Examples of Bad Engineering in From the Earth to the Moon R.U.R. Metropolis & Transatlantic Tunnel essays

Examples of Bad Engineering in From the Earth to the Moon R.U.R. Metropolis & Transatlantic Tunnel essays OUTLINE According to H. Bruce Franklin, science fiction is "the only literature capable of exploring the macro-history of our species. . . in a cosmic context" (Science Fiction: The Early History, Internet) which suggests that man's place in the universe is dependent upon rock-solid scientific investigation and exploration. But as a literary/cinematic genre, science fiction can and often does contain inventions, ideas and theories based on pure speculation and pseudo-science. Some of the devices and instruments featured in many popular science fiction novels and films are in essence conceived through bad engineering, meaning that these devices and instruments are not practical nor possible according to present scientific knowledge. Out of all the novels and films written and produced within the last one hundred and fifty years, four stand out for their use of bad engineeringJules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon (1865), R.U.R. by Karel Capek (1921), Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1926) and Maurice Elvey's In the 1865 science fiction "classic" From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne, the author of other sci-fi novels such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, expresses his admiration for all things American, especially their ingenuity and desire for exploration. In this novel, the so-called "daredevil" Michel Ardan comes up with the fabulous idea of sending a man to the moon via a spaceship that is to be "launched" from the barrel of a huge gun. This spaceship is to be made of aluminum, and to launch their "shot" at the proper angle, the men involved in this scheme choose a site in Florida near the present-day Cape Canaveral. As a preparatory experiment, Verne's "astronauts" send a cat and a squirrel into space first and then plan to ...