An Astrophysicist reacts to THE EXPANSE

Is Amazon's sci-fi show "The Expanse" as scientifically accurate as people claim? To learn more about the physics of gravity head to brilliant.org/drbecky and sign up for free! Plus the first 200 people that go to that link will get 20% off an annual premium subscription.
00:00 - Introduction
01:57 - Reaction to S1E2
12:10 - Final Thoughts
16:28 - Requests!
19:00 - Bloopers
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👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.
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[@danh8804]

I love how her expectations are so low for sci-fi that it didn't even occur to her at first that their gravity was generated by thrust. Like, when you aren't even mentally prepared to give the show that much credit.

[@garrettord3304]

To be fair, realistic ships don't have enough Delta-V to make this a viable option. It's thanks to the show's pseudo-magic Epstein Drive which massively outperforms any current or hypothetically possible thruster. The ability to accelerate constantly at a rate that's useful as artificial gravity isn't something that immediately comes to mind when pondering realistic methods.

[@EnerJay]

@@garrettord3304 agree with what you said, just wanted to add on that one of the expanse mini short stories explains how someone discovered the perfect fuel mixture for the engines to pruduce the crazy thrust.. It was also shown briefly in the series but not with the same detail as the book

[@thorH.]

@@garrettord3304 it is sci-fi after all and who knows maybe we get that done in like 300 years 👍🏻

[@BradleyGibbs]

I find it genuinely concerning that an astrophysicist didn't find it immediately apparent that the gravity was from thrust. Especially when they make a point of explaining it visually in the show... How did she miss it?

[@thorH.]

@@BradleyGibbs true

[@TimisDaniel]

I'm no scientist, but as an engineer I can confirm that "kicking it" could be a valid method to repair certain broken equipment.

[@kylesulcebarger8399]

And don't forget the "get a bigger hammer" and the "poke it with a stick"" methods.

[@leepreston9637]

It even has on official name, mechanical agitation.

[@jaredragland4707]

@@leepreston9637 Is there an official name for well-chosen swears? Because I've repaired a lot of equipment, and some of it definitely responded better to dropping it and cursing than any scientifically methodical troubleshooting.

[@kevinsullivan2153]

I've tended to use the term "percussive maintenance", with the swearing thrown in gratis. Also, we need to consider that these are (mostly) belters (used to improvising) working on a piece-of-crap ship without sufficient resources. There will not be much "we'll machine a perfect replacement part" and lots of "kick it into alignment, that should hold it for a bit".

[@dhericean5260]

I remember a presentation about the Synchrotron Radiation Source at Daresbury, when a picture of a bench with a hammer on it came up the presenter commented about the Daresbury screwdriver.

[@khalbrogo6749]

One little detail I always loved: The PDC's have a micro-rocket on the back of them that fires whenever the PDC fires. It's easily viewable in any close-up rear shot of a PDC firing. They do this to counter-act the momentum the PDC would generate by firing forwards. Rocket booster fires in the opposite direction as the PDC fires forward to even out the inertia. Very small detail but VERY cool.

[@9SMTM6]

As someone who didn't look too close, I thought this was just some 'exhaust', but that would not be consistent with our modern guns. There is 'guns' that do that, recoilless rifles, but they shoot rockets, not inert munition, and I don't know of a fast firing variant of that. I imagine that would also be very costly, even during the expanse.

[@ralphm6901]

@@9SMTM6 I'm not sure what kind of ammo the PDC's use. Whether it's like normal machine-gun ammo, or a bunch of mini-rockets, there's explosive propellant. Some of the gas generated could be directed backwards to counter the thrust. Modern guns, semi-auto and full-auto, use some of the gas to push the mechanism backwards to eject the empty case. It loads a new round as it's pushed forward by a spring. It's not too big of a stretch to imagine PDCs doing something similar.

[@ImThe5thKing]

@@ralphm6901 my thought is that PDC's are just large gatling guns that shoot like 30-50mm explosive rounds or something. I'm mostly basing this assumption off of a game called Space Engineers (if you're into real physics of space you'll hate this game but it's fun) there are mods you can install in the game that add Expanse weapons, engines, etc. and in the game, you can build PDC's for your ship and they take 40mm rounds.

[@bulma12345678910]

@@ImThe5thKing iirc it's some sort of caseless tungsten ammo. There's a few times in the books where they have to collect spare ammo for the PDCs and it mentions there's 20000 rounds in a crate which weighs 500 kilos at 1G.

[@tylerjohn4607]

I assume these are recoilless rounds like a few modern weapons have. The Rheinmetall RMK30 is a 30mm recoilless auto cannon that vents out the back like we see in The Expanse. It was proposed for mounting on the Eurocopter Tiger as the conventional French conventional 30mm had too heavy of recoil giving it an impractically short range due to poor accuracy as the recoil would make the entire airframe unstable. Another benefit of the RMK30 is because it negates it recoil it can use substantially more powerful rounds with higher muzzle velocity than comparable 30mm cannons, as recoil is not such a limiting factor

[@cmilkau]

The Expanse is the only show I can think of that uses physics to drive the story rather than just inspire it. That changes a lot of things and IMO makes it very unique and enjoyable.

[@alanj9978]

That's because they actually did a good job of turning an excellent hard sci-fi book series into the tv show.

[@ObsceneSuperMatt]

At least, season 1.

[@bestcatdad]

Three body problem should be a relieve hopefully

[@mr.voidroy6869]

Space is a character

[@michaelcampbell6820]

You really have to watch 4 or 5 episodes before it really gets going. Then you wind up binge watching all 5 seasons

[@stonesie81]

Season 6 finished filming this week, so there's that to look forward to :)

[@synchc]

Then, if like me, it still isn't enough you'll binge read the books.

[@BrianHaddad]

Agreed. Season one had a really slow start. I watched it with people who were ready to quit right before it got good. The early commitment pays off eventually!

[@James-mb3je]

Season 2 blends seamlessly into Season 3 and it delivers almost every episode, all killer no filler

[@lordmoos3]

@@BrianHaddad 4 episodes. If you can get someone to watch through CQB, they're either gonna be hooked, or a lost cause. :)

[@macmuchmore1]

Thrust gravity - the ships that don’t spin have gravity under thrust as the ships floors are perpendicular to the direction of thrust. When the engines stop, the “gravity” stops.

[@50crowley]

Even astrophysicists have to turn to Wikipedia sometimes, lol.

[@jamied1579]

Then same again when they spin the ship 180° for deceleration, which obviously takes a long time due to the velocities involved...

[@canyonpoe1859]

This dude mines ice ^

[@dannylerch]

I came here to say this, but knew in my heart it was already done.

[@Egobyte83]

Thrust gravity seems so wrong and unnatural to me. XD Like, I understand the physics of it, accelerating constantly to 1G, and it is a typically human, simplistic solution to the issue of gravity on spaceships, but just the fact that the ships are built as skyscrapers instead of aircraft carriers bugs me. XD This is what we do, we simplify solutions constantly... like, we break our heads when we ride bikes. Do we build safer bikes? no, we build little plastic helmets, so we can continue riding our risky bikes. XD

[@ifrit05]

Artificial gravity in The Expanse is generated by thrust. The decks are laid out vertically, not horizontally like in most sci-fi shows. Think of it like an elevator, you experience more weight while going up, and feel less when going down. It's the same as in the Expanse, if the engines are turned off, you essentially are at zero-g. EDIT: Well guess I should of waited till the end, you literally explained it word for word as I did lol.

