The new space flick "Passengers" takes place in a far-off, science-fiction future, but modern-day science is laying the groundwork to turn some of those fictional elements into reality.
At a panel discussion Sony Pictures held earlier this month, two real-world scientists talked about two key scientific elements that were portrayed in the film: the search for Earth-like planets around other stars, and placing humans into temporary stasis (a state that's like hibernation) for trips through space.
The scientists were joined by "Passengers" screenwriter John Spaights, who talked about some of the real science that inspired the movie.
The story of "Passengers" revolves around a spaceship full of more than 5,000 people who are placed in a state of hibernation for the duration of a 120-year-long journey to a distant planet. When two of the passengers wake up 90 years too early, they have to find a way to accept their fate.
John Bradford is an aerospace engineer and COO of SpaceWorks Enterprises, a company that, among other things, received a grant from NASA to investigate a way to place astronauts into stasis (sometimes called a "hypersleep" state) during spaceflight. Bradford explained that NASA might be interested in placing humans into a state of stasis for the six- to 12-month trip to Mars, which would be significantly shorter than the 120-year voyage that's portrayed in the movie.
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