducing Transfer Habitat For Human Stasis To Mars." NASA.gov. Ed.

Loura Hall. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 14 Apr. 2016. Web. 01 Mar.

2017. <https://www.nasa.gov/content/torpor-inducing-transfer-habitat-for-human-stasis-

to-mars>.

Dunbar, Brian. "New and Improved Antimatter Spaceship for Mars Missions." Nasa.gov.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 14 Apr. 2006. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/antimatter_spaceship.html>.

Harrill, Rob."Trauma Pod: A battlefield robo-medic." Washington.edu. University of

Washington, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.washington.edu/news/2005/04/07/trauma-pod-a-battlefield-robo-medic/>.

"Medical Cart." Medpodinc.com. Med Pod, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.medpodinc.com/products/medical-cart/>.

"NASA's Three-Billion-Mile Journey to Pluto Reaches Historic Encounter." Nasa.gov. Ed. Karen

Northon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 14 July 2015. Web. 20 Mar.

2017. <https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-three-billion-mile-journey-to-pluto-

reaches-historic-encounter>.

Prometheus. Dir. Ridley Scott. By Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. Prod. Ridley Scott, David

Giler, and Walter Hill. Perf. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba,

Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron. Scott Free Productions, Brandywine

Productions, Dune Entertainment, and 20th Century Fox, 2012. DVD.