+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

Neil deGrasse Tyson made 2 brilliant observations about 'The Martian'

Oct 6, 2015, 22:03 IST

Famous astrophysicist and host of StarTalk Radio Neil deGrasse Tyson was surprisingly sassy in his review of the sci-fi epic "The Martian."

Advertisement

"The Martian" follows the story of astronaut Mark Watney who must rely on science to survive after he gets stranded on Mars. NASA then pulls out all the stops to get him back to Earth alive.

Most scientists have praised "The Martian" for its attempt at scientific accuracy and realism.

Tyson took the opposite approach. In his first tweet about the movie, he pointed out a brilliant reason why we know "The Martian" is science fiction and not a true story:

Advertisement

In "The Martian," NASA has a lot of autonomy and scientists are calling all of the shots. This is not always the case in the real world. For example, senator Ted Cruz, a climate change denier, is the current chairman for the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness that oversees NASA.

Tyson's second tweet was another zinger:

In 2011, Congress actually expressly forbid NASA from working with any Chinese citizen or anyone affiliated with the state. It cited alleged security concerns as the reason. It will take a big policy shift to change that sentiment.

Tyson also tweeted out a few nods to the movie's attention to scientific accuracy:

Advertisement

But it's really those first two tweets that make Tyson's reaction to "The Martian" priceless - his quibbles aren't with the scientific accuracy of the movie (unlike some others he's reviewed on Twitter.)

"The Martian" is out in theaters right now.

NOW WATCH: The biggest science mistakes in 'The Martian'

Please enable Javascript to watch this video
You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article