The science fiction movie The Martian, with actor Matt Damon, is quite entertaining and gives us an insight of what could be the era of planet exploration for mankind. Our passion for space travel was fueled by former US President Jack F. Kennedy with the race to the moon announced in 1961, shortly after the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA is now focusing on how to explore new planets sending robotic probes to determine if they are habitable since unexpected circumstances like a meteorite or extreme climate change may render planet Earth inhabitable. In the movie, the inhospitable Mars surface becomes even more challenging when a sand storm forces the evacuation of the Ares III mission crew. Astronaut Mark Watney (a botanist, played by Matt Damon) was accidentally left behind as the crew presumed him dead when his suit was pierced during the storm. Although humans cannot stand decompression in outer space for more than a minute, Mark survived miraculously when his blood clogged the hole in his suit. Driven by his mental strength, scientific knowledge, and survival instincts, Mark overcomes incredible challenges: including stitching himself to close a piercing bound to his abdomen, and creatively overcoming major food shortages. Aware that the next man mission to Mars will not arrive until 4 years later, Mark finds a way to cultivate potatoes to increase his food supply. Remarkably, while facing overwhelming odds, he remains physically and mentally strong and “sciences out” of every problem he encounters. Four months after the crew has departed, NASA finds out by comparing satellite pictures of the Mars surface that the astronaut is alive, and regular communications restart. NASA refuses initially to tell the Ares III crew that Mark is alive, but they finally give up and share the news with them. Without NASA’s consent, the crew unanimously decides to return to Mars and rescue Mark and bring him back to earth.

Mark is finally intercepted 561 days (1 year and a half) after he was left behind, by Commander Lewis and his fellow crew members. Once back in earth, Mark reflects how despite suffering tragic setbacks, an astronaut has to be ready to solve problems using his intuition and scientific knowledge. Mark makes this remark while addressing new astronauts and also reflects that he was well aware that he was struggling for “something greater than himself”. As astronaut Neil Armstrong expressed during the first human walk in the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Many challenges still remain for us to travel to Mars, not only distance ways but also how to avoid the radiation you will be exposed to given the very thin atmosphere which does not shield from cosmic radiation. Protective habitats and protective suits like the ones described in the movie have to be designed to minimize radiation exposure. NASA currently has a bid for origami designers that can come up with a shield that can be folded to reduce space during storage but can be expanded to be used in outside walks to reduce radiation. Ingenious designers also are looking into how to reduce the weight of the space suits while maintaining functionality.  Important challenges to overcome, as we move forward to explore our closest planetary neighbor: The Red Planet.

I really enjoyed the film The Martian, because it reconciled scientific endeavors and the will of the people, as well as the government, to help others. All through the movie, we see examples of people who are willing to sacrifice something in their own lives for the well-being of someone else. The crew of astronauts, a more obvious example, was willing to risk a future in space travel; the possibility of government chargers; potentially even their own lives; for the chance at rescuing a colleague and friend.

Yet the movie was very idealistic in this respect. When accounting for all the resources that were allotted to the rescue efforts, it seems unlikely that such efforts would be put in place if this situation were actually to arise. A minimum of a few hundred thousand dollars were spent on putting together the rocket that was to transport the relief supplies, had they not exploded in mid air without leaving the atmosphere. These risks did not seem realistic to me. I doubt that such an investment would have, in reality, been jeopardized by the director of NASA for an earlier launching date. As for the rescue mission, it did not seem realistic to me that everyone would have been on board with dumping thousands of dollars in supplies on a deserted planet, and not bringing back anything from lab analysis back on Earth.

It was, nevertheless, a pleasant change of pace that this movie capitalized on the best and more selfless aspects of human nature when it comes to taking care of others, however unrealistically these intentions manifested themselves.

At the end of The Martian, we see Mark Watney finally returning to home on Earth. This nearly two-year struggle however, was not overcome on his own. NASA, the China National Space Administration, and even his crew on Hermes all had a part in his rescue and return to Earth.  Everyone involved in his rescue could have simply chosen to go on with their lives and not pay Mark any mind. They could have assumed that the worst would happen—that he wouldn’t survive long enough for them to rescue him. Instead, countless people, most who do not have any direct affiliation with Mark, put blood, money, sweat, and tears to bring one man home.

