Phil Lord and Christopher Miller just launched “Project Hail Mary,” a film based on Andy Weir’s 2021 sci-fi novel. I read the book a while back and loved it. The movie, with its stunning visuals, practical effects, and talented cast, feels like a celebration of cinema. It’s powerful, emotional, and hopeful, making it stand out in today’s film landscape. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s definitely worth your time.
The story revolves around “astrophage,” a fictional microorganism threatening Earth by consuming the sun’s energy and triggering a climate crisis. Instead of ignoring the issue, the world’s governments unite to devise a daring plan to save humanity. It’s a timely reminder of the need for global cooperation in tackling climate change.
Due to its rising popularity, some fans are playfully adding “powered by astrophage” stickers to their cars. This got me thinking: imagine if we could actually use astrophage as fuel. It’s depicted as nearly 100% efficient and absorbs carbon dioxide, making it a dream fuel for a cleaner future.
As the film does not delve deeply into the science of astrophage, let’s consider its potential. The creatures convert heat from stars into energy and thrive in carbon-rich environments. In the story, humans harness this energy not just for life-saving missions, but to revolutionize power production on Earth. Ryland Grace, the protagonist, mentions that just half a gram of astrophage could power New York City for a year. But how realistic is that?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that New York City consumes about 1.4% of the nation’s electricity, averaging approximately 60,000 gigawatt-hours per year. If we break this down, some of the most efficient electric vehicles today need about 22 kilowatt-hours for 100 miles of driving. So, that half-gram of astrophage could hypothetically allow for over 272 billion miles of travel. That’s like driving non-stop for ten years!
Of course, half a gram of astrophage in a crash could lead to catastrophic consequences, reminiscent of something from an action movie. Imagine the chaos of an astrophage-powered car colliding with another vehicle.
Shifting gears, I delved into the book again and found that a single cell of astrophage generates about 1.5 million joules or about 0.42 kilowatt-hours. If we consider a standard electric sedan with an 80 kWh battery, we’d need 191 cells of astrophage for a full charge. That’s just about 0.000003629 grams!
In the future, if we abandoned traditional energy sources for astrophage, cars would likely be one of the first to benefit. Just think: decades of endless fuel without ever needing to stop at a gas station. However, it’s likely that military applications would be prioritized before civilians feel any impact.
