NASA reportedly screens Armageddon as a management training exercise.

The 1998 disaster movie Armageddon, in which a team of oil drillers is sent to destroy an asteroid, is frequently cited as a NASA training tool: prospective managers are asked to identify everything the film gets wrong. The tally is variously reported, often as 168.

The claim is widely repeated and appears in accounts from people connected to the agency, though NASA has never published an official version. The film’s director, Michael Bay, has openly acknowledged its scientific liberties.