I quickly came to see the bigger picture, that working together was a positive. When NASA started working with the Russians in the early 1990s, I was a skeptic (I grew up during the Cold War). I won't describe these liberties in detail here - so as not to give the film away - but, you will know them when you see them: During the attempt to rescue Watney, more thrust is needed (shades of Star Trek's "More power, Scotty!") the two solutions attempted were not credible.Īlso, the depictions of NASA and international relations, especially with China, are somewhat simplified. Yes, they increased the drama of the moment, but they were not believable and I think the film would have been just as exciting without them.
#The martian spacecontrol movie#
The movie takes a few major technical/operational liberties, but only two really bothered me. " Geez, wasn't there anyone involved in the making of this film willing to correct them (should be pronounced "air-mez")? Surprisingly, there really weren't any "cool" sci-fi gadgets, which actually made the film ring true.Ī few minor errors caused me some irritation, like depicting zero-G EVA without the use of safety tethers, and the pronunciation of the name of the mother ship, "Hermes." Everyone in the movie calls it "her-meez. And having been an EVA specialist myself, I drooled over the film's expansive airlock that astronauts walk into, with ample room to spare! The movie glosses over certain things, like the "oxygenator," which presumably converts something into oxygen (maybe water). Of course, the spacesuits look much cooler than the real ones I used. From a technical perspective, the hardware depicted in the film looks pretty good. Not just the mission, but also several aspects of the physical reality of the movie are convincing. (Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.) Matt Damon appears as a stranded astronaut on Mars in 'The Martian' motion picture, coming to theaters in November 2015. You have to believe that you are going to survive, and practice how you are going to do it. A big part of ISS training involves drills in isolating leaks and toxic-chemical release, as well as fighting and retreating from fire. When I was the EVA leader of the second major ISS-assembly Space Shuttle mission, it became almost my obsession to make sure we had thought through and practiced for every little thing that could go wrong during our EVAs.ĭuring survival training, new astronaut candidates are drilled in never giving up. This is how we are evaluated, but more importantly, this is how we evaluate ourselves.ĭuring the assembly phase of the International Space Station (ISS), each assembly mission had to succeed in order for the following mission to work. It is in our nature to want to achieve or exceed mission objectives.
This seems true to life.Īstronauts have a deep sense of mission, and a strong will to survive.
#The martian spacecontrol how to#
In those cases, it is up to individual and collective creativity to solve the problem and try for a good outcome. The movie holds up on this account.Īt this point in the film, Watney must figure out how to let NASA know that he is alive, and how to extend his resources, so he can survive until a rescue mission can be mounted. Astronauts and NASA think through every scenario as thoroughly as possible, and plan for every reasonable contingency. The movie portrays the operational side of things pretty well. It would appear that he has survived his injuries and near suffocation, only to face starvation. The life-support systems are working, but he has no communication with the crew or mission control back on Earth. After collecting himself and taking stock of the situation, he comes to understand that while he is safe for the moment, he has only enough food for a little more than 30 days. He wakes up, realizes his situation and stumbles into the habitation module of the Mars base.
His suit is beeping, with a voice alarm warning him of low remaining oxygen. (Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)Īfter the storm passes, the audience sees Watney lying face down.
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