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The Martian - Blog Posts
Mark Watney at the beginning of The Martian: I'm going to play this as safe as I can.
Mark Watney at the end of The Martian: I'm gonna chop up the Hab! Wheeeee
Ares 3 crew at the beginning of The Martian: we're going to play this as safe as we can.
Ares 3 crew at the end of The Martian: let's make a bomb on this spaceship! 😁
NASA at the beginning of The Martian: we're going to play this as safe as we can.
NASA at the end of The Martian: fly into space at record velocity in a metal and fabric contraption not rated for speeds above 25mph apparently 💛
Of course he was taking the situation very seriously but I like to think he was secretly a little excited.
Don’t you just hate it when your laptop breaks because the liquid vaporized outside? (Shirt, sticker and such)
Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Status: Keep
So listen. There are going to be some spoilers here. I don’t think they’re going to matter because this book is good even if you know what’s going to happen. I know some of you are thinking “Why should I read this book when I’ve seen the movie? Why should I read it if you’re going to spoil it?” Well, I’m not your boss or your mom, but this book is REALLY FUCKING GOOD. Like, I’m not a sci-fi fan AT ALL, but I had fun with this. This book is absolutely action-packed! There was NO time that I was bored reading this, even when Mark was explaining math or engineering. Every time we seemed to settle into a routine after a near-death experience, ANOTHER GODDAMN DEADLY EXPERIENCE HAPPENED!!!! Which makes sense when you’re accidentally abandoned on Mars with equipment that was only supposed to last (roughly) a month and you have to make it last over a year. Sitting with the knowledge of having finished the book, I actually like to think that the movie is what in-book Hollywood came up with. (Commander Lewis is still agog that the movie sent her out into space in the movie.)
Also the more I think about it, the more we need to get young men to read this. So many times it feels like a book about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and doing for yourself. But every time when you start to internalize that, Mark is there to sucker-punch you with, “No. I couldn’t do this without help.” He isn’t an island. He is LONELY. He misses people. There’s a scene where he says “I thought I would have reacted this other way after making contact with people. Instead I came inside and I bawled like a baby.” and that scene is SO IMPORTANT TO ME. Humans are, for the most part, social creatures, and from the get-go Mark is in survival mode. He doesn’t have time to really internalize how lonely and sad he is, until that moment he makes contact, and he realizes how lonely and sad he’s been. And men need to see to internalize this. It’s so heavily suggested throughout the book, but it’s really nailed home in the last chapter. WE NEED EACH OTHER. I NEEDED OTHER PEOPLE AND THEY HELPED ME WITHOUT HESITATION AND THAT’S WHAT BEING HUMAN IS ABOUT.
This book constantly hammers home that to really succeed, people need other people. NASA was working around the clock to figure out a way to extend Mark’s life expectancy so that the next Mars expedition could rescue him. People gave up things they’d been working on for other projects to make sure they had everything they needed for Mark. China saved the fucking day when they didn’t have to and even after all the enmity between countries. Mark’s team committed mutiny to come get him. Millions, BILLIONS of dollars spent to bring one man home. This book is about the indomitable human spirit, yes, but not just Mark’s. Every. Single. Person in this book would not accept defeat. And that means something. I finished this book, closed it, and wept. Despite all odds, Mark survived. And he couldn’t have done it alone. And he makes sure to tell us that before he even leaves to finally take a shower after over fifty days without one.
"its not just about one guy"
"actually, it is."
got inspired by @homosexual-having-tea ‘s post about the memes people would make while trying to rescue Watney in the Martian and whipped these up in about five minutes. bon appetite or whatever
I’ve seen some more idiotic readers go “Mark and Grace are just the same people.”
