“Clear Skies but with a Chance of Satellite Debris”—The Space Debris Problem as Portrayed in the Film Gravity: Fact or Fiction?

Since the early years of filmmaking, space movies have steadily evolved from pure fantasy to realistic portrayals of outer space travel and exploration. As time progressed, filmmakers started to use cinema to communicate the realities of outer space travel to their audiences. One of the realities of contemporary space travel is the pressing space debris problem. The 2013 film Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, provides a dramatic portrayal of the significant threat that space debris poses to spacecraft, space stations, and astronauts. This chapter argues that despite some scientific and technical inaccuracies and exaggerations in the portrayal of the space debris disaster in Gravity, the movie is based on a very real premise, namely the increasing dangers posed by the escalating space debris problem in outer space. It is concluded that Gravity not only informed the general public about the dangers of space debris, but it stimulated renewed interest in and discussion of the space debris problem amongst scientists, astronauts, non-governmental organisations, and decision makers. It may therefore be argued that Gravity, at least indirectly, contributes to the process of finding solutions for the space debris problem by getting stakeholders to consider and evaluate the risks posed by space debris as depicted in the movie.