How much of The Martian is accurate?

The movie is mostly accurate, but misses the presence of perchlorates in the Martian regolith which meant that Mark Watney would not have been able to grow potatoes in it unless it had been washed in water first to remove it.
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What is the biggest inaccuracy in The Martian?

The least plausible thing about the story was the force of Martian winds -- at less than 1% of Earth atmospheric pressure, even a big storm on Mars wouldn't lift anything other than the finest grains of dust. Both the initial accident and the flapping of the makeshift hab repair job make no sense given that fact.
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What parts of The Martian are unrealistic?

The most unrealistic thing about the film “The Martian” is the only unrealistic thing about it: the dust storm at the beginning. Dust storms on Mars cannot get strong enough to cause those kinds of problems.
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Is the storm in The Martian realistic?

Unlike dust devils on Earth and depicted in the movie, actual Martian dust devils are wispy and thin and form from the ground up. This differs to those shown in the movie as they descend from clouds but there just simply isn't enough atmosphere for that to actually occur as tornadoes do on Earth.
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How realistic is the Hermes from The Martian?

While the Hermes is a work of fiction, it's based in well established science. The first ideas a spacecraft traveling between Earth and Mars are nearly a century old. In 1925 Walter Hohmann proposed an elliptical orbit between the two worlds.
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NASA Scientists Fact-Check “The Martian"

What is the most glaring error in The Martian?

Let's get the big one out of the way nice and early: The dust storm that sets everything in motion at the start of the movie is not accurate. Although Mars does get dust storms, the atmospheric pressure is so low that the wind is negligible, although the dust itself can be harmful.
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How scientifically correct is The Martian?

The Martian was as realistic as the author knew how to make it. But he did get several things wrong. Martian windstorms are not as powerful as depicted. While they have really high velocity, the atmosphere is closer to a vacuum than anything else.
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Where is the F word in The Martian movie?

At about the 23:30 mark there is a "F you, Mars." One use of 'Jesus' at 23:35.
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Could potatoes grow on Mars?

While most of the native potatoes died shortly after their roots entered the 'Martian' soil, a few of them and most of the LTVR clones managed to grow and produce potatoes.
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Was there a body double in The Martian?

Matt Damon Used A Body Double Instead Of Going Christian Bale For The Martian - IMDb. It's not uncommon for an actor to change their body for a role. If they're portraying a professional athlete for instance, they may want to get into peak physical condition in order to better embody the character.
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Are there two versions of The Martian?

In June of 2016, an extended cut was released on Blu-Ray and Ultra HD 4K Blu-Ray that adds 10 additional minutes of footage: Extended footage of Watney shortly after his abandonment, waking up in the habitat.
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What is the main problem in The Martian?

The main conflict of The Martian is Mark Watney getting stuck on Mars while his crew mates and the rest of Earth think he's dead. That is called dramatic irony and there is a lot of it this book. In The Martian, Mark is fighting against Mars to survive.
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Why is The Martian so good?

The film's attention to detail and commitment to realism immerse viewers in the challenges and triumphs of interplanetary survival. Director Ridley Scott's vision brings to life both the desolate beauty of the Martian landscape and the collective determination of humanity to overcome adversity.
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What is the big three in The Martian?

Before then, he needs to modify the rovers, turning one into a trailer so that he can carry the “Big Three”—the atmospheric regulator, oxygenator, and water reclaimer—with him.
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How long was Mark Watney on Mars?

Given that the Hermes originally left Mars on sol 18 of their mission, Mark spent 531 sols by himself on Mars. In other words, Mark Watney was left alone on Mars for 546 Earth days.
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Why does Mark Watney cut a hole in the Rover?

At the conclusion of the 2015 film 'The Martian' astronaut Mark Watney cuts a hole in his space suit, and uses the escaping air as a mini thruster in order to make it to his rescuers.
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Is there oxygen on Mars?

Mars atmosphere composition

According to ESA, Mars' atmosphere is composed of 95.32% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and 0.13% oxygen. The atmospheric pressure at the surface is 6.35 mbar which is over 100 times less Earth's. Humans therefore cannot breathe Martian air.
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How long is a day on Mars?

Mars is a planet with a very similar daily cycle to the Earth. Its sidereal day is 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds, and its solar day 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds. A Martian day (referred to as “sol”) is therefore approximately 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth.
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Is the botany in The Martian accurate?

When it comes to botany, The Martian was impressively accurate. Experiments have shown that Martian soil would be capable of supporting crops, with human waste used as an organic fertiliser.
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Was The Martian filmed at NASA?

Budapest, Hungary Was Used For The Martian's Internal Scenes

The sterile, cool shots of The Hab and NASA headquarters offer a stark contrast to Mars' dry, desolate landscape. According to Collider, The Martian's internal scenes were filmed in Budapest, Hungary.
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Was The Martian filmed in a desert?

With its ochre vastness and dramatic sandstone heights, Jordan's Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon, has long been a favourite among Hollywood filmmakers scouting for otherworldly vistas. The desert has doubled for Mars in several blockbusters including The Martian and Red Planet.
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Is The Martian movie possible?

There is the plausible science (using rocket fuel as a source for water) and the downright impossible fiction (Mars sandstorms are not strong enough to cause damage. They're more like gentle breezes.). So while the overall Martian scenario may be fictional, the science in COLL 150 is very real.
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What is the biggest error in The Martian?

Factual errors

Due to Mars' low atmospheric pressure, the effective wind pressure in martian wind storms is much lower than shown in the movie, very unlikely to be sufficient to tip a spacecraft. Also, the wind on Mars is much too weak to carry large rocks.
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Did NASA find organic matter on Mars?

Scientists say they have found new evidence of organic matter on Mars that could be linked to past life on the planet. The Perseverance explorer, which is operated by the American space agency NASA, discovered the organic materials.
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Has any human been to Mars?

Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the planet. Currently, only robotic landers and rovers have been on Mars. The farthest humans have been beyond Earth is the Moon, under the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA's) Apollo program which ended in 1972.
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