[@throwabrick]

It's old-school Heinlein rocket design: strapped into G-couches, flipping and burning hard to get that critical delta-V

[@IreneWY]

It annoyed the h out of me that she didn't get it at first. I just ranted about it to my brother for 5 min. I'm glad she seems to grasp it later in the video.

[@dulloddity]

Plus the fact they specifically talk about flip/burn to decelerate half way through any trip so they get constant gravity, and end the trip at relatively slow speeds.

[@mike_d_melb_music_fan5229]

There was this rich girl character (may have been Clarissa Mao) , she was so rich and connected, captains would always put off turning off the thrust /gravity till she was finished drinking at the bar :)

[@ginnymorlock4922]

They are consistent in this throughout the show. To get somewhere, you accelerate halfway there, then flip and decelerate the other half.

[@Rastayeti666]

most mindbuggling scene for me was as someone dies slowly in zero gravity and begins to cry, the tears cant flow and start to "drown" the eyes

[@WasabiSniffer]

It’s hilarious how many engineers are in here advocating kicking as a valid method of troubleshoot

[@joncarlow8665]

Not as a method of 'troubleshooting', as a method of getting it to work again. There is a difference. It's what you do when you don't want to troubleshoot it...lol. And it occasionally works. Like when your TV remote isn't working quite right and you bang it on the couch arm or your leg a few times, and it suddenly works again. Don't lie...you've done it, ha!

[@cielphantomhive3202]

@@joncarlow8665 well, I imagine it's hardly possible to check it out with proper statistics with so many variables😅

[@dglthrawn1]

I believe it's called 'percussive maintenance'

[@farizshakir2252]

I used to fly older 737s, and the rudder pedal adjustment (for taller dudes) would get stuck often... The engineer who fixed it did so by kicking the pedals hard.. apparently this procedure is in his manuals haha

[@kevrowsome-smith8597]

I think you'll find it's called "percussive maintenance"...

[@ryanmcewen415]

"You can't just kick it!" Spoken like a physicist. No mechanic, engineer or trades person ever born has an issue with this. Shows the difference in experiences

[@krosigrim]

It works way more than it should... I noted

[@alexs4392]

Also as someone who works on helicopter avionics.. she made a joke about turning it off and turning it back on again. That works pretty damn often haha

[@olaruud9366]

@@alexs4392 Troubleshooting any complicated system most often wont even be attempted until it has been turned off and on again. Try asking any IT support for help and that is the first thing they allways want to do.

[@getsideways7257]

@@olaruud9366 Then kicking it if cycling the power didn't help :)

[@olaruud9366]

@@getsideways7257 not kicking it, it's called "percussive maintenance".

[@Stifle9]

As a physics major, this show and few others feel heavy, in the sense that there is actual effort behind it, actual human effort and time spent behind the details. It's much more like a work of art to be appreciated time and again than most shows in the genre.

[@markleadbeatter6196]

The Expanse is quite simply one of the best Sci Fi series ever made, full stop. The production values, the attention to detail, the quality cast and the story itself are all epic and anyone who hasn’t watched it should do themselves a huge favour and binge it to death. My only gripe is that there are only 6 seasons!

[@GR3YBU5H]

Couldn't agree more. I spread the word as much as possible, and those who do watch it always come back to me and tell me how much they enjoyed it. Eztreamly underrated show. Hoping they do the next 3 books

[@lordorion5776]

it's still theoretically possible to continue the series as they ended right before a huge time skip of like 30 years in the books so i still hope it'll get picked back up again

[@DevVader]

To be honest, I'm so glad that we even got 6 seasons, as we nearly lost the show after season 3 like so many other shows these days.

[@chernobyl68]

I worked in the propulsion plant of the USS Nimitz. I can report that external mechanical agitation (usually with a large wrench) is an entirely acceptable method of troubleshooting.

[@harvbegal6868]

"external mechanical agitation" LOL! Love that!

[@prongs82]

I love the jargon.

[@apollomars1678]

by external agitation you can see, if a part of the construction is loose and identify the problem in a fast fashion. its like shacking an arm-wrist-clock to hear, if something broke and now clicks around. in many electronic cases the electrotechnical contacts are surprisingly re connectable by sudden agitation, IF it is use don the correct side in the correct strength. in my case it was a stove, who got contact with metal, that dissolved by heat over 10 years (to secure that you would by a new stove....typical shit......the external agitation made the electric contacts reconnect on the non-dissolved parts for 2 more years of constant agitation. after that time the whole stove was no longer working. this is funny and probably even reality in space or in ships, because both electronic parts of these vehicles have a lot of problems by the natural environment. this is the most inaccurate part about sci-fi. space is a deadly space, even for electronics by cosmic gamma rays and these movies have to treat it less deadly to allow these things to work.

[@sidewalkere]

Not on the nuclear side of the thing, I hope?

[@chernobyl68]

@@sidewalkere 1993-1995, reactor electrical division. worked all over the plants.

[@dapeach06]

Edit: saw that you addressed this after the episode No artificial gravity, just acceleration g's, and ships built like a skyscraper with an engine on the ground floor (decks perpendicular to the direction of thrust), that's why the ships flip halfway through their trip, their engines fire the whole time, and the acceleration simulates gravity (usually 1/3g so that they conserve reaction mass and so belters are comfortable). Since they are accelerating for half the trip, they spend the second half decelerating, but the people inside the ship feel the same way, since the ship is flipped around

[@paullamar4111]

The one conceit the writers assume is that a new type of drive, the Epstein drive, is invented that allows for long sustained burns at something like that 1/3 g. Such a drive probably cannot exist, but if it did, the plot is much more fun. 😊

[@willemvandebeek]

It is an incredible waste of fuel though, the only unrealistic part of The Expanse. :)

[@Philip_J]

I've never met a show or movie before with that kind of attention to detail!

[@rogerlie4176]

This is something I have wondered over. How to you flip a ship? If you are travelling really fast it takes a lot of acceleration to turn it around.

[@PrinceAlhorian]

@@willemvandebeek not a waste of fuel, the whole point of the Epstein drive is to fly straight courses as quick as possible between two bodies. Your other option is a ballistic route. A few days to Mars vs 9 months. Take your pick.

[@shawnadams1460]

The Expanse has been by FAR my favorite Scify show of the last 10 years hands down. I LOVE the fact that it is based on our current scientific understandings. It leaves us really wanting more, and the story was just so deep..man I miss it. I love how all of the ships are built vertically, not horizontally like we have been used to for so many years.

[@oblivion_2852]

Also it's an overlooked detail but the asteroids people live in are spun so when you see the belters walking around below their feet is space and above their heads is the core of the asteroid. Docks are therefore on the poles where the spin is zero

[@aldunlop4622]

Yeah I remember watching the very first episode on Ceres which is very small and would have minute gravity, took me a while to figure out they must spin the rock and wrap the station around it to give spin artificial gravity.

[@thyssaliki]

The "centrifugal" force.

[@bewilderbeestie]

I haven't watched the series, but have read the books, and... the author clearly doesn't know how big Ceres is? It's not a rock, it's a small planet --- about 1000km across. It used to be on the lists of planets (along with Vesta) before it got downgraded. Spinning it is basically impossible. Even if you could, it's so big that spinning it fast enough to show the level of Coriolis effect in the clip above would cause it to disintegrate entirely from the stresses involved. I wasn't impressed.

[@inthewastes]

"You can't just kick it!!" A mechanical engineer: it's called "percussive maintenance" actually. Basically hit it with a hammer to bounce a component back into place.