if they’re the same people, explain this:
Mark Watney: *at any minor inconvenience * FUCKING FU— Ryland Grace: *world-ending, life-threatening news* holy moly
CRYING AT 'im gonna dig up plutonium!" MARK HAD NASA SHITTING THEMSELVES BAHAHAHA
ryland grace: un-suiciding a suicide mission
mark watney: suiciding a non-suicide mission
It's so over (got stranded on Mars) we're so back (I can grow food here) it's so over (we left a guy on Mars) we're so back (we've established communication) it's so over (the airlock exploded and the crops froze) we're so back (we've cut down the launch window for a resupply) it's so over (the probe exploded) we're so back (the space program in China has been working on their own probe that can launch in the correct window to get him supplies) it's so over (we didn't tell the hermes crew about a separate possible mission) we're so back (the hermes crew committed mutiny and are now on the way to save Watney) it's so over (we have to remove the front of his spacecraft to get him into space) we're so back (we can cover the hole with a tarp) it's so over (the tarp ripped off during launch and the distance between the hermes and the mav is too wide) we're so back (we can use remaining thruster fuel to course correct) it's so over (if we do this we'll be going too fast) we're so back (we can build a bomb and blow up part of the station to slow us down) it's so over (there's still too much distance between the Hermes and Watney) we're so back (he poked a hole in his suit and flew to us like iron man)
Michael Crichton’s idea that humans are inherently selfish and will look out for their own survival vs. Andy Weir’s idea that as social creatures humans will connect with and help others, fight.
The Martian by Andy Weir
Every so often the sci fi that had a hold on my in high school comes back into my consciousness and all the sudden I'm reading 7 books at once
NASA Langley researchers and engineers are:
Playing key roles in the development of both the Space Launch System and the Orion crew capsule, which will carry astronauts beyond the moon to an asteroid, and eventually to the dusty surface of the Red Planet.
Leading the aerodynamic design of the Space Launch System by doing analysis and extensive testing in facilities such as the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel and Transonic Dynamics Tunnel.
Performing water impact testing and doing critical aerosciences and structural analyses for the Orion crew capsule. We also assist in analyzing and practicing recovery operations for Orion.
Developing Orion's Launch Abort System, or LAS, which is designed to protect astronauts in the unlikely event a problem arises during launch.
Spearheading work on advanced entry, descent, and landing (EDL) systems for planetary robotic missions and eventual human-scale missions to the surface of Mars. Understanding the aerodynamics and heating of atmospheric entry will enable more precise landing missions, while testing of new technologies will enable much larger missions to reach the Martian surface.
Developing safe and reliable autonomous systems to supplement human operations, including mechanisms that can work in deep space to maneuver, assemble and service structures. In the 2020s, NASA plans to use this kind of technology to retrieve an asteroid.
Leading the development of materials and structures for lightweight and affordable space transportation and habitation systems.
Solving the problems of deep space radiation protection, including leadership of the Human Research Program to develop a better understanding of space radiation on crew health and safety. Langley is also building prototype designs for habitats and storm shelters for use in space.
Working on sensor systems, known as Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT), that will equip future planetary landers with the ability to assess landing hazards and land safely and precisely on many different planetary surfaces, including the moon, Mars and other planetary bodies.
Developing the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, or HIAD, a device that could some day help cargo, or even people, land on another planet. HIAD could give NASA more options for future planetary missions, because it could allow spacecraft to carry larger, heavier scientific instruments and other tools for exploration.
Review: The Martian (2015)
Rating: 9.5 of 10
Space is dangerous, but it's also endearing.
Never the fact has ever been more apparent in the movies, than in The Martian. Set in the near future, The Martian is about a group of astronauts in the early days of human exploration on the Red Planet who were forced to leave because of a heavy storm--leaving one of its members, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), on the surface. For months, intelligence and ingenuity were the only things keeping him alive until he could be rescued.
The Martian, for me, was an important movie because it showed what being an astronaut really is about. Space is a dangerous thing, and the movie never downplay on that, but The Martian also puts space in an endearing light that makes us never wonder why did we ever go to space in the first place. Because the answer will always be: why not? Why not be the first? Why not find out, for the greater human race? For anyone intimate with space travel, when Watney gave lecture about being an astronaut and basically says, "When you're up there, at some point you're gonna think you're gonna die and maybe you will," you know that it's 100% true but you also know that doesn't mean you don't wanna go up there in a heartbeat. It's hard to depict a balanced portrayal about the dangers of space, but The Martian nailed it.
