Armageddon

Title: Armageddon (1998)

Concept featured in film: Air; Gravity

Location of clip:

DVD: 2:09:30 - 2:12:00

Summary of clip: The astronauts and oil drillers have to draw straws to see who will stay behind on the asteroid to detonate the nuclear bomb. All of the people are inside the shuttle and not one is wearing a helmet. After they decide who will stay behind, two of them get suited up to go back out on the asteroid. They must wear space suits and helmets while outside. When AJ and Harry get outside, Harry detaches a hose on AJ’s spacesuit. He can’t breath and must get back into the shuttle so he doesn’t suffocate.

Connection of flickclip to the concept:There is not enough gravity on the asteroid to hold an atmosphere. Even if there were an atmosphere it may be poisonous to humans. In the shuttle there is oxygen, outside the shuttle there is no oxygen. When the astronauts go out onto the asteroid they must wear suits and helmets in order to breath.

Suggestions to Teachers:

1. Suggested questions for students when viewing the clip:

a. Why do the astronauts have to wear helmets on the asteroid but not in the shuttle?
b. Why couldn’t AJ breathe when his suit was damaged?
c. Why does the earth have an atmosphere?

2. This clip could be used while discussing gravity and atmosphere. A discussion about the composition of air would also be appropriate and why we need oxygen to survive.