In the novel, Mark claims that the only reason he survived was because “every human being has a basic instinct to help each other,” even if we might not act this way most of the time.

The Martian was a very interesting movie, mainly because it embodied the human will to survive no matter how adverse the environment. There Mark Watney was- alone on a deserted, red, sandy planet without sufficient food and in a shelter where the tiniest thing that goes awry could kill him. Yet Mark Watney somehow persevered- he used his knowledge, he got to work, and he sustained himself, beating all the odds. He figured out how to grow and harvest crops on Mars, subjected himself to eating exclusively potatoes every day, dug up a radioisotope generator to keep him war, and more. It speaks to a very primal, fundamental truth we all hold internally- that mankind is strong and no matter bad something looks, it can overcome. The film was also surprising in how it depicted the mindset that Mark had during his time on Mars. I would expect Mark to be depressed and lack motivation due to his very slim chances of survival, or I would expect him to counterbalance the lack of morale by reaffirming to himself that he could survive. But Mark remained cool and stoic. It seemed as if he didn’t take his situation as seriously as it seemed- he would laugh, listen to disco music, and joke that he would die. But his relatively jovial and easy-going manner is what kept him alive. As he said at the end of the movie when speaking to a group of younger students, he didn’t focus on the fact that he was going to die and let that phase him. Nor did Mark get overwhelmed by trying to boost his morale and convince himself that he would survive. He did not get caught up or obsessed in the matter of whether or not he could survive- rather he remained level-headed, simply sat down, and started doing problems, and eventually did enough math that he was able to go home (as he said at the end of the movie).

While watching Ridley Scott’s, The Martian, it is easy to get lost in the stunning scenery, the tense conversations within NASA, or Mark Watney’s struggle to survive by himself. However, what really stood out to me is that in the movie, there was a deeply rooted interest in space and its exploration by all parties that far exceeds what we have in todays world.

When Watney is supposed to be rescued by his crew, enormous viewing events are taking place in some of the most popular destinations on Earth such as Times Square and Trafalgar Square. Continuing on, throughout the movie, NASA directors reference future missions spanning decades of years thereby showing the prominent government backing for space exploration. This, along with the 70’s disco music, harkens back decades when space exploration was one of the trop priorities for governments. However, it would seem almost outlandish to suggest that a similar event would happen today’s world. Society as a whole has lost its passion for space and governments have followed suit by cutting funding for organizations such as NASA in favor of funding other sectors such as the military.

Though space travel can be costly, private companies, such as SpaceX, are making huge breakthroughs in the field. By finding a way to reuse rockets, the cost of space travel can be reduced dramatically. Moreover, I think space exploration is something that should be heavily invested in. By engaging more in space exploration, we can gain a better understanding of the cosmos and the findings could lead to technological breakthroughs. Additionally, finding planets with abundant resources and habitable conditions will allow for society to combat overpopulation and resources in short supply.

This film was one of many to explore the idea of space exploration at the time of its release and I think it did a wonderful job of combining many aspects to create a comprehensive and enjoyable movie.

Ridley Scott’s The Martian features Matt Damon playing the role of US astronaut Mark Watney.  The movie starts with Watney and the rest of his crew exploring Mars; when a storm hits, Watney’s crew assumes he’s dead when they witness him getting hit by flying debris.  However, once the crew is already on their way back to Earth, we find out that Watney is obviously still alive.  When he finds out that everyone is gone, he remains surprisingly calm in this overwhelming situation.  He immediately goes and rations out his crew’s food so that he doesn’t go hungry, and he goes through their supplies to see if there is anything of which he can make use.  He doesn’t stop there, though.  Because he is a botanist, Watney devises a plan to plant potatoes to last him for a long period of time; he also takes steps to contact NASA from Mars, which he does successfully.  NASA devises a plan to bring him supplies, but his crew decides to save him by “catching” the supplies as they slingshot around Earth and head back to Mars.  At the end of the movie, the crew miraculously rescues Watney as he “flies” out of his ship.

