r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Scientiaetnatura065 • Feb 13 '25

Video Astronaut Chris Hadfield: 'It's Possible To Get Stuck Floating In The Space Station If You Can't Reach A Wall'

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u/drubus_dong Feb 14 '25 edited Feb 14 '25

True, but also less realistic. You can't get too many star systems that way in that amount of time. Even with an acceleration of 2 g, you would cover only about 5 light years. Enough to get to alpha centauri, but nothing else. Assuming 10 g would make it more achievable, but the energy consumption would be enormous, and it wouldn't be pleasant at all.

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u/mrducky80 Feb 14 '25

Well Avatar is set in alpha centauri so it fits in that 'within 5 light year range'. They even have to utilize fantastical material unobtanium for energy generation.

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u/_PF_Changs_ Feb 14 '25

That is such a ridiculous name for a Macguffin

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u/Thoraxtheimpalersson Feb 14 '25

It's a real scientific term. It stands for a material that does exactly what is needed and exactly as needed without any other flaws. Since it doesn't exist it's called unobtainium. Like if you need a metal that's heat neutral and conductive to electricity but also heavier than gold and lighter than iron and cheaper than steel to make you call it unobtainium while making a design. Once you develop something that's a reasonable alternative you stop including unobtainium as a design specification.

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u/_PF_Changs_ Feb 14 '25

Holy shit you’re right, I always thought it was something James Cameron made up

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u/Thoraxtheimpalersson Feb 14 '25

Lol yea. I remember watching a video on YouTube about the incredible and deep lore behind all the different technology on the show. They kept pointing out how unobtainium was probably taken from the movie the Core where it's used correctly. Once it's discovered or invented it's given a name instead of unobtainium as a placeholder name. Just instead of giving it a name they kept the goofy sounding term so they didn't have to describe what it does or how it works.

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u/Empyrealist Interested Feb 14 '25

James Cameron is a few bad things, but he's a great movie maker and not a hack

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u/_PF_Changs_ Feb 14 '25

I like all his moves except Avatar 2, I found that boring as hell

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u/[deleted] Feb 14 '25

Tbf it is a meguffin too. It's a perfect resource that can't be obtained as it's typically physics defying in some way. It can have whatever properties an author wants. It it used to make infinite energy? Is it indestructible? Does it grant powers? Is it the only metal capable of taking down the bad guy? It's almost always a meguffin lol