Rosario Monachino
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has revealed that one of Tom Cruise’s stunts from Top Gun: Maverick is scientifically inaccurate.
The box office smash, which made more than $1.4 billion worldwide and has a rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, has become one of 2022 biggest films.
The stunt in question happens early in the film and sees Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Cruise) attempt to hit Mach 10.5 to prove a point, but it doesn’t go quite to plan.
To save his own life, he ejects from the plane and survives without suffering any damage.
Watch the Mach 10.5 scene from Top Gun: Maverick below…
Despite the moment being an impressive scene in the film, deGrasse Tyson has now dismissed its accuracy.
On Twitter, he shared: “Late to the party here, but in this year’s Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise’s character Maverick ejects from a hypersonic plane at Mach 10.5, before it crashed.
“He survived with no injuries. At that airspeed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm. Just sayin’.”
Late to the party here, but In this year’s @TopGunMovie, @TomCruise’s character Maverick ejects from a hypersonic plane at Mach 10.5, before it crashed.
He survived with no injuries.
At that air speed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm. Just sayin’. pic.twitter.com/YP9IKVc8VS
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
He then continued with a series of tweets explanation as to why that stunt is not possible in real life.
The former Big Bang Theory star explained: “At supersonic speeds, air cannot smoothly part for you.
Related Article: Tom Cruise Apologises For ‘Interrupting Date’ With ‘High-Flying Stunt’
“You must pierce it, which largely accounts for the difference in fuselage designs between subsonic and supersonic planes.
“For this reason, the air on your body, if ejecting at these speeds, might as well be a brick wall.
At supersonic speeds, air cannot smoothly part for you. You must pierce it, which largely accounts for the difference in fuselage designs between subsonic and supersonic planes.
For this reason, the air on your body, if ejecting at these speeds, might as well be a brick wall. pic.twitter.com/psN8aoAT2e
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
“When Maverick ejected at Mach 10.5, he was going 7,000 mph, giving him 400 million joules of kinetic energy — the explosive power of 100 kg of TNT. A situation that human physiology is not designed to survive.
“So, no. Maverick does not walk away from this. He be dead. Very dead.”
His statement was even backed up by Elon Musk, who replied to deGrasse Tyson’s tweet by commenting: “Indeed, that kinetic energy scales with the square of velocity is not well-appreciated!
“A sealed escape pod with a heat shield would probably work.”
Related Article: Mickey Rourke Blasts ‘Irrelevant’ Tom Cruise In Top Gun Rant
This wasn’t the only scene in Top Gun: Maverick that the famous astrophysicist criticised.
He spoke out about the scene which sees the pilots fly low to avoid detection from the enemy’s radar.
In this year’s @TopGunMovie, they dangerously fly under the radar, through a narrow, winding canyon to destroy a target, avoiding multiple banks of surface-to-air missiles.
But why not first take out the missile banks? Could then fly without daredevil maneuvers. Just sayin’. pic.twitter.com/2FYyUjJdp1
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
However, deGrasse Tyson’s criticism wasn’t aimed at any scientific inaccuracies, but rather at the efficiency of their plan.
He tweeted: “In this year’s Top Gun: Maverick, they dangerously fly under the radar, through a narrow, winding canyon to destroy a target, avoiding multiple banks of surface-to-air missiles.
“But why not first take out the missile banks? Could then fly without daredevil manoeuvres. Just sayin’.”
Watch our Video of the Day below…
Do you have a story for us? If so, email us at [email protected]. All contact will be treated in confidence.
