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  Speculation: Life after "The Martian"

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Author Topic:   Speculation: Life after "The Martian"
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member

Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 12-08-2015 11:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What if "The Martian" was a real book? What would life be like for those mentioned in the book after they returned to Earth, based on what has happened to real-life astronauts?

The crew's assumption that neither of them would fly again would hold true, but probably more for the public reason of too much time in space and exceeding radiation safe limits rather than (initially) disobeying NASA to rescue Watney.

Not all of them would be moved over to management - Watney I can see tapped to be Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer, Lewis Chief of the Astronaut Office - but none of them would have a realistic chance of flying again, even with one of them serving in a backup role.

And what of Ares? Would an Ares Mishap Investigation Board decision result in flying Ares V because of a promise to the Chinese and then canceling the program because it is too dangerous (with any Ares VI funds to be used elsewhere)? Or would the program end right there and nothing come of the promise to fly a Chinese astronaut?

Ronpur
Member

Posts: 1211
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012

posted 12-10-2015 02:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I assume you don't want to follow the ideas shown in the end of the movie? But some of those may have followed in the book as well.

Annie could have continued in PR, she was doing a great job of turning a near disaster into a triumph for NASA.

Beck and Johanssen stay with NASA, and become a couple. Vogal goes back to Germany, maybe works for ESA. Martinez resigns from NASA and becomes a pilot for SpaceX, returning to Mars on one of their colony ships in 10 years time. Your idea for Lewis works for me as well. Watney trains crews in survival techniques, and eventually finds out how to grow crops in Martian soil without using poop.

Mitch resigns from NASA and works in private space.

Teddy remains as administrator or directer, whatever he is, for a few more years before he retires.

Rich keeps working on trajectories, and finds a few ways to save a couple of days on flight times to Mars and back. He finds ways to get the supply missions there faster, so the flights can actually speed up.

Venkat remains as the head of the Ares program, and brings more international cooperation into the program. Soon, Chinese and Russians will join the American, European and Japanese crew members who have already flown to Mars.

I doubt Ares IV would fly as scheduled. It would need a new MAV at least. Ares V and eventually Ares VI gets approved and flies as well.

The Hermes flies all six of these missions before she is retired, and a new ship is built. Hermes is placed in Earth orbit and becomes a destination for tourists flying on SpaceShipFour and the Dragon Cruisers.

Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member

Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 12-10-2015 08:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ronpur:
I assume you don't want to follow the ideas shown in the end of the movie? But some of those may have followed in the book as well.

I've only read the book thus far.

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