[@atmk]

another mechanical engineer yes percussive maintenance exits, its the worst kind of maintenance but it works (sometimes)

[@markborg805]

I live that it actually has a name

[@SmokeWeasel]

We used to fix Amiga 500's with "the drop test". Re-seated the chips you see.

[@Harv72b]

@@SmokeWeasel We had a particular piece of "man portable" equipment in the army which usually had to be dropped after setup to get it working. Same thing as the Amiga.

[@muddydave01]

Knew a mining engineer who reckoned the most important tool in his kit was a hammer. If that didn't fix it you just get another one.

[@EverSoJoe]

One of the biggest smallest things that still blow my mind is when they shoot a railgun and in the scene you can see them briefly firing up their engine to produce the necessary thrust against the thrust of the railgun to not go backwards. I love these details!

[@ponfed]

They use their gun as a "source" of trust at some point also.

[@DarthRhend]

The advantage of having read the source material is that they explain the thrust gravity as a matter of course. I think it's interesting that she doesn't see that there is more than one method of producing gravity.

[@ponfed]

@@DarthRhend I think it's more that she's used to sci-fi using techno-babble to explain "artificial" gravity. She didn't even think that the decks of the ship where like.. they are. If you think the decks are longitudinal... you can't figure out where that "gravity" comes from. I mean she might not be a consumer of hard, or even slightly harder sci-fi... Low expectations and all that. Edit: Also... the early seasons weren't all that great at giving you the architecture of the decks, because budget and of course a learning curve. The "vertical" nature of the setup isn't obvious right away...

[@kishaloyb.7937]

@@ponfed Yeah, its in S4 when Alex uses the railgun to pull the Barb out of the gravity field of Illus.

[@rhaegarren6185]

@@kishaloyb.7937 Pretty sure you mean New Terra? Lol

[@badredfinn2982]

I am a boiler mechanic, plumber and electrician; "kicking it" is often the only viable option for repair.

[@Rekcoj]

i still remember when i realized how gravity on ships work in the expanse. i've never read anything about it, i just watched the show, so it took a while until i really understood. it's so logical and "easy" and yet every other sci-fi movie/series conditioned me to imagine spaceships to be designed in a different way. tbf though it is only possible because of the epstein drive's unimaginable efficiency. fantastic show, i'm whatching it right now, again. already in the 5th season.

[@danbadd]

I love how they accelerate at 1/3 g halfway to their destination, then cut engines, flip the ship 180 degrees, and decelerate at 1/3 g for the second half of the trip. (Edited)

[@evandroperes1678]

That's the comment I was waiting for a looooong time!

[@stuartanderws5705]

Astrophysics really need to read more sci fi books like Ben Bove Grand tour books or Gatway books. That would give then a good head start with how things might work.

[@HDproductionnal]

Flip and burn maneuverer

[@mattmarkham9117]

Generally most ships like that accelerate at 1/3 G most of the time, unless there's a pressing reason to go faster.

[@amdredlambda]

1G is only 22mph acceleration every second, which is not something that will keep anything in orbit, much less takes you on a interplanetary trip. Good luck buddy.

[@AngeloBarovierSD]

If you're not already convinced, I'd like to throw my piece of wood onto the "Watch the whole series!" fire.

[@nosuchthing8]

Is it on netflix

[@cybervoid8442]

@@nosuchthing8 it's on Amazon Prime

[@hypocritex]

@@nosuchthing8 Not only is it the best sci-fi show on TV. By the time you watch the available 5 seasons. You may find yourself wondering if it's not THE best show on TV.

[@chriskelvin248]

Read the books and you have just thrown the keg into that same fire.

[@thedaywerevolt]

I think something that would help you better understand the ship physics is to look at a photo of the cross-section of the Roci. The decks are not like what you would see on the Enterprise, where the decks are horizontal if looking at it from the side. The Roci's decks are vertical, so if flying straight, the g force would go straight down the length of the ship

[@scotthewitt258]

The first time I saw those blueprints, they broke my brain. In your head you assume it is laid out like any other scifi show. You know, the ones that ignore physics.....

[@thedaywerevolt]

@@scotthewitt258 nope pretty sure in Star Trek the decks start at the top and move down and people walk against the intertia. In the roci, when you are climbing up, the force of gravity is coming straight down on you. Maybe I didn't explain it right. If the crew of the starship enterprise was dealing with expanse style physics, they would have a completely different experience. I'm having a hard time describing it, but I understand the difference. The way the Roci is laid out is completely the opposite of what we are used to. The crash couches serve a purpose and on the enterprise they wouldn't.

[@basedeltazero714]

@@thedaywerevolt The crash couches wouldn't serve any purpose on the Enterprise because it has the Structural Integrity Field for that. ... y'know, come to think about it, the closest performance to the Enterprise shown in the Expanse is Eros. It does a very good job of breaking down those sci-fi conveniences and then making their *presence* feel extraordinary... like with Miller on Eros or the Hybrid looking up.

[@KingBawb-wg3jo]

The books are amazing. One of the best series I've ever read. The show is one of the best adaptations I've seen as well. Both are very good at trying to get the science correct most of the time. Highly recommend them both.

[@DeadpoolCR13]

currently just started book 7 so have a couple more to go yet, but thus far also being at the end of season 2.. I concur. Fantastic adaptation (mostly) of a truly fantastic book series.

[@Hailfire08]

"A building on its side" is exactly how the Donnager is described in the books

[@richard2371]

A classic earther view of things, a belter wouldn't ever say that sa sa kay

[@johanwittens7712]

It's how all ships are described, except the nauvoo/behemoth...

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

Why would you compare it as on it's side though? It's not as if there's a ground for it to be on it's side relative too. That comparison is just confusing.

[@johanwittens7712]

@@TheAkashicTraveller it's how the ships are described in the books. And yes you're right there isn't a down or floor in space so on its side doesn't make sense unless you view it from an earth perspective where there is gravity. Usually ships and planes are designed horizontally and we are used to moving in a horizontal plane. So naturally we view things from this horizontal standpoint even in space. So we tend to look at a moving space ship from this horizontal viewpoint, regarding the longest part of the ship parallel to the vector of movement as the horizontal main axis, because we're used to that in ocean ships and airplanes. But in a building, the longest part of the skyscraper tends to be vertical. So in that sense, it makes sense that a ship in the expanse is like a skyscraper on its side, since it like a skyscraper, but instead of moving horizontally it moves vertically. This is all relative off course since there's no horizontal or vertical in space, only the plane of the ecliptic is often used in space as a reference ''horizontal'' plane. So when taking the plane of the ecliptic into account, and since most space ships travel parallel to or in this plane (horizontally), you can say that ship would look to someone looking at the plane of the ecliptic as a ''skyscraper on its side''... But in the end it's just a colourful analogy to explain how ships in the expanse work or how they're built, allowing us to imagine them quickly and easily...

[@thgeremilrivera-thorsen9556]

@@johanwittens7712 or the Razorback...

[@shookings]

I'm not an astrophysicist, but I am an enthusiast. My wife didn't understand when I was pausing and rewinding and saying "oh my God, they got it right". Over and over again.

[@MP-ut6eb]

Poor wife 😂😂😂😂😂 did she ended the film at the end of story or just gave up and slept?