The theme of this movie is simple and appears in many other movies—such as Gravity—as well: even though someone is faced with almost impossible odds to survive, human perseverance will always prevail in the end.  This movie takes this idea to the extreme: a man is left on another planet on his own and only has the available supplies and his intellect to allow for continued survival.  The entire situation is against him, but he stays determined: “I am not going to die.”  Everything seems to go his way as he is able to stay alive when he’s hit by debris (despite his suit being punctured), successfully plant his own crops, flawlessly communicate with Earth without any technological problems, and propel himself to the exact location so he can be caught.  Although the theme is unoriginal and his rescue seems highly unlikely given everything that had to go right, I still enjoyed The Martian.  The idea of human perseverance is still inspiring, and the great acting on Matt Damon’s part seems to make the movie’s plot seem plausible.

In the midst of everything the space epic, The Martian, offers lies an interesting question regarding the inherent value of life. The movie’s plot revolved around a rescue mission of an astronaut that was mistakingly left on Mars during an emergency evacuation. As implausible as such an event may seem today, the implications of how to tackle the situation is something that is quite relevant. This brings us to the question that arises when viewing the film: is it worth risking lives and vast resources for one individual’s life, and if so, why? Say NASA decided that it wasn’t worth the money and risk of losing more lives to save Watney (the protagonist) of the film. Likely, as this news was released, media attention and public outrage would only worsen NASA’s reputation to the public, which could very well lead to even more cuts in aeronautics & space research funding. On the other hand, if NASA did attempt a rescue mission, and failed to bring Watney back, or worse, resulted in more lives lost, NASA would have again faced global scrutiny. The film conveniently shows us the results of what a successful rescue of human life could entails, though such success would be very improbable given the circumstances. Crowds of individuals across not only the nation, but the world, stood together cheering for the success of the mission. Although the movie describes the safe return and progression of Watney, we are told very little about the large-scale impacts of the mission. Does this successful rescue increase financial and public support for NASA? Do we see more transnational collaboration focusing on space exploration and inhabitance? Regardless, looking at all the outcomes, the logical conclusion seems to be that the risks for a dramatic rescue mission are too high to be worth taking a chance on. Humans aren’t always drawn to logic, however, and emotion plays a large role in the decisions we ultimately make. Plus, changing The Martian to a movie where the world simply doesn’t try to rescue Watney would be very puzzling.

The Martian is a movie adapted from the book of the same name by Andy Weir. It follows an astronaut, Mark Watney, who is abandoned on Mars, and the attempt to bring him back to earth. The movie features the themes of individualism and cooperation, which is a rather ironic pairing considering that they are opposites.

For the bulk of the screen time, the movie follows Watney and his attempt to survive on Mars, following his crew’s abandonment of him. Watney begins to talk to himself, makes computer logs, farms, and even cracks jokes when no one is around. This highlights the theme of individualism in the movie, as he becomes completely self-sufficient as his survival is dependent on it. The storyline of Watney on Mars is not the only place where individualism can be seen. It can also be seen by looking at the crew, after they left Watney, as an individual unit. They at one point, defy NASA’s commands by rerouting their flight pattern to return to Mars and recover Watney. Even the commander of the crew, Melissa Lewis, also makes a series of tough decisions in the movie, from leaving Watney on Mars in the beginning to deciding she must save him herself at the end to further highlight this theme.

The theme of cooperation is also heavily explored in this movie. After Watney is found to be alive on Mars, NASA tries to do everything in its power to bring him back; teams in NASA communicate and work together to devise plans for how they should bring him home. One notable occurrence of this is the back and forth cooperation between the NASA administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to construct a vessel to carry supplies in an incredibly short amount of time. There is even cooperation between the CNSA and NASA when the first iteration of the supply rocket malfunctions, and NASA uses the CNSA’s resources to launch another rocket and resupply the Hermes.  The film juxtaposes these themes in a way that provides a rather unique feeling of both individual and group achievement.

