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Questions tagged [the-martian]

A science fiction novel by Andy Weir framed as the journal of Mark Watney as he attempts to survive alone on Mars after being abandoned there in an emergency. In 2015 it was adapted into a film starring Matt Damon.

55 votes
2 answers
23k views

Are "The Expanse" and "The Martian" set in the same universe?

There is a passage from Babylon's Ashes, the sixth novel in James S.A. Corey's The Expanse series, which references a ship called "Mark Watney" (bold emphasis mine, italic author's): In the middle ...
Gallifreyan's user avatar
  • 20.6k
18 votes
2 answers
19k views

What happens to the HAB?

Is it explained what exactly happens that causes this? I watched the film in the U.S. and English isn't my first language, so some details may have been lost for me.
MicroMachine's user avatar
  • 1,250
26 votes
8 answers
27k views

Why does Mark use Hexadecimal to communicate?

In the movie Martian, why does Mark use Hexadecimal to communicate with NASA? Couldn't numerals from 0 to 9 sufficed for indicating the number corresponding to the alphabet?
MovieMe's user avatar
  • 461
18 votes
3 answers
5k views

What stopped the Ares IV MAV from toppling?

At the beginning of the film The Martian, part of the dialogue implies that one of the crew has the job of monitoring the MAV to check it is still upright. The importance of this job is clearly shown ...
Jonathan Corwin's user avatar
73 votes
3 answers
11k views

Why does Watney’s notebook in The Martian have four holes?

I just watched The Martian again and noticed something I missed the first time: Watney's notebook has four holes (instead of three) punched in the left margin, which means it's probably A4 in size (...
crmdgn's user avatar
  • 1,699
31 votes
2 answers
41k views

How did Mark Watney manufacture oxygen in The Martian?

The oxygen level throughout the movie remained at 20%. Why?
Mathav Raj's user avatar
20 votes
1 answer
23k views

What's going on with the ending of The Martian?

My library copy of The Martian by Andy Weir finishes with Mark's rescue by the rest of the Ares 3 crew. The last line is: This is the happiest day of my life. However, the LibraryThing page for ...
Micah's user avatar
  • 21.9k
8 votes
4 answers
6k views

How was the crew of the Ares 3 able to successfully get back to the Hermes?

In the first scene of "The Martian" a storm kicks up on the surface of Mars and the crew of the Ares 3 decide to abandon their mission and return to the Hermes. They quickly board the MAV ...
onewho's user avatar
  • 9,812
48 votes
2 answers
9k views

What happened to Mark Watney's entertainment pack?

In Andy Weir's "The Martian" a big sub-plot is how much he does not enjoy the music/TV that the other astronauts brought to Mars. Why doesn't he consume his own entertainment? Did I skip over the ...
Motti's user avatar
  • 1,669
45 votes
2 answers
8k views

In The Martian, how were the crew in the Hermes shielded from radiation?

I have not read the book of The Martian, but there was one glaring omission in the movie that struck me. How were the crew in the Hermes protected from radiation? In space, especially ...
Jeremy French's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
10k views

Was Mindy Park's ethnicity confirmed in the text of The Martian?

I spotted this article in the Guardian. The anger focuses on the character of Mindy Park, who is described as Korean-American in the book and played by white actor Mackenzie Davis Ridley Scott ...
Koldito's user avatar
  • 3,381
18 votes
2 answers
178k views

What did Mark Watney type about his cussing?

Right after he started communicating with Earth, Mark was warned (by Mission Control) that he needed to to stop cussing because the whole world could hear him. What did he type as a response?
helen pendland's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
8k views

How was MAV fuel plant able to make fuel using hydrogen so quickly in the end?

In The Martian (by Andy Weir) book, MAV fuel plant was able to make fuel using Martian atmosphere, but the process was slow. From Chapter 1: The most important piece of the advance supplies, of ...
user931's user avatar
  • 116k
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Survival of laptops in Mars' environment

In The Martian, Watney tries taking a laptop out of the hab to write down a message from Earth but: Then... How did the laptop survive? Is there any mention of this in the book which I missed?
Motti's user avatar
  • 1,669
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

How does Hermes get back to Earth?

After their readjustment, the Hermes is off trajectory to return to Earth. It is remarked that the have very little liquid fuel left to spare. The main engine would take a very long time to put them ...
davidtgq's user avatar
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