Neil deGrasse Tyson claims Tom Cruise's stunt from Top Gun: Maverick would cause his body to splatter
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Top Gun: Maverick might have been a box office hit, but it would have been a very different film if it had been scientifically accurate.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently made a shock revelation about the hit film starring Tom Cruise, explaining that one of his earliest stunt scenes should have ended in death - and not without any injuries, as depicted.
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The stunt is one of the earliest in the film and sees Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell (Tom Cruise) attempt to hit Mach 10.5 to prove a point, but it doesn't exactly go to plan.
To save his own life, he ejects from the plane and survives unscathed.
Now, Tyson has explained what would have happened in reality if a similar stunt had been pulled anywhere outside of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Taking to Twitter, the astrophysicist wrote: "Maverick ejects from a hyper sonic 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."
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.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
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
The scientist went on to explain: "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."
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.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
For this reason, the air on your body, if ejecting at these speeds, might as well be a brick wall. pic.twitter.com/psN8aoAT2e
As if all this wasn't already shocking enough, the scientist clarified exactly how fast Maverick would have been going when he ejected at that speed - and it's truly jaw-dropping.
He tweeted: "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'd be dead. Very dead."
This wasn't even the only thing the astrophysicist noticed about the hit film, and he said that the film's climatic scene which sees the pilots deliberately fly low to avoid enemy radar could have been done more effectively - from a traumatic point of view, anyway.
He wrote: "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'."
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.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
But why not first take out the missile banks? Could then fly without daredevil maneuvers. Just sayin’. pic.twitter.com/2FYyUjJdp1
But while the film might have had a bit a gaping scientific plot hole, it certainly hasn't hindered the success of Top Gun: Maverick.
Box Office Mojo reported that the film has made a staggering $1.48 (£1.48) billion worldwide since its release on 27 May.
Topics: Film & TV, Film and TV
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