What Was the Problem With Getting Watney’s Spacecraft From Mars to the Hermes?

Matt Damon’s character Mark Watney in the movie “The Martian” was stranded on Mars after a deadly storm forced his team to evacuate the planet. The Hermes, a spacecraft orbiting Mars, was supposed to be Watney’s ride home. However, there was a major problem: how do you get Watney from the surface of Mars to the Hermes?

The Problem

The main issue with getting Watney to the Hermes was the distance between them. The spacecraft was orbiting Mars at an altitude of 410 kilometers, while Watney was stranded on the surface of the planet. This meant that there was a significant distance between them that needed to be covered.

The Solution

NASA engineers came up with a plan to send a space probe called the Pathfinder to Mars. The Pathfinder would land on the planet’s surface and establish communication with NASA back on Earth. This allowed NASA to communicate with Watney and provide him with instructions on how to survive until help arrived.

NASA also sent another spacecraft called Ares III to Mars. The Ares III had a lander capable of carrying astronauts from the surface of Mars to the Hermes in orbit above.

The Challenges

However, even with these solutions in place, there were still several challenges that needed to be overcome.

Firstly, there was only one Ares III lander available, which meant that it could only make one trip from the surface of Mars to the Hermes. This meant that all six members of Watney’s team could not be rescued at once.

Secondly, there were technical challenges associated with launching the Ares III lander from Mars’ surface and docking it with the Hermes in orbit. These maneuvers had never been attempted before, and any mistakes could have disastrous consequences.

Finally, there were logistical challenges associated with keeping both Watney and his rescuers alive during the journey back to Earth. The Hermes was not designed to support six people for an extended period of time, which meant that the crew had to make several adjustments to their routine to ensure everyone’s survival.

The End Result

Despite these challenges, NASA engineers were able to successfully rescue Watney and his team from Mars. The Ares III lander was launched from the planet’s surface and docked with the Hermes in orbit. The entire crew then made the journey back to Earth safely.

Conclusion

Getting Watney from Mars’ surface to the Hermes was a complex and challenging process. It required innovative solutions, technical expertise, and careful planning and execution. However, through perseverance and collaboration, NASA was able to overcome these challenges and bring Watney home.