[@soul0360]

@@MP-ut6eb All the partners I have ever had, have all chosen your last option. Just as I would, when ever they were watching reality tv. I guess I'll have to do a better job, at finding someone with similar interests to myself. If I don't want to be single forever. Thx for opening my eyes. Been wondering for years what I have been doing wrong. But surely, there must be more to my failed relationships then this. he he

[@shookings]

@@soul0360 my wife is 40 years old, and still watches teen angst dramas. Good thing we have separate computers

[@mittamoa]

@@shookings hahaha, getting targeted ads from such a browsing behavior would be the worst.

[@mandings36]

@@shookings sorry mate, that is brutal

[@sszy59]

My favorite “unnecessary” little detail that they got right is that in Season 2 (I think) there’s a scene with someone who is badly injured in 0g and they start crying, and the show spent the special effects money to show how all the tears just pool around their eyes. You have to look closely to see it; but the attention to detail is up to that level.

[@SGIABC]

I somehow just stumbled across this rather large channel. I love your enthusiasm. I can tell you really have a strong passion for the subject of physics and it's infectious. The Expanse doesn't disappoint. It's slow burner in season one, but it gets better very quickly in season 2. Thanks for the reaction!

[@natehartley1161]

First of all. How dare you

[@SGIABC]

​@@natehartley1161 What did I do? Lol

[@WaystedMined]

Yes, FINALLY! Edit: Fun additional fact, The Expanse scripts are color coded based on the scene's gravity.

[@Jop_pop]

I am nerding out so hard after reading that this is true

[@pepsakdoek1029]

@@Jop_pop Watch Ty and that guy (podcast/youtubes where Ty Franck and Wes Chatham chats about the show, though they almost chat more about other stuff) for more tidbits like this!

[@caturdaynite7217]

@@pepsakdoek1029 I watch it every week. It's a great show and they do give a lot of inside information about the show.

[@abbaszaidi8371]

@@pepsakdoek1029 I’m still reeling in shock that Wes hasn’t watched Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan!!

[@Jop_pop]

@@pepsakdoek1029 Just subbed, thanks for the tip!

[@keyonhutson1539]

I really love how the idea of thrust gravity just doesn't occur to her, I get the feeling that it's such an overlooked source of gravity that the idea a TV show would actually use it just didn't compute lol.

[@bztube888]

That was I thought, watching too many bad sci-fi ruined her a little bit. Doctor's orders: watching more Expense.

[@VectorZero]

GRAVITY=ACCELERATION

[@EidolonSpecus]

Decades of pseudoscience-fiction has rotted all of our brains. Even among the best of us.

[@joshuaharris1920]

Not so much thats its "overlooked" more so inapplicable. How they generate gravity in the expanse is intuitive and interesting but it hinges on the plot. The engines we build in the future will produce extremely tiny amounts of thrust over long periods of time. Thrust is not a sufficient source of gravity. The epensitein drive is "magic" driven by the plot. Real engines do not work that way.

[@bztube888]

​@@joshuaharris1920 Sorry, but it's hard to process what are you talking about. Thurst (or rather the acceleration it provides) is the only known source of gravity other than a planet-size mass being next to you. Acceleration=gravity in a sense that according to Einstein we can't distinguish between the two. 1G requires thrust which is not tiny at all, and 1G would be sufficient for travel as the ship would reach Earth's escape velocity in less than 20 minutes. The drive doesn't exist of course, as it's about imagining future's technology (are you familiar with the genre?), but it doesn't make it inapplicable, let alone "magic". We are even told it's based on fusion, which according to physics (known today, not the Star Trek one) could provide the necessary energy from the small amount of fuel a ship would carry. Today's engines can't do that, because they are all chemical rockets, which is the most rudimentary way of creating trust, so people tried that first: but it doesn't mean we can't have something better in the future. At the time of inventing the aeroplane, they predicted that intercontinental air travel is not feasible. They were completely right. Of course, they meant "real" aeroplanes. Then the "magical" jet engine was born ...

[@JaedenRuiner]

As a physicist, she missed (albeit not fully explained in the first few episodes) that the gravity on ships is inertial, not centripetal. All floors are perpendicular to the primary thrust vector, so constant acceleration simulates gravity. Flip and burn to create similar constant deceleration with the same effect. Thus, turning off the engines cancels their "gravity" and requires mag boots. The Expanse's attention to inertia is an absolute first in almost all sci-fi and action media.

[@GETitHOWuLIVit]

I would love to see you react to the rest of the series. There's some moments that I don't want to spoil for you, but I know you would love for the hard sci-fi and some amazing cinematography! (One scene in particular with the Martian guy bored alone on the ship comes to mind)

[@AridosUK]

one of the episodes in the latest season has a space battle where the hero ship fires a railgun, if you pause at the right moment, you see the engine light briefly to counteract the thrust of the railgun, meaning the passengers inside feel a net force of zero, the attention to detail in this show is astonishing

[@stanislavblinov8454]

It's also toyed with in season 4, where Alex uses the Roci's railgun as a thruster. IIRC he even explains his reasoning that since the engine is out he'll not get this compensation you mention and so he proceeds to use the kickback from shots to accelerate their improvised tug contraption.

[@rune12358]

The freaking PDCs have tiny rocket engines that fire so they don't impart recoil momentum on the ship. Animated so they are synchronized with the guns firing. Just wow. With each season, they get their CGI guys more and more trained in real world physics. And at some point, those guys will work for other shows. So for any Hollywood exec reading: "worked on CGI for The Expanse" should be the best recommendation letter out there.

[@AridosUK]

@@rune12358 that is some attention to detail, but yeah PDC recoil could add random vectoring to a ship, especially if it's tracking fast movers

[@turboguppy3748]

Let's not forget these details were in the books.Sci Fi and the producers/directors didn't just decide "hey let's make a realistic show." They followed the material.

[@AridosUK]

@@turboguppy3748 aye, I've read the books, but usually those details don't often get translated into live action

[@RememberTheChase]

I was just waiting for when she realized the gravity thing, thats one of the reasons I started watching.

[@DrBecky]

Took me a while but we got there in the end! It wasn't obvious to me at all 😂

[@chris57035]

​@@DrBecky Also the "Juice" from episode 1 is an anti-stroke injection to keep people from passing out / bursting blood vessels in the brain during high-g maneuvers. There is no magic inertial dampening in the expanse, so if you go from 0.3g to 12g to flip around and turn the ship in a different direction, all the occupants of the ship will feel that 12g, so the writers had to come up with some plausible way of not killing everyone on the ship just to turn around. It's great Hard Sci-Fi. In the books, the crews' seats are these 3D-Gimballed crash couches that can rotate 360° in both the X- and Y- axis to always keep the occupant oriented so that their body is inclined at 45° to acceleration forces, which is a big deal with the small, maneuverable Rocinante. That's hard to depict on a TV show budget, though, so they just use regular pilot seats that recline.

[@jemborg]

Rofl. I was waiting for the ball to drop. 🤣🤣🤣

[@jemborg]

@@DrBecky I have to admit that was sooo funny, I actually wondered if you were pulling my leg. "The artificial gravity stopped when the engines stopped but the power is still on... hmmm. 🤔🤔🤔 Hey, it's more like a building but _on its side!?!"_ 😮 😂😂🤣

[@stanlee5465]

I was screaming the whole time! They don't have ARTIFICIAL gravity, it's 'real' gravity, just produced by MOMENTUM and THURST. If the ship isn't moving, then you're in ZERO G. If the ship is under thrust, then you'll be 'pushed' in the opposite direction! And they address the entire concept of different the effects of different how different gravity intensity affects the human body, and for instance people born on MARS find EARTH gravity EXCRUCIATING, and people born on asteroids can't even SURVIVE in Earth's full ONE G of gravity!

