Question: How is Mark communicating with the crew members through his headset when he is in the MAV? Why didn't they do that to begin with, instead of doing the alphabet thing with earth?
Grumpy Scot
18th May 2016
The Martian (2015)
27th Feb 2016
The Martian (2015)
Question: Watney digs up the plutonium and places it in the rover. Why is the rover so cold later after the HAB blows up?
Answer: He used the RTG to warm the rover on his trip to get Pathfinder. Once he returned he buried it again, since it posed a radiation hazard.
I rechecked the book. He did NOT rebury it. In fact, he tore out extra insulation inside the rover so the interior would not get too warm during his upcoming trip to the other landing site. The RTG was, in fact, an integral part of his equipment for the journey. However, by tearing out an appropriate amount of insulation, he pointed out that the heat from the RTG would leak out some during regular operation. But sitting unoccupied for a while, enough heat might have leaked out to make it chilly.
Answer: Is that mentioned in the book? Don't remember it being mentioned, but I can recheck.
27th Feb 2016
The Martian (2015)
Question: In the movie, the stripped down capsule that Mark is in tumbles uncontrollably through space. Admittedly it was a non-standard launch, but since this was the standard return vehicle, how was it intended to rendezvous/dock with the mothership? Wouldn't there be maneuvering thrusters?
Answer: He removed the thrusters to save weight for the launch.
17th Feb 2016
The Martian (2015)
Question: When the HAB blows and he loses his crop of potatoes, how do the other potatoes already harvested survive? They are just sitting in trays in the HAB and surely should have been destroyed by the vacuum.
Answer: Given the thin atmosphere and cold, the potatoes would have been nearly instantly frozen and partially dehydrated. They would still be edible and nutritious.
Indeed-in the book, he mentions storing the extra potatoes in bags outside, so they would freeze and not rot. This especially came into play when he was making the journey to the other landing site.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: The same storm that marooned Watney destroyed the Hab's communications dish. The Hab couldn't directly communicate with Earth. The MAV had a communications system built in that was fully functional. How could he do that to begin with when the MAV at Ares 4 was 3200km from the Hab at Ares 3?
Grumpy Scot