"The Martian": Closely Accurate Portrayal of Space in Science Fiction

By Kaia Paul

Trapped in a violent storm of dust and debris, astronaut Mark Watney struggles to reach his ship and escape Mars’ harsh climate. Suddenly, a large metal plate strikes Watney unconscious, leaving him stranded on this foreign planet as the rest of his crew escapes to Earth. Left in a precarious situation, Watney must utilize his limited resources and scientific acumen to survive alone on Mars. 

Andy Weir’s 2011 science fiction novel The Martian, starring Watney as an abandoned astronaut, was a sensational success. It quickly became a New York Times’ #1 Best Seller, was adapted into a major motion picture film, and received nine nominations by the 21st Critics' Choice Awards. The book demonstrates several adversities an astronaut would face on Mars and proposes creative, scientifically accurate solutions for each predicament.

The novel is centered around one major conflict: creating water. Using the principles of chemistry, Watney artificially produces H₂O (two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom) by extracting oxygen from the carbon dioxide in Mars' atmosphere and hydrogen from burning rocket fuel in a chemical reaction. The procedure allows Watney to create H₂O (water) and helps him survive for 414 days on Mars. This method is highly feasible, as Weir dedicated hours of research to ensure that the events in The Martian are as scientifically accurate as possible.

In fact, an article from Vox states, “Mumma [the founding director of NASA’s Goddard Center for Astrobiology] confirmed that you can extract oxygen and hydrogen from those sources, even if collecting a useful amount of carbon dioxide from the thin Martian air is tough.” 

Weir also needed a method for Watney to protect himself against solar flares and cosmic rays, which are normally shielded by Earth’s magnetic field. Although most radiation could be deflected by plastic, Watney would need a stronger substance to block the more potent particles. 

Weir addresses this issue, saying, “That's actually one of the biggest challenges to sending a manned mission to Mars. I just said that in the intervening time they'd invented some kind of material that takes care of it.”

Interestingly, the fictional material Weir came up with in 2011 parallels NASA’s current development of hydrogen boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs): a strong, radiation-deflecting, heat resistant, and flexible material that can be woven into space suits.

Orbital mechanics also pose a challenge for Watney. In order for him to receive help, NASA must wait 180 days for Earth and Mars to align at their closest distance from each other. It would then take 234 days for the spacecraft to reach Watney, making the total travel time 414 days. While this method, known as the Hohmann transfer, was traditionally used by NASA, researcher Edward Belbruno discovered a shorter route using a weak stability transfer (WSB) in 1987. 

Belbruno says, “It's important to note that WSB transfers have been used several times before, in missions to the moon. The first was completed in 1991, by the Japanese spacecraft Hiten.”

This fast and successful procedure involves launching the spacecraft into Mars’ orbit, then propelling itself towards the planet. Unlike the Hohmann transfer, which sends the spacecraft directly to Mars, the WSB allows NASA to launch at any time without waiting for perfect planetary alignment. This method would have saved 120 days of flight time and allowed Watney to get home sooner.

Andy Weir’s The Martian is a creative blend of scientific accuracy and imaginative storytelling, demonstrating the challenges and innovative solutions required to survive on Mars. Weir’s incorporation of man-vs-nature conflicts, such as water production, radiation protection, and orbital mechanics, exemplifies the importance of scientific problem-solving in foreign environments. Several of these solutions in Weir’s book are comparable to modern astronautical advancements, proving that The Martian was truly ahead of its time.