The Martian, starring Matt Damon, is in my eyes a fairly unique movie that did a lot of things right. Probably one of the most intriguing aspects of the movie overall is the semi-hidden but fairly obvious message regarding Mark Watney’s(Matt Damon’s) time alone on Mars. After being left behind on Mars by his fellow astronauts due to a series of unfortunate events, Mark awakens to find himself on Mars, alone. Soon coming to the realization that he only has less than half the food he needs to make it to the next potential supply drop he is left with the very real chance that he might die on Mars. It is at this point that I feel like myself and most others would have probably given up on any hope of surviving. However, Mark teaches us that having perseverance and the patience to solve one large problem after another will eventually lead to a solution, in this case Marks reunion with his team mates. Thus, The Martian conveys this powerful message in a way that in some ways is not relevant to many as not everyone is a scientist on Mars, yet in reality, is relevant to everyone. Almost everyone has major problems in their life that get them down or make them want to give up; however, this movie demonstrates that by solving one small problem at a time, a much bigger obstacle can be overcome.

Yet, the Martian isn’t just about trying to convey a message, at the same time it is still a movie for the purpose of story telling and entertainment. The Martian has a fair amount of comedic relief that really adds a lot to the overall experience and makes the movie not only more enjoyable but also more realistic.  By adding in jokes regarding not only his situation, but also about his fellow team mates who were not with him at the time, it allows us to get a sense of who not only who Mark is as a person, but also what his team mates are like while at the same time providing humorous moments which allow us to relax after many of the more tense situations. I’d say overall the Martian is definitely worth watching not only for the inspirational story but also for the comedy and overall story as well.

Perhaps the best thing about The Martian is its pro-science tone. The entire premise of the film is the use of math and science to solve problems. Watching the film, it’s hard not to be inspired by its message that human ingenuity can overcome just about anything. There is also some good science in The Martian. However, the presence of good science only draws attention to some of the films more glaring errors and irritating choices.

The film is set in the year 2035. Mark Watney is a botanist on a manned mission to Mars. A severe sandstorm forces the crew to abort their mission, as the force of the storm is forceful enough to tip their ascent vehicle, potentially trapping them on Mars. During the trip for the habitat pod to the ascent vehicle, Watney is struck by flying debris, and left behind by the rest of the crew, who presume he has been killed. The rest of the film follows Mark Watney’s efforts to remain alive until he can be rescued.

Later in the film, Watney accidently blows up part of the habitat pod, leaving an open hole. He patches this hole with a what looks like a plastic sheet held in place by duct tape. Given that it has been established that Mars get incredibly violent sandstorms, I don’t know that I would be comfortable with only a flimsy plastic tarp between myself and horrible death. Why doesn’t it break? And, given that Watney was able to make water out of rocket fuel and farm on mars, is that really the best he can do? Also, where did he get more oxygen to depressurize the HAB after it blew open? It’s theoretically possible that Watney’s Mars mission has a device to make oxygen from materials on Mars, but I feel the film doesn’t explain this well enough.

Further, the film’s upbeat tone completely glosses over the long-term health consequences of extended time in space. Watney is eventually rescued by his crew, who decide to turn their ship around using a gravity assist and travel back to Mars to pick him up. Because of this, they significantly add to their time spent in space. Watney also spends a lot of time on Mars with no radiation shielding. Of course, in 2035 we could well have invented solutions like radiation proofing for space suits and the habitat pod Watney lives in, and the space ship his crew travels in. But mentioning the potential consequences of long term space travel might feel more honest in a movie that seems a little too upbeat at times.

I would recommend watching The Martian. It’s entertaining and has a nice pro-science message. But, be ready to suspend your disbelief.

The Martian, a 2015 film starring Matt Damon, became one of my favorite movies ever last Friday evening. The movie details an astronaut by the name of Mark Watney who is accidentally deserted by his team on Mars, and his quest to make it back to Earth alive.

The movie has a few themes, one of which is isolation. Mark is stranded on Mars alone and it goes without saying that he does not even have a cell phone or anyway to reach planet Earth. While I do consider myself to be fairly independent, I could not imagine being out of contact with everyone I knew for months. Throughout the movie, Mark records video diaries of what he is doing, as if he knows that one day he may return to planet earth. This confidence is what drove Mark to in some way try to survive.

In order to survive, Mark uses science to farm food, move around to different locations on Mars, and eventually launch himself into orbit. I think Mark’s optimism and problem solving techniques are what make this movie so enjoyable. Mark rarely seems devastated by his isolationism or problems. This serves as a reminder of how powerful the human mind can be if you simply stay positive.

