Continuity mistake: The death of the astronaut occurring while practicing the escape in the bucket would never happen in real life. That is because when NASA conducts them in real life before a shuttle launch, the crew practices everything up to entering the bucket. NASA does not want to run the risk of their astronauts being injured during a simple practice.
Factual error: NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building is located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida - not Vandenberg AFB, CA.
Chosen answer: When landing on an aircraft carrier, a pilot "calls the ball" by confirming to the landing signal officer (LSO) that they have the carrier, and more specifically its landing guidance systems in sight. Carriers use a Fresnel lens system which is a light only visible at a certain angle, so if a pilot sees the "ball" they are at the correct altitude and glide slope for landing.
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