The Hermes spacecraft, the result of a decade-long collaboration between NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, and ISRO, is the crew transport spacecraft of the Ares Program, built to transport astronauts from Earth to Mars orbit and back.

Is the Hermes from The Martian possible?

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.

Why does the Hermes spaceship spin in The Martian?

Hermes has a rotating wheel, or centrifuge, to provide artificial gravity for the crew. Spaceships in “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Mission to Mars” were similarly equipped. Although it is not shown in the film, the astronauts would have used a Mars descent vehicle (MDV) to get down from Hermes to the surface.

What does "Hermes" actual mean?

When Lewis has Watney wrapped in the tether, Johanssen reports "Hermes Actual, we've got him." The term "Actual" is used when being spoken by the leader of a ship, so only Lewis would have told Houston, "Hermes Actual." Johanssen should have just called themselves "Hermes."

What does the Hermes crew use to slow down the ship in The Martian?

19. What does the Hermes crew use to slow down the ship? Hermes crew uses a bomb explosion to slow down the ship.

The Martian deleted scene - Hermes crew discuss sleeping arrangements

What does the crew of the Hermes decide to do?

What does the crew of Hermes decide to do to help Watney? - Quora. They decide to mutiny, going against NASA's wishes by doing the “Rich Purnell Maneuver” to return to Mars for Watney. Teddy Sanders had decided that it was better to take a big risk on Watney than a small risk on the entire crew.

What does Hermes mean in space?

Hermes is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Hermes as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth. Hermes orbits the sun every 778 days (2.13 years), coming as close as 0.62 AU and reaching as far as 2.69 AU from the sun.

How big was the Hermes in The Martian?

The build of the Hermes was a major focus for Framestore's teams. At 225 meters in length, the spaceship is the biggest and most complex created by Framestore to date, and is more than double the size of the current International Space Station (ISS).

What did Hermes lie about?

In the meantime, Apollon noticed that some of his cattle were missing and by inquiry and omens learned who the thief was. He confronted Hermes, threatening to hurl him into Tartaros, but Hermes denied stealing the cattle, pleading, that he was a day-old baby who cared only for sleep and mother's milk.

Is Hermes a good or bad god?

In literary works of Archaic Greece, Hermes is depicted both as a protector and a trickster. In Homer's Iliad, Hermes is called "the bringer of good luck", "guide and guardian", and "excellent in all the tricks".

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.

What does the crew of the Hermes do to help Watney?

The Rich Purnell Maneuver was a trajectory course for the Hermes proposed and calculated by astrodynamicist Rich Purnell. Using the Earth's gravity as a slingshot, it sent the Hermes back to Mars to save Mark Watney before returning home to Earth once more.

Why haven't they told the crew he's alive yet in The Martian?

Sanders decides not to tell them Watney is alive just yet; he believes that could distract them from their return voyage duties. On Mars, Watney takes initiative and drives his rover to an old Pathfinder mission site, where he unearths the vehicle and finds it still works.

Is Hermes a hero or villain?

Type of Hero

In classical mythology, Hermes is a member of the twelve Olympians. He is the messenger of the gods, and is also associated with thieves, commerce and travel. His Roman equivalent is Mercury.

What crime did Hermes do?

Hermes was the God of shepherds, travelers, merchants and all those who lived by their wits! In fact, as soon as he was born, he woke up in the night and pranked Apollo. Hermes went up to Apollo's pasture, where he kept his cows, and stole fifty of his best cows.

What was the worst thing Hermes did?

In infancy, he stole the twelve cattle of the sun god Apollo out of craving for meat. He even invented the lyre by having killed a tortoise and spun sheep guts, the latter of which he made into strings.

What is unrealistic about The Martian?

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.

How much of The Martian is true?

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.

What happened to Ares 4 in The Martian?

The Ares IV mission was a proposed manned mission to Mars during the 2040's. It was later terminated after astronaut Mark Watney used Ares IV's MAV to depart Mars.

How fast was the Hermes traveling in The Martian?

The Hermes flies by Mars at 12,000 mph (5.36 km/s), successfully and harrowingly rescuing Watney. The Hermes returns to orbit around Earth.

Who are the crew of the Hermes in The Martian?

At the landing site of the shuttle Ares III, Acidalia Planitia, Mars, at a time in the near future, the crew of the Hermes; including Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon), IT guru Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara), pilot Rick Martinez (Michael Peña), flight surgeon Chris Beck ( ...

How long was the Hermes crew in space in The Martian?

The round trip time of the nominal mission is 396 days. Weather conditions force the crew to abort to orbit on Sol 6 using the MDV. Following rendezvous the Hermes immediately departs Mars orbit and begins a 236 day return trip to Earth.

What caused the rocket to explode in The Martian?

In the book, the explosion happens when the reaction is oxygen-controlled with an abundance of hydrogen.

What are Watney's last five meals saved for?

Watney figures out exactly how much canvas he'll need to cut form the Hab and sets aside five meal packs for special occasions: the day he leaves for Schiaparelli, the journey's halfway point, the day he arrives, a reward for handling an emergency, and another for the day he launches.

How many potatoes did Mark Watney grow?

The math works out for fertilizer, but did Watney grow enough potatoes? Watney estimates that he grew 2,000 potatoes and needed 1,100 calories per day (1,500 total, but he factored in his other rations).