[@JROMEGA]

Best space drama ever produced. I hope you finished the full series. It's phenomenal!!

[@DarkMetroid777]

I just finished reading the books and absolutely loved the show tons. I really enjoy the more 'realistic' sci-fi stuff like this. This video was super fun to watch to see what you thought of it and your analysis of certain parts. Thanks for the video!

[@istvankovasznai]

Here's a little bit of trivia: In "The Martian", the name of the astronaut stranded on Mars is Mark Watney. In "The Expanse" universe, there is a Martian colony ship named Mark Watney.

[@raygundesigns]

Nice one :)

[@mickydoos]

Loved that little touch.

[@cinedelasestrellas]

I always thought that they should name one of the ships the Carl Sagan.

[@charlesajones77]

So now the question is, is Mark Watney a real person in this universe, or a character in a book?

[@ASummersetproduction]

Also the year the martian colony was founded is the same year from the martian

[@SwiftlyEnterprising]

S1 E4 “CQB” is pretty terrific. There’s a lot of thought put into how you’d actually have to fight in space.

[@finneire1282]

A truly epic battle. I love how long it takes :P

[@kaguario]

Absolutely

[@abbaszaidi8371]

I used to watch the Expanse as background noise while working on a laptop. Until CQB hit. Watched all episodes 2-5 times. Currently watching the same episode twice a week with the weekly podcast It’s almost becoming religious while I’m currently reading book 2. Beats thinking about work!

[@dragoninthewest1]

The battle of Thoth Station would also be an excellent choice.

[@Hudson316]

It's probably a bit heavy on spoilers but the battle from the finale of season 5 is probably the best one so far (and there's a battle in the 6th book I'm REALLY hoping makes it into the show because it's pretty damn spectacular)

[@nonnonsence]

This just popped up in my feed. I remember watching it when it came out. I hope you've finished the whole series.

[@TiGGer1098]

10/10 Watching a astrophysicist looking for a super complicated explanation of the ‘apparent gravity’, that was clearly spelt out to us ground dwelling mortals in the pilot. 😹 And thank you for reading your ‘Brief History..’ book for Audible btw, with multiple journeys on the M6 to complete this month 😻

[@schwig44]

"rather than when they were in that long ship" Me: "remember the Cant"

[@DrGammer959]

Remember the donne

[@jasonkesser]

🤣😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂❤️

[@ilyMiickeyBee]

@Dave Baton Remember the Cant.

[@DrewLSsix]

The ice mining makes zero sense in the show. There's zero reason you would or should strap big chunks of rocky ice to a cargo hold. Once you are decades into an established space economy you would just send the stuff to its destination on a slow course. It really doesn't matter if it takes months or years to get there.

[@brentgutmann]

@@DrewLSsix yes, they could have used a precise throw and catch method, but the boom writers, Timothy "Ty" Frank and Daniel Abraham, chose to imagining they tried asteroid minded ice down with ropes and netting to allow a ship to transport the ice. Either way, you need ships to move solar system resources around

[@MysterySemicolon]

If you like the science behind the first few episodes you're going to love how in-depth they get into with everything on the story. From tracking long range missiles to how wounds are treated in zero-g.

[@DrazenKlisuric]

Yes, I like when they depressurize whole ship before battle so there is no explosive depressurization during the battle. Such a logical move, but I never saw it in the movies or shows.

[@jonasb.236]

It is such an amazing show but I have to say, that the last season was really not great. I hope that it gets continued and maybe they could build a brand like star trek or so :D

[@urduib]

@@jonasb.236 That would be awesome. I would follow it passionately.

[@robgraham5697]

@@jonasb.236 I rather liked season 5. With an utter nutbar like Marco Inaros as the antagonist I kept watching hoping A micro-meteor would go through the fungus 9nfected mush he uses for a brain. Plus I liked learning more about the past of the various Roci crew.

[@iarroganti]

@@DrazenKlisuric I think the first piece of fiction I've seen that depressurized the ships before battle was David Weber's Honor Harrington series. He put a lot of thought into those small details.

[@johnmagowan6393]

When you mention the distance to the moon, I was reminded of the old TV show Lost in Space. Will Robinson says, "We must be a million miles out in space!" I only 10 or so myself but I remember thinking, they could probably see Earth fairly easy at that distance.

[@BlueTeam-John-Fred-Linda-Kelly]

The fact that she doesn't immediately understand that the propulsion is generating the gravity brings her claim to astrophysics knowledge into question.

[@qhu3878]

uh what? most shows use technobabble bull to ignore it and the early episodes of the expanse (she watches episode 2) dont do a very good job of showcasing the deck layout of the ships. also as soon as she knows its from thrust she knows exactly how the ships are layed out

[@jordantaylor260]

To be honest, just watch the whole show. I’d watch every video. It’s my favourite show.

[@williammorgan9622]

It was mine tell damsel in distress trope, and the racist sexist writing in the 5 season, and they to make a cribbed joke to end the season. I was in a wheel chair when I was 16 they told me I had MD! I could tell you the 100 ways Tye Franks rewrote the science and characters to be racist, sexist and Bodiest!

[@jordantaylor260]

@@williammorgan9622 bollocks. I am a woman and a proud feminist. One of the reasons I love this show is the resourcefulness and depth of the female characters ie Naomi, Chrisjen, Bobbi, even Peaches. Naomi was never a “damsel in distress” she got HERSELF out of that situation with a combination of intelligence and determination. Not to mention the diversity of the cast and characters. One of the underlining themes of this show IS prejudice between oppressive regimes and those they exploit. So that’s kind of the point, dude. I don’t know what a “cribbed joke” is. A joke you put in a crib? Maybe check your comments aren’t being auto corrected before you post. I don’t mean any disrespect. But my recollection was the last scene was an attack on the ring followed by a ship and it’s occupants being de materialised. I’m sorry for your situation and that genuinely sucks, dude, but I don’t know what your personal situation has to do with the themes of The Expanse. In the end who cares if you don’t like it, that’s fine. But I do and none of your points are saliently made or even make any sense. I think you and I watched a different show.

[@nias2631]

@@jordantaylor260 Nowadays it seems like people just want to have their own personal anger to harbor.

[@jordantaylor260]

@@nias2631 that’s the internet.

[@amistrophy]

@@williammorgan9622 lol you just got roasted Fucking uh slactivist

[@michaelfarrell4824]

"You can't just kick it and it'll work..." Tell that to the TV I had in the early 90's

[@crazyspace6792]

Turning it on and off again is the most reliable form of computer problem solving.

[@Roughneckjarhead]

The 3 types of gravity I remember from that show are rotational, thrust based and magnetic. "The Expanse" is almost not entertainment. It's so realistic it's like watching a documentary. Glad to see you enjoying this amazing show.

[@sock2828]

Something I love about hard science fiction is that really interesting plot points and drama basically emerge from physics itself.

[@Deccani]

Amazing Indeed... Shows like these help the future IRL

[@piotrd.4850]

Same thing happens in every McGuffing based s-f - one of best episodes of Star Trek and / or Stargate (or scenes) were tides to in-universe CONSTRAINTS and PRINCIPLES of such "technology" and unintended effects or failures.

[@cyqry]

One thing I loved was the scene between Avasarala and her husband(?) trying to communicate on a video call with the time-lag. Its such a small detail but watching them constantly interrupting each other by accident and then eventually having to stop and simply listen to the other speak was a nice touch. In a way it reminds me of those therapy scenes you see where couples are forced by a third-party to listen to the other person express how they feel.

