Destination Moon

Destination Moon (1950)

7 mistakes - chronological order

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Revealing mistake: During the rocket launch, Joe needs to raise his hand up to his panel to activate an instrument. The rocket is accelerating at many times Earth gravity at sea level, so it's a very strenuous task for Joe to lift his arm. Nevertheless, as he does so, his shirt sleeve is very lax, hanging loosely, whereas it ought to be draped rather heavily. (00:38:15)

Factual error: After putting the rocket on course for the Moon, the crew relax and have a meal in weightlessness. Barnes is hunched on the floor, in a sitting position, and as he is passed a coffee, he rests his elbow upon his knee, very much as one would do on Earth under body weight. (00:45:15)

Continuity mistake: When the crew do their EVA they start out standing "upside down" on the hull of the rocket with sunlight from the left. They then travel around the hull 180 degrees, an as they do the Sun is suddenly on the right. (00:50:40)

Continuity mistake: During the in-transit EVA, there's an "over-the-shoulder" shot of the rocket pointing towards the distant Moon. The ship is lit from the right, but the Moon is lit from the left. (00:54:30)

Factual error: Between Earth and the Moon the crew of the spacecraft have an EVA in which they walk on the ship's metal hull with magnetic boots. At one point an astronaut inadvertently slips both boots off the hull and drifts off into space, helpless. There is a long shot of him drifting away in which his body spontaneously spins around 180 degrees and then stops rotating, which is all a violation of conserved angular momentum.

Factual error: Early on it's made known that the spaceship's hull will be fashioned from Titanium for lightness. Once en route to the Moon, however, the crew make an EVA in which they walk on the hull with magnetic boots. Magnets don't stick to Titanium; it's non-ferromagnetic.

Revealing mistake: The crew of spaceship Luna make an EVA to dislodge a stuck radar antenna on the ship's hull. One astronaut pokes a tool into a cavity to dig out an interfering mass of machine grease. As he digs, the material comes out of the hole and rolls down the side of the skin of the rocket under its own weight, rather than floating off weightlessly into space.

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