A book I think you will enjoy

[wkocken]

"The Martian" by Andy Weir. I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is a must read for most MAS members.

I heard about this book from a podcast that I subscribe to. Apparently this work of fiction has been hugely popular with space exploration enthusiasts. If you're interested in this topic I suggest you check it out. The plot of the book involves an astronaut who is left behind, alone, on the surface of Mars. The rest of the crew believes that he has been killed and they are forced to make a hasty exit.

The story centers around this lone astronaut's work to figure out how to survive and how to communicate with Earth and get rescued. This poor guy has to figure out how to get enough food, oxygen, water, heat and power to survive until NASA can arrange a rescue mission . There are lots of calculations described about how much CO2 needs to be removed from his air,how much oxygen and water he needs, how much power these activities require and how the equipment works, etc etc. Engineers will eat this stuff up! It may be too much for some less technical types. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned and he struggles to overcome mistakes, accidents and the effects of a planet that is trying to kill him.

This is only the author's second book, so you have to overlook his lack of development of the secondary characters. It is pretty much a one-man show. Kind of like "Gravity" was one woman show.

What really makes the book so enjoyable is the astronaut's wit and attitude about his situation. You'll get a pretty good idea of this by reading the first page. Once you read the first page, you're hooked.

Has anyone else read this book?

[merle]

I read this on Dave Olmstead's recommendation. Suspenseful from beginning to end. It's a great book that could make a great movie.

[wkocken]

Actually, there are plans to make a movie out of it. I hope they don't turn it into a "Gravity". Gravity was a fun movie. But it was more about the special effects and less about realism. This book was more realistic, and the special effects could still be pretty cool.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-v ... mon-703887

The back story about how it came to be published is pretty interesting. He self published it first because nobody was interested, then friends urged him to put it on Amazon (for the minimum 99 cents). Finally he sold it to a publisher for 6 figures, where it made the NY Times best seller list. I wonder what the movie rights are worth?

[merle]

Matt Damon?? I was thinking Mark Wahlberg would be a good fit for this

[Astrolaman]

I read it earlier this year on my Kindle and found it both entertaining and educational after having read Mary Roach's nonfiction book PACKING FOR MARS.

[Ron Schmit]

I was thinking Mark Wahlberg would be a good fit for this

"So, Mars... They say you're named after the God of War. What's that all about? They call you the Red Planet, right? I was in Planet of the Apes! Did you see that movie? We should hang out. OK, Mars. I'll see you later.

Say "Hi" to your mother for me."