[@jamiegagnon6390]

'intelligent people are not that smart'; one of the most brilliant observations I have ever heard. My version; "At university, I met some of the smartest people I ever encountered, and some of the dumbest; amazingly they were often the same people..."

[@turboguppy3748]

To be fair, if she somehow missed the part where we first meet Holden, it would be pretty easy to get to episode 2 not realizing the gravity is _not_ powered by unexplainium, but is governed by real world physics. It's not that she's being dumb so much as dumbfounded, because no show ever addresses this level of detail.

[@sirkrustin]

You describe the Dunning-Kruger effect. Even Nobel prize winners can be idiots.

[@enzocrespin5806]

If we go by D&D rules, then this might be the difference between "intelligence" and "wisdom", with the people you're describing being "high int, low wis" characters

[@dragonsword7370]

@@enzocrespin5806 beat me to it.

[@Drdirkjackson]

@@enzocrespin5806 Beat me to it

[@Rachelebanham]

Make sure you get past season 4. It’s brilliant and just keeps getting better Dr Becky!

[@matthewthole6878]

Great video! The show’s attention to detail is so great. And it’s not even just the science stuff. As silly as it sounds sometimes, all the linguistic choices the show makes are really cool imo. The belter creole is such an interesting and plausible idea and I love how straight the show plays it. Really lends credibility to the world as a living place with history. The missus and I just started watching the expanse cuz we never caught it originally. We’re on season 2 and it’s great so far.

[@darthmoomoo]

11:49 The ships are built like skyscrapers with the engines at the "bottom" and levels stacked on "top" of it. So when they are under thrust, they have "gravity" due to the acceleration.

[@stramaisdead]

how do landings and docking work? they'd have to be constantly accelerating right? the ship will be moving faster and faster ships that will try to dock will need to intercept at an angle and be able to decelerate safely? or chase from the back at greater speed than the skyscraper's current speed accumulation from all the acceleration?

[@tbg10101]

@@stramaisdead In general they do docking in zero-g (like when docking to a space station), but they have also done powered acceleration, where both ships are accelerating while they dock. Yes, they need to be traveling at different speeds to rendezvous. The leader can cut engines or throttle down and the follower can accelerate harder to create a velocity difference.

[@hollywoodguy70]

@@stramaisdead They're constantly accelerating at about .3-.8 G and do the "turn and burn" at which point they are walking on the ceiling at about the same Gs deceleration. The Epstein Drive uses a hyper efficient fuel source so they can maintain these speeds. When you see them get injected with those drugs, those are for higher accelerations and maneuvers .

[@pete_lind]

@@hollywoodguy70 Even if you can do an 1 G acceleration for about a year , before getting to near light speed , biggest problem is that deceleration takes just as long . A bit like with bullet trains , they start slowing down miles before station , from 360 km/h emergency braking distance can be up to 7000 meters , thats over 4 miles .

[@DamianReloaded]

@@hollywoodguy70 Actually, as the ship pivots 180º and accelerates in the opposite direction (to change their velocity) their momentum still pushes them against the floor as the ship deaccelerates them.

[@ohthreefiftyone]

10:23 The books go into even more detail on this. Ceres station has been built throughout the asteroid Ceres and the cheapest real estate is closer to the core where the pseudo gravity is the lowest and the Coriolis effect the most pronounced. This is true in other asteroid stations, too such that in the belt, comfort level with gravity and Coriolis is often a manifestation of wealth inequality.

[@richarddobson8709]

Just came across this and think I just fell in love; so much enthusiasm for the nerdy things! 😃

[@malloid]

Watched The Expanse up to the end of season six and enjoyed it. It always managed to keep surprising me and the characters and stories were generally quite good. I used to binge watch it with my late father, but after he passed away last year I gave up on it.

[@Chopperdriver]

I’ve just watched the final episode. The expanse was the best sci-fi series I’ve ever seen. 12/10. The first season might not grab you but stick it out to season 2, it just gets better and better.

[@babybirdhome]

I agree. It was the most mature science fiction show I’ve ever seen, I think. It took everything seriously - or as seriously as you could do in a production TV/streaming show. None of it ever felt like it was pandering, or that it was science fiction just for the sake of being classified as science fiction or not having to explain anything.

[@alextilton2677]

Agreed

[@divineflu34567]

I just wished we could see more about ring builders

[@kizitom]

@@divineflu34567 read the books.....

[@nathansmedley2061]

@@divineflu34567 please read the last 3 books at the very least! I’m sure we’ll see them on TV eventually but they are fantastic. The show did such a good job translating the books you could pick up on book 7 and have only a minor few details be different. Mainly with Drummer (drummer didn’t really have any role in the books until 7, she replaced Michio Pa’s character from the books for the show, she wasn’t the first union president but like the 4th. And Alex not dying during the free navy fight.) the best of the expanse imo is still ahead of you.

[@berlindude75]

"The Expanse" is an absolutely great show and a definite recommend to keep watching. It gets so much better and even more intriguing with loads of twists and turns once the worldbuilding first few episodes are done. Episode 4 ("CQB") is usually the first stop that gets people hooked, while the main story mystery takes off in Episode 8 ("Salvage"). Several actual stellar bodies are featured in the show (Earth & Luna, Venus, Mars & Deimos as well as Ceres, Eros, and Pallas of the asteroid belt, and both Jupiter and Saturn with their moons Ganymede, Io, Callisto, Europa, and Titan plus Phoebe, respectively). And nothing said or shown is ever wasted, everything will come together and be explained eventually, with great characters, superb political chicanery, and a heartfelt and riveting plot on top.

[@CybrSlydr]

Yup, CQB was the turning point for me too.

[@georgehope5477]

CQB from the first season is my favourite episode. The only non-sciencey thing that bothers me about the show are the holograms they use which just seem to hang in the air without a screen or some such thing for the photons to reflect off. Holograms like that are impossible. The lack of robotics bothers me sometimes too, lets face it the Belters would be better replaced by robotic mining rather than risking their lives. Where are all the robots? Apart from that, it's the best Sci-Fi series available!

[@achillesa5894]

@@georgehope5477 Yeah they do some things like the holograms which sacrifice realism for making it easier to watch. Even things like full glass face plates on the helmets, as well as face illuminating lights, are done so you can see the actors. I'm pretty sure they never explicitly say they have holograms in the books.

[@seamusbob3458]

I was on the fence with this show but upon reading your comment I think I will give it a go

[@ninjafukwan7]

@@seamusbob3458Get off the fence Best sci show Ever !! TOP 5 easy 💪

[@gibs_chaos]

LOL in Canada everyone says clicks instead of kilometres. It's funny how people in different parts of the world are not exposed to the same terms or slang.

[@xoxoxox77gate]

I love the expanse and so the physics behind it. Thank you for the astrophysicist review of the expense!

[@lenm2857]

I almost stopped watching this in the first season, but somewhere around episodes 3 to 5 it REALLY picks up and becomes one of the best shows on TV.

[@360greece4]

I love it even though she couldn't figure out how gravity was simulated, once she learnt how it worked she immediately understood how the ships were designed in the expanse.

[@DrBecky]

I couldn’t believe it ended up being something so simple 😂 my mind was on over drive trying to work it out all episode trying to think of all the crazy sci-if things I’d seen in the past

[@360greece4]

@@DrBecky That is why so many scientists and geeks love this show. All the human technologies are based on simple principlet that work. Even the weapons are just iterations of what we know would work in space. Just keep watching this show, it spoilt so many sci-fi nonsense for us.

