Evacuate Earth
| Evacuate Earth | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Futurism |
| Written by | Bill McClane |
| Directed by | Ted Schillinger |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bruce David Klein |
| Producer(s) | Bill McClane |
| Cinematography | Vitaly Bokser |
| Editor(s) | Will Gardiner Jake Keene |
| Camera setup | Single-camera setup |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Atlas Media Corp. |
| Release | |
| Original network | National Geographic Channel |
| Original release | December 2, 2012 |
| External links | |
| National Geographic Channel: Evacuate Earth | |
Evacuate Earth is a National Geographic Channel documentary that portrays the hypothetical scenario of humans evacuating the planet Earth before it is destroyed by a rogue neutron star. The documentary details the technical and social complications of building a generation ship to save humanity and other Earth organisms by relocating to a planet in another solar system.
The documentary proposes a thought experiment in which a neutron star approaches Earth. Constant meteor storms are the first warning sign, and dramatic sequences depict widespread destruction and the deaths of thousands of people. Given seventy-five years to prepare, human society radically shifts toward the evacuation of Earth. The propulsion system for the spacecraft is the first problem to be addressed. In a dramatic sequence, the world's leading experts debate the benefits and drawbacks of various methods. Conventional rockets are too slow, and antimatter engines are too unstable; they eventually settle on nuclear pulse propulsion, as originally suggested by Project Orion. The world's engineers, scientists, and manufacturing workers begun work at a new site dubbed Starship City. Interviewed experts propose that fatalism may drive some people either to suicide or radicalism and attempts to sabotage the project. In one dramatic sequence, terrorists strike the facility, though they are destroyed by a hidden minefield. Brush fire conflicts also escalate, as security forces are focused on either maintaining order or protecting the interstellar project's facilities and personnel.
Who is to be evacuated is another major issue. Although diversity is respected, any selected individual would have to be genetically hardy and not predisposed toward disease (such as schizophrenia and diabetes). In dramatic sequences, a second ark ship is announced amid controversy, as it is reserved for the world's wealthiest and most powerful families willing to pay for passage. Simulated newscasts announce delays and setbacks as scientists are lured to the private ark ship. As the neutron star enters our solar system, Saturn is destroyed, and the Earth experiences calamitous shifts in its seasons and bursts of radiation leading to fatalities and ecological damage. The private ark ship, equipped with an antimatter engine, explodes when its antimatter containment fails. Families are potentially broken up as they prepare to board the remaining ark ship, and experts discuss the basic necessities for human life: bacteria, air, water, and food. Bacteria are easily stored, and air is synthesized from water. Food, however, remains a difficult problem, and experts propose that colonists will eat insects and algae, which are easily replenished and space efficient.
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