The Martian

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove) 02/06/2016 at 15:57 • Filed to: None

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Watched the movie last night. Good flick. I’ve heard the book is better, and now I think I’ll go read it.

When Mat Damon ditches his rover to lift off from Mars, he leaves a little note for whoever finds it, and I couldn’t help saying “ran when parked!”

Maybe that means I’ve been spending too much time here, but probably not.

My favorite part of the whole movie is a bit obscure. It’s when one of the female astronauts is handing the bomb to her crew mate in the airlock and she kisses his helmet. It’s a sudden little thing I didn’t expect, and it brought home the realization that these people had been living and working in close quarters under stress for a long time; so, of course they will bond. She had a crush on him that she couldn’t let show until she was afraid she’d never get to tell him. Then, during the “where are they now” segment during the credits, you see the two of them watching the launch with their new baby. It's the little things like this that make a good movie great.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 16:10

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My favourite part: the rover. I’d totally drive one.

Funny thing that broke immersion for me: seeing that the tires on it were pneumatic (or at least looked like it). I’m not sure it’d make sense for them to be pneumatic, as I imagine they’d weigh a lot more than if they weren’t. The tires on the original lunar rover were sort of a wire mesh.

Goggles Pizzano > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 16:27

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Saw it a few weeks ago. Thought it was okay. Wait, what? Matt Damon was in that?

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 17:18

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The book is fantastic. I started reading it on the flight out to new York as part of Southwests free ebooks then I bought it at laguardia before leaving for home. Finished it Monday night. Now I just have to wait for the wife to read it before seeing the movie. But from what I hear he deserves an oscar for it

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Goggles Pizzano 02/06/2016 at 17:18

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I love the letter “U"

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 17:20

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Good movie, but it left a lot of details out as one would expect when trying to condense down a good book. The book goes into a lot more technical detail not covered in the movie. It also has a lot more cursing if that offends you.

I listened to the book via Audible. Kept my ears busy on the last long trip to visit relatives. Highly recommended for folks who are technically minded. It's probably too much for people who don't like detailed problem solving.

1111111111111111111111 > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 17:29

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I would totally recommend the aubible version. It was pretty immersive, great read.

1111111111111111111111 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/06/2016 at 17:31

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Mars gravity is about 40% earth, and moon is 16%. That might do it right there.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > 1111111111111111111111 02/06/2016 at 17:43

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Good point.

Dusty Ventures > 1111111111111111111111 02/06/2016 at 17:46

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The weight of the tires on Mars isn’t the issue, it’s about the amount of energy required to get the objects out of our atmosphere and to Mars. The rule of thumb in rocketry is that 90% of the mass of a rocket has to be fuel. Let’s say you’re launching a 1,000 pound rover with pneumatic tires. That means you’d need 9,000 pounds of fuel to get it into space. If you can save just 40 pounds by using wire wheels like on the lunar rover, that’s 360 pounds of fuel you just saved.

1111111111111111111111 > Dusty Ventures 02/06/2016 at 17:54

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I was just saying there would be more stress on wheels on the mars because of the increased gravity. Inerta remains the same, but they would take a bigger beating. So it may make sense to use a heavier duty tire.

coqui70 > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 18:49

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Every kid needs to see this movie. Fucking Science Indeed!

Jayhawk Jake > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 19:36

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The movie was a very good adaptation. The book has a slightly different ending and a few more things go horribly wrong for Watney than the movie. It's worth a read, or a listen on audiobook

Chariotoflove > Jayhawk Jake 02/06/2016 at 19:57

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Thanks!

Chariotoflove > Goggles Pizzano 02/06/2016 at 20:00

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I know. I was watching with my wife and tried very hard to not drool out of respect. The wife is also a redhead. I have a special weakness for strong redheads.

Chariotoflove > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 02/06/2016 at 20:01

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He very much carries the movie with his soliloquies.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 02/06/2016 at 20:03

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I like technical as long it doesn't go too far off the path of the plot. The great thing about a book is that you can skim parts that are less to your liking (although I never do).

Chariotoflove > coqui70 02/06/2016 at 20:04

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I would agree except that the language is a little too salty for my 10 year old. That's the only reason we didn't let her watch. She could definitely handle the rest of it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 02/06/2016 at 20:22

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Agreed. Although I was disappointed that the movie left out many of the technical challenges. Hydrazine + catalyst + fire = water! Sure, but there are other problems which had to be addressed. There was discussion about the cold in the rover, but no discussion about the complexities of using his selected heat source. They also glossed over where he slept at night during his trip.

I could go on, but don’t want to reveal any spoilers.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 02/06/2016 at 21:06

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You’re right. I kept thinking, for instance, about how if it takes so much battery power to run his cabin heater, then why not stay in the EVA suit and run most life support off that? Also, being a chemist, I would have liked to see more of that stuff explained in detail. It’s problem solving like that that makes the space program so cool. But, most people would find it bogs down a two hour movie. So, I understand that.