[@DrazenKlisuric]

@@DrBecky Yes, there's no many fantasy things in The Expanse - at least not in the human technology. Only fusion engines are little bit too good, but only in the show. In the books they are spending much more time in the zero gravity with the engines off to save the reaction mass (not the fuel).

[@davivignola5895]

The novel series was based on, at the beginning, Euclidean physics. The writers spent a lot of time and energy planning on what would be possible

[@berndeckenfels]

That was a good info with the linear acceleration, I always thought there was only the boots in the smaller ships and the rotating ones

[@nathanuncentered6172]

A lot of strange stuff, like the boots coming on when they shut down the engines, is resource management. They are using personal power supplies to maximize ship energy reserves. Yay, details. Also, I had trouble getting into the show myself, but I stuck it out for the first few episodes, and now I'm glad I did.

[@richard2371]

I love the thrust gravity in the show, when they're not under thrust they're constantly clicky clacking around on their magboots the whole time. The books really flesh out the physics too, tycho engineers spent a huge amount of resources to spin up ceres to 1/3 G without it tearing apart iirc.

[@sheamartin8786]

The "artificial gravity" comes from the ship's acceleration. The ships in The Expanse are constructed with the floors ascending up from the engines, so the crewmembers walk around with their feet pointing at the engines. Then the ships accelerate at 1g so that the crew feels like they're in 1g of gravity. Then, halfway to their destination they flip and burn retrograde at 1g.

[@sassyb58]

This specifically clued me in to how gravity was manufactured. I had already watched the @veritasium video she pointed to at @15:45 so I was primed to "get it" when it is explained in a later episode, like you say here. That's why I love how you learn more about the tech the more you watch! Very cool!

[@vladimir0rus]

And this is impossible actually.

[@artonioo761]

@@vladimir0rus How?

[@vladimir0rus]

@@artonioo761 Epstein drive is a pure fiction: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIi9oqNmhtSLmdk

[@Ramoreira86]

@@vladimir0rus epstein didnt kill himself

[@Magnificent7Seven]

Thanks for reviewing this show! My favorite book and TV series.

[@jeric_synergy8581]

How could a physicist NOT 'get' that there's no "artificial gravity" the engines ACCELERATE THE SHIP. --seriously, wtf?

[@randomcoyote8807]

One of the things about "The Expanse" is that you kinda have to keep watching in order... not just for plot reasons, but to see the consistency of the physics they apply. We as an audience are frequently shown science fiction that just throws out bits and bobs of plot-handy things as each situation comes up, and those bits & bobs are forgotten about next time (Star Trek was especially notorious for this, even though it was still quite enjoyable). But watching the overall consistency of physics applied in the Expanse helps build confidence in its consistency and storytelling. You can relax and let yourself immerse without having to pay attention to the plot contrivance of the week.

[@ryan4640]

They explain stuff in the books a lot better but its harder to do that in a TV show with limited amount of time. I think they did pretty well.

[@tomarnold7284]

Yeah, the things I liked about The Expanse was that they didn't hurry explaining all the technicality all at once, but focused on the characters and stories, the science slowly grows on you as you watch further.

[@mshell1959]

Well said and very true!

[@Bioshyn]

As a scientist, reading watching sci-fi can be really hard sometimes. I'm a biologist and it's astonishing how much media gets wrong on evolution and genetics alone. I love the expanse, James S. A. Corey got so much right.

[@steffenthorhauge9549]

I'm in automation and recently wondered if the absolutely atrocious way media portrays computers, general IT and security is a common problem across any slightly advanced topic.

[@arsenioibay414]

James S.A. Corey is actually two people writing under a single nom-de-plume.

[@gz3zbz]

@@steffenthorhauge9549 Mr Robot does it right.

[@jmclaughlin]

@@arsenioibay414 that's also why it's JamesS (plural) and A Corey doesn't exclude there being A nother last name ;)

[@arsenioibay414]

@@jmclaughlin The two writers going by that one name are Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck - "The first and last name are taken from Abraham's and Franck's middle names, respectively, and S. A. are the initials of Abraham's daughter (Scarlet Abraham). So no two "Jameses". )

[@zakkusgaming]

I love to see your take on how The Expanse depicts high speed travel and sudden changes in direction while in space. Having to strap into a chair and getting 'juiced' to keep the blood stable while at really high speeds in space was such a great aspect to the show. The scenes with the Razorback racing ship are prime!

[@5133937]

@1:30 “most accurate scifi show currently on TV”. It’s actually the most accurate SciFi ever made, afaik (in the US at least). It’s permanently raised the bar for SciFi to a new level.

[@glenchapman3899]

Two of my favorite moments in the show, was watching a Martian adapt to walking on Earth gravity, and the other is a ship in battle is taking evasive action. One of the equipment lockers breaks open and tools are zooming around the compartment like bullets

[@gateauxq4604]

Me-which Martian was that? Oh. Oooooohhh 🤦

[@glenchapman3899]

@@gateauxq4604 It would be a big spoiler if I say anything :(

[@enzocrespin5806]

In addition one scene early in the second season shows the crew depressurizing their ship in preparation for a space battle, which makes sense for a number of reasons and is quite cool

[@SeanGarratt]

As I recall that person said they trained at 1G in centrifuges just to be prepared for that. And even so martians had to take booster drugs for muscle/bone strength on Earth. What really freaked .. that person . .out was when they walked outside a building and there was infinite space, no pressure dome etc. Like reverse claustophobia. And they got all dizzy and fell over. I love the Expanse. And the character we are referring to .. one of my favourites.

[@glenchapman3899]

@@enzocrespin5806 Yes I have been reading and watching science fiction for 50 years. When that scene happened I was what?.............ohhh yeah makes complete sense lol I like it when I can be challenged like that

[@stanthechanman]

You could just do a whole series of videos where you react to the cool physics stuff in The Expanse. There's something in almost every episode.

[@mip5041991]

I’d watch !

[@andrewquesinberry773]

At a minimum the thoth station battle season 1 ep 4 and season 5 episode 10 specifically the battles at the end

[@andrewxu3602]

@@andrewquesinberry773 Spacedock already did the latter.

[@marielouisepeignerichard4398]

In book 2 of The Expanse, I loved it when they explain the pathophysiology of Mei's disease, with T cells and defects in cellular signaling pathways.

[@danielwhyatt3278]

Glad you liked it. Totally cool you're on the Expanse fan list now. LOL Really would be good if you did more reactions to it.

[@lewismassie]

The Expanse had my attention from the pilot's 'Flip & Burn' scene, and had me totally sold on the debris field scene that followed

[@EGPuiu]

The way I heard about the expanse was when "Alex", the actor playing the pilot, was on something that was recommended to me for some reason, where he would be invited by someone to do something while promoting the series. I can't believe it had worked, tbh. Though it worked cause it was a video where they were also talking about the realism of the show, which drew me to the video and then to the show. Have been waiting for the new seasons ever since and have started to read the books as well

[@getsideways7257]

@@EGPuiu Want me to spoil it for you? Try Children of a Dead Earth.

[@DaveBrownell]

You should just continue watching this show and pick a few episodes here and there to do a reaction to! The physics aspect gets really good, and the TWISTS! omg I want to go watch this show again haha

[@freeheeler09]

Professional soils ecologist here and I loved The Expanse. Ok, the show was flavored more as candy for physicists more than ecologists, but anyone with scientific training and a love of sci fi will appreciate this show.

