The Martian: Ares 3 Mission Overview
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Questions and Answers

Who is the narrator of the story?

Mark Watney

When did Mark Watney 'die'?

Sol 6

What program is Mark a part of?

Ares Program

What specific mission is Mark on?

<p>Ares 3</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the ship that transports them to the next spot?

<p>Hermes</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long did it take Hermes to get to Mars?

<p>124 days</p> Signup and view all the answers

How is Hermes powered?

<p>By ion engines</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the MAV?

<p>Mars Ascent Vehicle</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many trips did it take to get supplies there?

<p>14</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long does a Mars mission take?

<p>3 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

What causes NASA to abort Ares 3?

<p>A sandstorm</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happened to Mark during the sandstorm?

<p>Antenna pierced him and tore his suit</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Mark's buddy and last person he communicated with?

<p>Johanssen</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is ironic about Mark's death?

<p>Too much oxygen for a person with a leaky spacesuit</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do solar cells need to make electricity?

<p>Sunlight</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are Mark's two specialties?

<p>Botanist and mechanical engineer</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long until Ares 4 arrives on Mars?

<p>4 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where will Ares 4 be landing at?

<p>Schiaparelli crater</p> Signup and view all the answers

How far is the Schiaparelli crater (where Ares 4 will be landing) from Mark's location?

<p>3200 kilometers</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where is Mark specifically located?

<p>Acidalia Planitia</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Mark's main mission?

<p>To find a way to communicate with Earth- if he can't do that- find a way to communicate with Hermes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What's an EVA?

<p>Suit they wear outside of their ship</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did NASA send a botanist to Mars?

<p>To check Martian soil</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are Mark's two problems?

<ol> <li>No dirt 2. Nothing edible to plant it in</li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

Where did Mark go to college?

<p>University of Chicago</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Mark's biggest issue when trying to plant?

<p>No water; soil is very dry and cold</p> Signup and view all the answers

What American holiday is going on while Mark is away?

<p>Thanksgiving</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where do Mark's parents live?

<p>Chicago</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where will Mark's family be celebrating Thanksgiving?

<p>At his parents' house in Chicago</p> Signup and view all the answers

What must Mark need to be able to do in order to not die from starvation?

<p>Make calories</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much longer is a sol than a day?

<p>39 minutes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Mark's target for the amount of food?

<p>1425 days of food</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can Mark fight off starvation?

<p>He can plant with the 126 square meters of farmland and he will consume 850 calories a day</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many calories has Mark estimated he will consume after planting?

<p>850 calories</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much water does Mark want to create?

<p>250 liters</p> Signup and view all the answers

What game did Mark play in high school?

<p>Dungeons and Dragons</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can Mark make water (equation)?

<p>Take Hydrogen, add oxygen, burn it</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Mark's crewmates leave him?

<p>They thought he was dead</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is the commander of Ares 3?

<p>Lewis</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Lewis's specialty?

<p>Geologist (study of rocks)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Martinez?

<p>Pilot of the ship</p> Signup and view all the answers

What item of Martinez's did Mark use to make fire?

<p>He used Martinez's small wooden cross</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Mark make fire?

<p>Vented pure oxygen at the stick and gave it a spark and lit it</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the problem Mark faces when trying to make water?

<p>Nitrogen- 22% Oxygen- 9% Hydrogen- 64%</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the atmospheric regulator do?

<p>Pays attention to what's in the air and balances it</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does hydrogen need to be below in order to turn to liquid?

<p>21 Kelvin</p> Signup and view all the answers

What's the problem Mark faces while trying to make water?

<p>The regulator can't get temperatures below 21K</p> Signup and view all the answers

What's the one flaw with Mark's plan to make water?

<p>It will kill the dirt</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was last one to use the rover and when were they scheduled to use it again?

<p>Lewis; sol 7</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Mark find in Lewis' personal travel kit?

<p>Protein bar and her personal USB</p> Signup and view all the answers

What music did Lewis have on her USB?

<p>Disco</p> Signup and view all the answers

What will happen to the potatoes if Mark makes the water?

<p>They will die because the cold would kill them</p> Signup and view all the answers

What's Mark's final plan to make water?

<ol> <li>Bag potato plants and bring them to the rover 2. Drop the Hab temp to 1 degree Celsius 3. Reduce oxygen content to 1% 4. Burn off the Hydrogen with a battery, wires and oxygen tank</li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

Where did Mark put all the potatoes?

<p>In Martinez's space suit</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many layers of clothing did Mark have to wear?

<p>Three</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Mark do to pull the oxygen out of the air?

<p>Taped the mouth of a hefty bag over the neck hole of Johanssen's suit and inflated the bag with oxygen</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did Mark not wear his space suit?

<p>He thought the atmospheric pressure was going to be fine</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Lewis' space suit used for?

<p>Water tank</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Mark's first thought after the explosion?

<p>&quot;My ears hurt&quot;</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Mark breathing in after the explosion?

<p>Pure nitrogen</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Mark get oxygen after the explosion?

<p>Lewis's suit</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Mark do first in order to make sure the explosion didn't cause too much damage?

<p>Critical tests</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Mark's theory as to why the explosion occurred?