Another interesting part of the movie is how much support his team and other members of NASA had for him once they found out he was alive. In fact, the entire world came together to watch the attempted rescue. This helps to illustrate the theme of teamwork. The other 5 individuals risked their lives and added 500+ days to their mission to save Mark, even though they were originally advised not to go back.

“The Martian” was a great movie due to the acting, the story line, the special effects, and the themes. I would recommend this movie to all.

Life as a Cornell student is constant problem-solving. Problems on paper, when there are instructions that guide us. And problems off paper, when there are no instructions, no guide, just us. Those problems are often pretty scary. We have to be independent, and we have to use whatever resources are within our grasp. The Martian investigates this same dilemma. Of course, Mark Watney’s dilemma is much more intense than those we often face. But just like us at some point, he finds himself alone. He has to apply his scientific knowledge, make use of the resources in the HAB, and somehow remain mentally stable to survive. It’s a powerful film because it challenges us to imagine ourselves in Mark’s position. In the end, after enduring so many catastrophic problems, Mark sees a light at the end of the tunnel and survives. That’s enlightening for us to see because we often don’t see that light until the end either.

In the film The Martian, we see a man faced with impossible odds and who displays an indomitable will to survive. Mark Watney is an astronaut on a scientific mission to Mars. He gets left behind when his crew rapidly evacuates in a dust storm, and wakes up to find himself alone on the red planet. After only a short time in despair, he falls back on his scientific knowledge and begins working out what it will take for him to survive until a rescue mission can retrieve him. Through a combination of ingenuity and sheer determination, he begins growing his own food, exploring the surface of Mars, and eventually rigging up communication with NASA that ultimately results in him returning home.

While the GRF mentioned that we should think about the theme of isolation during the movie, I found that the story was overwhelmingly optimistic and did not delve into Mark’s seclusion as much as I thought it would. Instead, there were constant references to his relationship with his crew, their relationships with their families, and the interactions between people back on Earth. Though Mark was alone on Mars, he had the vast majority of the human race rooting for him back on Earth. This was a powerfully optimistic story about humanity uniting for a common cause. For once, everybody lives. And when Mark returns to Earth, instead of retreating into a comfortable retirement, he works to educate and inspire the next generation of astronauts. As someone who nearly died millions of miles from home, it would be reasonable for him to dissuade people from traveling into space. But he sees the intrinsic value in exploring the stars and building the space program, so he doesn’t give up. And neither does humanity.

On Friday we watched the Martian in the Flora Rose Cafeteria. The movie is about an astronaut who is on a manned mission to mars when a horrible storm hits. During the storm the main character gets knocked by debris and is presumed dead and left behind. We quickly learn that he is alive and must survive for a long time on the planet by himself. In order to survive he must create water to farm food and he is able to farm potatoes using his botany knowledge. In the end the scientists at NASA are able to find a way to bring him home alive after a lot of debate.

An interesting theme in the movie is isolationism. Many novels and movies address this theme but literally being on a different planet is an extreme version of this. Throughout the movie we see how the isolationism affects how he handles his problems and how he handles the communications with NASA. The amazing thing that he does automatically is something that many people wouldn’t be able to do in this situation- have hope. From the first second that he realizes he is alone he starts doing productive things that will increase his chance of survival. Yet when he finally makes contact with NASA he gets annoyed and they equally get annoyed with him. In addition we see him starting to feel slightly crazy but still holding on to the hope to be saved. We truly see his eagerness to return when he shaves his beard and cuts his hair on the day that he starts to begin the process of being saved. Overall, this movie hits the theme of being isolated and holding on to hope at the same time.

This movie describes the fictional story of an astronaut suriving on the Mars alone before being rescued about two years later.

The knowledge used by the protagonist will proabably never be used in our daily life but it is the spirit of the character  which we can learn from. He encountered tremendous odds while he was on the mars but he never gave up on hope. In our life we probably will not face the lethal situations which he faced, yet we never should give up either. We should just start working while facing difficulties.

Another thing we should learn from the movie is the spirit of cooperation. There is limit on the capability of individual human beings but with the power of cooperation human can do much more. I will also seek cooperation in my future career for greater accomplishments.