Science is also definitely the hero in this film, which is a surprisingly rare occurrence in popular fiction. Not only did Watney repeatedly was shown applying basic science concept to solve his problem, the film also pretty accurately depicted the workings of NASA; how astronauts, ground control, and teams of scientists work hard and thoroughly to reach a common goal. Aside from being very capable, scientists and astronauts in this film were also pretty humorous--and it's important because real scientists love their jokes too, but are almost never depicted as such. It's a very science-positive movie and I appreciated it.
At one point in the movie, Matt Damon's character, who was a botanist exclaimed, "Mars will come to fear my botany powers!" asserting his conviction to grow food on the surface of Mars--something that hadn't been done by any humans before, ever. That, among many other scenes in the movie, was a clear example of the giddiness, humor, and determination of scientists existed in the film.
But in the very core of the movie, The Martian is about human’s determination to live, that everyone can relate to.
The Martian also nailed it with the casting. Matt Damon has the perfect charisma and cockiness about him, but I mostly want to commend the casting choices for the other characters. The most prominent members of the space crew were women (Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara), and at least half of other supporting characters were of minorities (of African, Chinese, Mexican, and Indian descent). Hollywood movies about space can too frequently feel a bit jingoistic (with NASA obviously being an American organization), but The Martian never felt like that the slightest. From the start, The Martian is a humanistic effort.
Directed by veteran director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Prometheus, Black Hawk Down), The Martian looked beautiful, and the movie flowed beautifully as well. The threats were terrifying as hell, and there were no fake or newfangled technologies so everything stayed grounded. But despite all the hardship Watney was against, it’s a strangely hopeful film.
TL;DR The movie is an obvious bait for people like me--who loves movies, space, and science in the equal amount--but it's also a damn good thriller about survival that everyone could enjoy.
i'm just curious bc i'm watching How to Train Your Dragon and i always forget how happy and calm it makes me feel. i mean, i did name my cat after Toothless the dragon. but i also love Lion King, that's my Disney comfort movie. and my Ghibli comfort movie is Spirited Away. watching any of these when i'm in a foul mood or my anxiety is high always helps 🥰 but i watch them just for fun too, not only when i'm in a mood. what about you?
:3
Hi I've been stranded on Mars for about the equivalent of 1 Earth week and my crew probably thinks I'm dead by now. It's really boring up here. Is Poob available in space? I have access to a computer but if that doesn't work I plan to dig up and refurbish a rover.
Poob is available in all planets, moons, and dimensions!
Hi I've been stranded on Mars for about the equivalent of 1 Earth week and my crew probably thinks I'm dead by now. It's really boring up here. Is Poob available in space? I have access to a computer but if that doesn't work I plan to dig up and refurbish a rover.
Poob is available in all planets, moons, and dimensions!
"I ask for a picture and I get the Fonz?" - The Martian
Mark Watney is my space pirate hero.
How is the Ravenclaw movie NOT The Martian?!
All the houses as a movie please :)
Gryffindor:
Hufflepuff:
Ravenclaw:
Slytherin:
Given how humanity reacts to life in general, can we picture the INSANELY good memes that would have been made in the Martian universe while they tried to rescue Watney?
Successful Potato Challenge and Minnesota Give to the Max day fundraising for student space camp scholarships. After 24 hours of potatoes, over $10,000 was raised reaching the goal to receive an additional $10,000 donation match! Wow, that's a lot of education! Learn more about The Mars Generation who kicked off this effort: http://themarsgeneration.org
Potato Challenge
When: Thursday November 17th
What: 24 hrs... 12 oz of water... 10 medium potatoes... awesome prizes!
Who: You! Click here to sign up.
Why?? The purpose of eating only potatoes is to raise money to fund scholarships so kids can go to space camp! The potatoes of course is in honor of Mark Watney, from The Martian book by Andy Weir, who survived on Mars by eating mostly potatoes grown in his and his friends’ feces. This fundraiser is a part of the larger “Give to the Max Minnesota Day” Nov 17th, when local groups strive to raise awareness and money.
Details: Depending on how much money is raised you can add toppings and have other snacks. As of the time of posting you can’t even put salt or pepper on your potatoes! Here is the dollar amount vs topping chart and prize details.
Donate: Click here to give money for kids’ space camp scholarships.
