50 years of 2001: A Space Odyssey – four technologies that are still fiction

2001: A Space Odyssey celebrates 50 years in 2018, and although the movie is widely considered one of the most scientifically accurate movies in terms of its depiction of aerospace engineering and space travel, we’re still light-years away from some of the other technologies shown in the iconic film.

Not only did co-screenwriter Arthur C. Clarke have a background in aerospace tech, but several technical advisers were hired to help director Stanley Kubrick during the initial production stages to make sure that the movie was as realistic as possible. This is why, even today, ‘2001’ is still described as “perhaps the most thoroughly and accurately researched film in screen history with respect to aerospace engineering”, according to four NASA engineers. Also, the movie “predicted” some of today’s technology and device design such as tablets or the ‘picturephones’ – nowadays known as video calls.

Still, we still have a long way to go until the technology listed below becomes a mainstream reality!

Undisputed artificial intelligence

I mean, we all know how HAL turns out. He starts out as a dependable crew member, the infallible sentient computer (or artificial intelligence, as we would describe it today) that helps astronauts David and Frank control and maintain the Discovery One spaceship.

HAL – which means Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer – quickly becomes more concerned about his own survival, as soon as he realises that his crew-mates are talking about shutting him down due to subtle malfunctions. Breaking most of Asimov Laws of Robotics in one go in order to stop the humans, HAL 9000 quickly becomes the antagonist of the story.

Civilian space travel & colonisation of the moon

Space tourism might not be at the stage predicted by 2001: A Space Odyssey, but we are getting close. Although the first space tourist – 60-year-old businessman Dennis Tito – left Earth on 28th April 2001 (what a coincidence!) to spend eight days in space for the modest sum of $20 million, the evolution of space tourism has kind of stalled since them and only six other people have left the Earth to become the ultimate travellers.

There are a few companies, however, that are trying to push it and make it relatively affordable, such as Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, the founder of Amazon. Orion Span, for example, announced its plans in early April 2018 to start building the Aurora Station in 2021, which will be the world’s first luxury space hotel. The company is looking to partner up with SpaceX to send its tourists to space.

Not being able to affordably travel in space also means we haven’t been able to colonise the moon or other planets. Still, and despite delays to the mission, the Mars One project is still happening, according to its organisers. The mission intends to send a group of humans into space in 2031 to create the first human settlement on Mars.

Nuclear propulsion in spacecrafts

Although the final version of 2001: A Space Odyssey didn’t depict the Discovery One as a nuclear-powered spacecraft, earlier in the development of the movie Kubrick and Clarke debated the use of a nuclear pulse propulsion system for the spaceship controlled by HAL 9000.

For decades, scientists and engineers dreamed of atomic-powered spaceships that would propel humans into the unknown depths of space. However, the idea turned out to be unsurprisingly dangerous, since exploding nuclear bombs to propel a spacecraft as big as the Empire State Building into space would generate lethal doses of radiation. Still, the idea, which basically became an obsession in the 1950s, never went away for good.

Now, it looks like NASA might be thinking about rescuing the idea in order to take humans to Mars. The aeronautics organisation is partnering up with BWXT Nuclear Energy Inc. to design a reactor and develop a special type of fuel to power a nuclear-thermal propulsion engine. At the moment, NASA is also eyeing atomic technology to power human colonies once they get to Mars, so it’s not just about dumping humans onto the Red Planet – it’s also about helping them survive and thrive once they get there.

Suspended animation

In Space Odyssey, the Discovery One’s five-man crew is placed into suspended animation, which involves inducing a human body into a state of hibernation (or a hypometabolic state) to allow for maximum conversation, cessation or decay of main body functions and life-support on long-distance travels. In real life, the scientific world has been studying the technique, but nobody has ever been in suspended animation for a long amount of time.

Since the 1970s, some doctors have performed open-heart surgeries on patients with induced hypothermia, which has been an inspiration for the scientific community to develop a state of ‘induced hibernation’ that would allow to conserve human life over a long period of time. This is not the same as a ‘cryogenic state’, which makes it impossible to preserve mental capacities and memories and depends on future technology to recover the cryogenised body.

Not that we are thinking about inviting you to test Space Odyssey-style space travel in the near future (especially not with artificial intelligence like HAL), but we currently have some really cool tech-related research projects happening across the UK. For example, we are currently looking for robotics and gaming enthusiasts to test a new device and an app in Bristol – if you feel like you could be perfect for this one, check out our Opportunities page and apply.

Let us know if you have any questions about our process or projects – email us at support@peopleforresearch.co.uk or drop us a message on WhatsApp (+44 7949 089209).