[@pierrechaput2439]

Most awesome video Dr. Becky :) Great show for sure.

[@kade426]

One of my favorite details they didn't miss but you as a viewer almost have to watch frames to see it are the railguns. Because of the recoil they actually have a burp from the main drive cone to counter and thrusters to maintain position for just a split second. You should also see the scenes about the slingshot racing and when one had an instant stop.

[@DarthRancid]

Underrated comment. I loved the physics in those episodes. It grounded it so much for me and I always imagined "guns" in space working like that instead of Star Wars type "lasers" haha.

[@karnach3880]

The Point Defense Cannons or PDCs also have a small jet opposing the barrels when they fire to counteract the thrust produced by firing...

[@RobertBeckk]

@@karnach3880 holy shjt

[@peterjohnson5132]

The epic scene in episode one where they all get strapped in, juiced and then fire the engines, all that entire shot is actually showing is them just slowing down.

[@OhAncientOne]

Definitely one of the finest blooper bits ever. Anyone who hasn't dribbled water down their front skipped childhood. Adults who do it, have briefly exceeded their capacity for multi-tasking. And so get a wakeup call. Glad it was just water 😊 Happens to the best of us! As demonstrated here

[@jerryoconnor-ps8bb]

Great explanation on The Expanse. BTW love your blooper section.

[@amateurwizard]

I liked how consistent they were with simulating reality. When a character moves to another area the messages the send and the video chats they have include accurate amounts of latency. Sometimes they're so close that they accidentally talk over one another, which is something that they would never in most shows.

[@conabot]

I was so impressed when I saw how they portrayed crying in space.. they did it right, they really did it right.. waited wayyy too long for a show or movie to be this accurate! Totally love it and it's a shame the show ends after season 6..

[@scott6129]

Can't believe she didn't mention the wrench!?!? That wrench was put in one episode each season as a reminder to pay attention to detail and get the physics right.

[@AManWhoWasntThere]

Banging on a broken thing is also called percussive maintenance 😉

[@shaman9]

Dr Bloopy falling down a wiki-hole is the relatable content I'm here for

[@DrBecky]

Dr bloopy 😂

[@billross7245]

One of my favorite lines from The Expanse book series is describing Gravity on Luna, "as less a force of nature and more of a suggestion".

[@jasonkelley5961]

Getting into season 5 or 6, there's a point where all the ships have to shut down their reactors. When fired back up, the injured of all groups are taken to the large Mormon ship called the Behemoth due to it being the only ship with spin gravity. Most of the time, magnetic boots are worn, unless on a station that spins. They did a great job when dealing with medical injuries, especially deep tissue injuries that cause pooling of the blood, due to zero G. The Behemoth and its spin gravity was used to prevent these otherwise non-life threatening injuries from being fatal in this environment. Incredible show.

[@BlackstarAI]

Loving your videos! The Expanse is such a good show

[@bryonfeliksa3845]

I hope you watch the entire series. It took me 7-8 episodes to get into it but it’s an incredible show!

[@AdderTude]

It's gonna be bittersweet that Season Six is the finale.

[@onometre]

I was hooked on the show only 10 minutes into the first episode

[@onometre]

@@AdderTude there are 9 books to read though!

[@eastvandb]

Same here. 5 or 6, but once I was in I all in.

[@scoutg001]

@@AdderTude from what I understand of the situation, it's not that the series is ending, it's more of a pause, I read an article on it that interviewed some of the creators after the announcement, they're trying to recreate the multi-year brainstorming session they had between when SyFy canceled them and when Amazon picked them back up

[@ThermalX90]

Just watch the whole series, you won't regret it. Best Sci-fi show I've ever seen. It's a thought provocative, thriller type story line that is brilliantly executed through fantastic writing and acting.

[@MultiTroll81]

Heinlein or Star wars a hundred times before that stupid woke s...

[@Hepad_]

@@MultiTroll81 nah

[@VayaKahvi]

@@MultiTroll81 If "woke" here means "has a political agenda" then Heinlein and Star Wars are very much "woke", my dude.

[@MultiTroll81]

@@VayaKahvi Heinlein was libertarian. Sw is antinazi. Expanse is one of the most disgusting woke stuff with avasarala and the priestess of woke religion. Even if it werent woke the plot is utterly stupid, antagonists have as much brain as bugs bunny villains.

[@spaulagain]

@@MultiTroll81 oh look, the troll is a troll. Trying being more original next time.

[@summitap1]

Great review and I love that you plugged Red Rising!!!

[@TallPaulKnits]

Amazing how you geeked out on the water pouring thing! Totally my jam….. and I want your t-shirt 🦖

[@Asha_man_Shane]

Yes, you absolutely need to make a reaction series based on The Expanse alone! That would be hugely popular and there's some scientific indulgences that I'd love to see an astrophysicist pull apart.

[@ssh17hx0r]

You just blew my son's mind. He's rambling on about how he'll make warp drive someday. He's 9.

[@wiredforstereo]

The Expanse uses the Epstein Drive, which is a fusion powered drive that is far more efficient than anything that currently exists.

[@martinueding1218]

Lovely to see interest in physics and science! If he studies general relativity and manages to build a ship which can push a black hole around, it might actually work: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJyYk6t-mtl_atU. I haven't done GR and am not sure about the details, but your son might at some point.

[@captainkip4624]

As I understand it we cannot go faster for two primary reasons: 1. It would break causality. 2. We are all moving at the speed of light now.

[@martinueding1218]

@@captainkip4624: Indeed, causality would be broken. I am not sure how that works out with the warp metric solution of GR. And we are moving with the speed of light through spacetime, but that's more a reflection of the geometry of things.

[@captainkip4624]

@@martinueding1218 Over coming causality is just one problem, energy, inertia, and G-forces are just some of the problems to be overcome. The amount of energy required to create a static warp bubble is astronomical. But the G-force on the human body couldn't withstand a very small fraction of the speed of light. This iui s another reason why I like the Expanse. Even 300 years In the future and with modern pharmaceuticals that could keep the body running for limited time when their vessel was under a high trust. From what I have been able to get from the books it looks like the top end speed of 300kph for no more than a half hour before people start to stroke out. From what I understand, just doubling Earths gravity would be very difficult physically. So that's acceleration, deceleration has the same issues. Another problem is selecting a destination. Everything we see, all natural light is ancient in the extremes. Most of what we see is so far back in time. That we really don't even know it it is still there. Take the nebula dubbed the "Pillars of Creation" you can see them in a scope but we are 90% certain that there not there anymore. You could pop out of warp or FTL right in the middle of a stellar fragment, black whole or Neutron Star. You just don't know. On the flipside. Considering that the Milky Way is what over 13 billion years old and Sol is about 4.5 billion years old. It would stand to reason that there must be civilizations that are millions if not billions of years older than we are so who knows. What are the odds that what we find would be benevolent? And what about us? We can't can get along with our own kind. What if we find things are are very alien? Honestly, I think we are living in a goldilocks period of time and we are all just too stupid to recognize it. Of course the whole thing could just be a dream...🤔

[@deep.space.12]

I was yelling EQUIVALENCE PRINCIPLE!!! inside watching the first part of this video...

[@tdunn1907]

The old turn and burn. I used to smile every time it was mentioned in an episode. Especially during combat or to hide or out maneuver larger ships. I always noticed how the vessel/ship would past the camera, engine first, when retro burning and fly by the camera nose first when accelerating.