Spaceflight captures audiences when it centers on people because human space travel is hazardous

The central premise of the blockbuster film "Project Hail Mary" is a long-shot mission with a familiar goal: Save humanity from extinction. While the details of the threat facing humanity are new to this story, moviegoers are used to binging on popcorn while watching a heroic quest to save Earth from certain doom. And like so many popular movies of this genre, from "Armageddon" to "Interstellar," the hero's journey involves a seemingly impossible mission into space.