<p>The Hydrogen combined with oxygen became water- water is a thousand times as dense as gas- so the heat added to the pressure, and the transformation of hydrogen and oxygen into water brought it back down again</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why could Mark have died during the explosion?

<p>Not wearing a suit</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was wrong with Mark only wearing a mask during the explosion?

<p>It was not an airtight seal</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Mark's problem that caused him to faint?

<p>Exhaling</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Mark name Lewis's space suit?

<p>&quot;The Cistern&quot;</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many liters of water did Mark make?

<p>130</p> Signup and view all the answers

How will Mark prevent future explosions?

<p>&quot;Hydrogen cleanings&quot;</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many more liters of water does Mark need in order to survive?

<p>470</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Venkat Kapoor?

<p>The director of Mars operations</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much longer does Lewis's crew have to travel?

<p>10 months</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Teddy Sanders?

<p>Administrator of NASA</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many Ares missions were funded by Congress?

<p>Five</p> Signup and view all the answers

How fast were the winds during the sandstorm?

<p>175 kph</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Sanders not want another Ares mission?

<p>Mark Watney's body might be still visible (bad PR)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Mindy Park?

<p>Monitors the status of satellites around Mars</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Park's specialty?

<p>Mechanical engineering</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Mindy Park notice when looking at Ares 3?

<p>Hab's in one piece and rover pop-tents are visible; solar cells are clean</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Teddy not want the Ares 3 crew to know Mark is alive?

<p>They're sad about a crew age dying, but they'd be devastated if they knew they abandoned him alive</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long can they wait before releasing the news that Mark is alive?

<p>24 hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where is Teddy going after learning about Mark being alive?

<p>Chicago to talk to Mark's family</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why can't they communicate with Mark?

<p>He has no radio because he has no dish</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Ares 4's plan to save Mark?

<p>JPL strips down, loses weight, and adds some fuel tanks. Ares 4 lands at the Ares 3 site. Then with a full burn, they can lift off again and get back to orbit.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What would be safer for the Ares 4 crew to do?

<p>Leave the Ares 4 crew in Hermes and only send one pilot down with the MDV</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Characters and Mission

  • Narrator: Mark Watney
  • Part of the Ares Program, specifically on the Ares 3 mission
  • Crew commander is Lewis, a geologist
  • Pilot of the ship: Martinez

Timeline and Events

  • Mark was presumed dead on Sol 6 due to a sandstorm
  • Ares 3 was aborted when a violent sandstorm hit, with winds reaching 175 kph
  • Hermes, the transport ship, takes 124 days to reach Mars
  • Mars missions generally last 3 years
  • Ares 4 is scheduled to arrive in 4 years at Schiaparelli crater, 3200 kilometers from Mark's location in Acidalia Planitia

Technical Aspects

  • Hermes is powered by ion engines
  • The Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) is crucial for returning from Mars
  • A total of 14 supply trips were made to sustain the Ares missions

Mark's Struggles and Resources

  • His main mission: to establish communication with Earth, or Hermes if that's not possible
  • Key problems include lack of dirt for planting and no water
  • Mark's expertise as a botanist and mechanical engineer helps him devise survival strategies
  • He humorously notes that potatoes will die if he creates water due to temperature limits

Survival Techniques

  • He needs to produce 250 liters of water to support his planned agricultural efforts
  • Estimation of food needed is based on 850 calories a day, aiming for 1425 days of food supply
  • Mark's method to create water involves combining hydrogen and oxygen, though he faces challenges with atmospheric conditions

Communication and Discovery

  • NASA operates under the assumption that Mark is dead, complicating communication efforts
  • Mindy Park notices the Hab's structure is intact and that some solar cells remain functional, suggesting Mark's survival
  • Teddy Sanders, NASA's administrator, decides against a new Ares mission partly due to public relations concerns over Mark’s survival status

Personal Elements

  • Mark's family resides in Chicago and is celebrating Thanksgiving while he is stranded on Mars
  • Use of items from crewmates, such as Martinez's cross for fire, showcases his resourcefulness
  • Favorite high school pastime was Dungeons and Dragons, revealing aspects of his character

Final Plan and Adaptations

  • In the face of starvation, Mark plans to use his 126 square meters of farmland and produce 850 calories daily
  • His innovative final plan for water involves manipulating temperatures and using resources to avoid plant damage
  • He overcame complications from an explosion by improvising with available materials, like Lewis's space suit to manage oxygen supply

Humorous and Ironic Elements

  • Ironic situation of "dying" from excess oxygen due to a leaky suit
  • The crew's emotional state when they learn of Mark’s potential survival exacerbated by guilt for leaving him behind

Key Figures and Terms

  • Venkat Kapoor is the director of Mars operations
  • Mindy Park specializes in mechanical engineering and monitors satellite statuses
  • Timeframe for Ares 4's mission includes stripping down the equipment to save weight for a successful landing and launch back into orbit to retrieve Mark

These detailed notes encapsulate critical plot points and character backgrounds for better understanding and retention of "The Martian" chapters 1-6.

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Description

Explore the challenges faced by Mark Watney, a botanist stranded on Mars during the Ares 3 mission. This quiz delves into the technical aspects of the mission, including the crew members, timeline, and Mark's resourceful strategies for survival. Test your knowledge on his journey and the dynamics of space exploration.

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