NASA Intern Reviews The Martian Movie
Maybe I am biased saying that The Martian is a must see, inspiring, stellar movie because I eat, sleep and defecate space exploration. However I am not here to tell you how great it was cinematically but answer some questions folks are curious about. As a NASA intern can you share some of the accuracies and inaccuracies of The Martain? Understand that many from the space community hang up their lab coats before walking into the theater. With my unhealthy space obsession I was wearing my lab coat complete with googles and a pocket protector.
Dust Storm Astronauts of the Ares III mission are caught in a dust storm so fierce they are forced to scrub the mission and return to Earth early. This catastrophic events sounds socking leaving people to wonder, why would we want to explore such a hostile planet? Fortunately the scenario of a powerful dust storm is not possible due to Mars’ thin atmosphere, 100 times thinner than Earth’s. Mars does indeed have dust storms, in fact the largest dust storms in our solar system, they could not however knock anyone over. Author Andy Weir was aware of the inaccuracy even thinking of alternate openings but ultimately stuck with the dust storm opening.
Suiting Up Valiantly Mark Watney and the other astronauts quickly suited up to abort, perform tasks, or save a friend. The suits that are currently being used on board the International Space Station take around 15 minutes to don. Before astronauts perform Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs), like a space walk, they start testing and preparing suit a day before. Some activies the astronauts must perform to prep for an EVA include; Pre-breathe 100 percent oxygen for 30 minutes to remove nitrogen from their blood and tissue, Rub the helmet with anti-fog compound, Insert a food bar and water-filled bag, and Check the suit for leaks by increasing the pressure to 0.20 atm above the airlock pressure. Maybe the models of space suits in The Martian have advanced greatly and take seconds to put on. Today’s astronauts would sure be jealous.
Banter Joking between the crew members and sarcasm between NASA members was accurate. Performing missions can get stressful and comments like the astronauts made between each other during Mars rock excavation occurs to relieve tension. But sometimes astronauts simply have a sense of humor. I’m glad The Martian portrayed the human side of NASA.
Mission Control Portrayed as a dimly lit stock exchange room futuristic Johnson Space Center (JSC) Mission Control Center contains dozens of consoles where flight controllers operate mission from. The first big no no is housing employees responsible for critical dynamic troubleshooting in a dark sleepy room. Cinematically it made the labels for the various consoles Flight Director, CAPCOM, ADCO look really cool. Yes, the mission control center in JSC has cool light-up blue console name plates. A second no no is the high number of consoles filling the big room. A flight director would have problems communicating with such a large group especially while systems were failing.
I understand that so many positions in mission control were added to operate the new technologies needed to complete the Mars mission and I thought of a solution. Currently at JSC our front room mission control (FCR, pronounced “ficker”) is what everyone sees on TV with the iconic consoles and big displays. Behind the scenes the Multi-Purpose Support Room (MPSR, pronounced “mipser”) controllers troubleshoot issues and work on procedures as well. MPSRs could reduce the number of consoles needed for a Mars mission. MPSR controllers can still communicate their concerns on audio loops to their FCR leaders.
NASA Family Everyone was cheering to save Mark Watney and bring him home. NASA scientists, engineers, leaders, and the whole community came together working overtime to keep him alive. This sense of “NASA Family” is very real at NASA and is a state of community that you feel even after a few weeks onsite. During Apollo 13 you could sense everyone’s held breath and relief when they returned safely. You could feel a heavy weight and sorrow after the Columbia and Challenger disasters. Pride was presented boldly with waving flags, hugs and cheering after the Moon landing. NASA is a family innovating for the future and striving for more moments to cheer about.
Little Catches *Good the time delay in communication between Mars and Earth was accurately explained. *Why was that astrophysicist wearing a heavy coat at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and Johnson Space Center in Texas? *Our NASA Centers do not yet look that pristine, in fact a lot of them contain asbestos.
Sources My experience and… https://youtu.be/m2bkJQah_dE http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-suit6.htm http://stao.ca/gr6space/livinginspace/Donning%20a%20spacesuit%20_article.pdf http://www.space.com/16903-mars-atmosphere-climate-weather.html