The Martian's hero, Mark Watney, eats a lot of potatoes during his time on the planet. Several days (ahem, sols) after Mark Watney discovered that he was alone on Mars—his fellow astronauts had evacuated the planet during a windstorm—he started planting potatoes.

What type of food did Mark grow on Mars?

In the story, astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon in the movie), survives being stranded on Mars by growing potatoes—using his own feces for fertilizer.

What does Mark Watney dip his potatoes in?

After NASA orders him to cut his rations, Mark decides to "dip his potato" in Vicodin, by opening a capsule and dumping the powder on his plate.

How many calories did Mark Watney eat?

Mark was consuming approximately 1500 calories a day. He says while doing the math for his potato farm: “For my height and weight, if I'm willing to starve a little, I'll need 1500 calories a day.”

What was the food Mark Watney was able to grow on Mars?

In the story, Watney's botany skills help him survive the ordeal. He uses the potatoes NASA packed for his Mars expedition along with his own feces and manages to grow potatoes in a small farm inside the Hab. Also, his knowledge of chemistry allows him to make water, which he uses to irrigate the potatoes.

The Martian Movie CLIP - Let's Do the Math (2015) - Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain Movie HD

What food did Mark Watney eat?

The Martian's hero, Mark Watney, eats a lot of potatoes during his time on the planet. Several days (ahem, sols) after Mark Watney discovered that he was alone on Mars—his fellow astronauts had evacuated the planet during a windstorm—he started planting potatoes.

What was Mark Watney's last meal on Mars?

NASA sent potatoes to Mars with the Ares crew. They were supposed to be used for a Thanksgiving meal. As it turned out, they would end up having a much different fate. The potatoes kept stranded astronaut Mark Watney alive until he could be rescued by the crew that accidentally abandoned him.

Can you actually grow potatoes 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.

Why can't Mark Watney grow more potatoes?

Airlock Breach

When Airlock 1 breached, causing a gaping hole in The Hab, the potatoes were freeze dried and the bacteria in the soil assumed dead. Because of this Mark was unable to grow any more potatoes and could only eat the ones he still had with him.

Why did Mark Watney break his ribs?

After flying out of Mars' atmosphere near the end, Watney mentions he has chest pain, probably because the G-forces broke some of his ribs. This is no doubt due to spaceflight osteopenia, a condition where the bones become less dense after spending longer periods in low or zero gravity.

How many potatoes did Matt Damon eat in The Martian?

One of the keys to Watney's survival is twelve fresh potatoes sent with the astronauts to Mars for a Thanksgiving meal during their trip. He uses those 12 potatoes to grow more potatoes, which, when combined with vitamin pills and rations, keep him alive for a year and a half (549 sols to be precise).

What does Mark Watney drive?

Rover 2 was the rover that Mark Watney used. It was modified significantly to fit the oxygenator, the water reclaimer and all his food. He drilled holes into the top and put a 'balloon' in it in order to make the right conditions for the oxygenator and to make it bigger.

Can you survive on only potatoes The Martian?

Combined with the fact that Watney was doing hard labor on only potatoes (which he was rationing), it would not be feasible to survive off of potatoes for such a long period of time. Ferriera, M. "6 Essential Nutrients: What They Are And Why You Need Them" Healthline.

How did Mark Watney make potatoes?

In The Martian, Watney creates a large cylindrical space contained by clear plastic sheets, into which he dumps 126 square meters of Martian soil. To fertilise the potatoes, Watney turns to the only organic material present on Mars: human waste.

How many sols of food does Watney have?

A: 300 sols without rationing. But with four Martian years, or approximately 1,400 sols, until the next manned crew was scheduled to visit, Watney had to figure out how to grow enough food to last his entire stay. Rationing was a must as well.

How did Mark make water in The Martian?

In “The Martian,” Damon's character, astronaut Mark Watney, produces water by burning leftover rocket fuel and extracts the hydrogen from the resulting chemical reaction.

What vegetable saves Mark Watney's life?

When Mark Watney, the astronaut played by Matt Damon in The Martian, found himself abandoned on Mars, food became a top priority. Watney ends up using human waste to fertilize not-so-loamy Martian soil and grows potatoes.

How did Mark Watney stay warm in the Rover?

The hero, Mark Watney, an astronaut given up for dead by NASA, uses a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), a sort-of "space battery," to keep warm during his trek across Mars.

What do the potatoes symbolize in The Martian?

In this way, the potatoes symbolize the tenacity of life, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

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.

Is Mars hot or cold?

Mars may look hot, but don't let its color fool you -- Mars is actually pretty cold! In orbit, Mars is about 50 million miles farther away from the Sun than Earth. That means it gets a lot less light and heat to keep it warm. Mars also has a hard time holding onto the heat it does get.

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.

What happened to Mark Watney's body?

There's the explosion while he was trying to make water from rocket fuel. The damage to his body came from a combination of factors. Spacesuits are harsh on the body. NASA astronauts quite often lose their fingernails from wearing a spacesuit just for eight hours.

How many total days was Watney on Mars?

Mark Watney Was On Mars For 564 Days In The Martian

Therefore, what Mark experienced as a day on Mars was actually 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth. That is why Mark had to register his journey using “sols,” the scientific term for Martian days. 549 sols on Mars equals 564 Earth days.

Could Mark Watney have survived?

However, many studies done, and much of scientific research would suggest that Mark Watney could not have survived alone on Mars waiting for the Hermes to rescue him because the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive effects of isolation on an individual are too significant.