In every classic sci-fi film there’s that one scene you just need to explore. The Matrix had bullet time, Jurassic Park had resurrected reptiles, and Star Wars had the insane power of the first Death Star. In Men in Black, which I will fight you on whether or not it’s a classic (it is), it was the rocket-powered 1987 Ford LTD Crown Victoria that took J and K through the Queens-Midtown tunnel…on the ceiling. Could rockets ever let a car do such a thing? Thankfully, Pythagoras can help us.

In my latest Because Science, we are doing the MIB math. Looking at references in the movie and using known quantities from real life, we can estimate the thrust the Crown Vic’s rockets would need to provide in order to not only keep a car pinned to a ceiling, but to get J and K through the whole tunnel in just over 60 seconds. It turns out that while the angle of the rockets in the film was way off, there are actual rockets of similar size that could totally do the job. Not only that, but we already have cars that could drive on pretty much any surface! And you’ve probably seen them race before.

As for the neuralyzer, that’s another episode.

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