A Movie's Real Benefit.

Space Colony at Earth-Moon Lagrangian points L4 and L5.

Neil DegrasseTyson was criticising Gravity. Perhaps Tyson might be missing the major benefit of such a movie. Perhaps a personal story might illustrate.

While in high school I saw a movie about a kid who joined the Navy and was on the USS Skate when it went to and surfaced at the North Pole (1957). A few years later, I signed up for a program that would get me aboard submarines and learned enough technical stuff to make a living most of my life.

I also wear a ball cap with the Dolphins (submariner wings) and often think of them as one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. To give you an idea, all crew members of all submarines are less than the crew of a single attack aircraft carrier--or approximately that number. 

Submariners in World War II were only about 1% of the Navy but sunk 60% of all Japanese shipping, merchant and men-of-war. It's a pretty select bunch. I'm pretty proud of those Dolphins.

The point of the story is that one movie whose title and plot I can no longer recall, had a major effect for good in my life. The space movie may be equally effective on some kid who will later walk on the moon, Mars, an asteroid, or man the permanent space colonies at L4 and L5.