I had read the novel version of The Martian but was curious about the movie. Like most films, the movie skipped some details from the book, however I do know that films have limited time and can only add the most essential details. One specific detail that was skipped, however, was when astronaut Mark Watney lost communication with NASA after uncovering Pathfinder. It was a crucial point in Watney’s mental health and NASA’s hopes to rescue him. I will say, this was one of the only faults in this movie that I couldn’t rationalize. I honestly enjoyed the movie and it’s star-studded cast. Typically when a cast is only full of well-known actors the plot of the movie is terrible and the film itself is only for money. This is not the case in The Martian. All in all, I rate the movie 8/10!

I had previously seen The Martian but never thought much about the scientific accuracy of the movie. After watching it with a STEM major, I now know that it is completely plausible sending a botanist to space. This, however, seems completely unnecessary. I think NASA would rather teach the astronauts how to plant seeds or collect samples than send an inexperienced botanist who has no background in engineering or space. I consider that a major lapse in the plot. Furthermore, Mars only has about 30% of the gravity we have on Earth, so Mark Watney would not have been perusing his potatoes like that, he would have drifted away. Also, the scene where he performs surgery on himself is so out of this world to the point where it’s not credible. All of these errors coupled with the fact that the movie is a solid 2 hours of him blithely vlogging about his potatoes made this re-watch agonizing.

We gathered together last Friday to watch the Martian. I had never seen the film before and I was pleasantly surprised when I finally did.  I was amazed at how the main character, Mark Watney, was determined to survive on Mars, despite all of the odds that were against him. There were moments where the isolation from society was really taking a toll on him, but he never lost hope that he would be found.  This story taught me a lot about the resilience of man and that no matter how hard things get, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

If you have not seen The Martian this contains spoilers. You have been warned.

Can we just talk about the fact that Mark Watney managed to grow potatoes on Mars? I think this exemplifies the importance of knowing how to grow food. I know the vast majority of us will never be forced to grow food in space but it is a very useful life skill. Without plants we would all die due to lack of food. (Side note I am not a plant science major but shoutout to all the plant science majors). We all eat food everyday (at least I hope we all do) but how many of us actually think about where that food come from and how its grown. How many of us if put in a survival situation would be able to grow our own food? How many of us if we were dropped in the middle of the woods would know which plants are edible or inedible. I personally have know some survival skills (i.e. shelter building, fire building, etc) however after discussing it with a friend it is clear that many people lack the skill necessary to survive in an emergency situation. I think this has made me reflect on what survival skills I possess and what skills I need to learn. I know a lot of people spend their lives indoors and hate going into the woods so it seems abstract but they are important skills that are necessary for survival in an emergency situation.

I would also like to say it is incredible that he managed to fix so many things with duct tape. While I think duct tape is useful for fixing things I don’t think it would ever be able to airlock the hub. I know these are really random thoughts but overall the movie was amazing and as a science nerd I loved it.

I was always asked the question – what would you bring if you were left on a deserted island knowing you can never come back to civilization? I would think very seriously and pretend I really know the only three items I’d be living with the rest of my life. However, I really don’t know how I would feel if I was left alone-hopeless on Mars, abandoned by the team, suffering with limited food and water.

How does it feel to be so fortunate to survive after severe injury, but only to find out there is only around 300 days left until starving to death. The most memorable part, however, was that Mark did not take the time to mourn over death, but to solve one problem after another until the rescue team comes–or not. He always have that positive attitude, that make this whole story even funny to watch. He joked about his hopeless situation, “complained” about captain’s horrible music taste, and moved on after failures.

I’m not a big fan of movies like this, mainly because I think they are too imaginary and does not really have implications in our reality and the stressful life we are dealing with especially at Cornell. However, I do think this movie offers something more. The whole world was concerned of Mark’s situation, and they all shed tears when he was finally rescued. China gave up their own program to help rescuing this astronaut. That is the beauty of humanity, and it is especially important under the current unstable, insecure environment we are experiencing. The movie broadcasted the idea that China is not the “source of evil” but a partner to the rescue, and the world shared their emotions as if it is one family, united. Why can’t this be the reality?