‘The Martian’ Mixes Science, Science Fiction

‘The Martian’ Mixes Science, Science Fiction

The Hollywood film, “The Martian,” opens to U.S. audiences on October 2. Actor Matt Damon stars as an astronaut left alone on Mars¹. His crew returned to Earth thinking he had died in a windstorm.

Damon’s character, Mark Watney, must survive with few supplies and somehow get a message to Earth that he is alive.

The plan to release the movie this week was some lucky timing². On Monday, the U.S. space agency NASA announced it had found strong evidence of liquid water on Mars. That again raised the possibility that, with liquid water, there could be life.

NASA also took a part in the development of “The Martian.” Director Ridley Scott and Matt Damon reached out to agency officials for help to make the story as scientific as possible.

In August, Damon compared space exploration with the movie. He told Reuters News Agency, “with the right funding and the right attention, these are the kinds of things that we will be exploring in the very near future and this is going to be a part of our kids’ lives.”

So how scientifically accurate is “The Martian?” Jeffrey Luger of Time magazine tried to answer that question. He pointed³ out two of the biggest falsehoods of the film. The first, Mr. Luger writes, is central to the story: a powerful, dangerous windstorm that forces the space crew to leave the planet. The very low density⁴ atmosphere of Mars, Mr. Luger argues, could not create a storm like that.

Mr. Luger also has trouble with the lack of danger from radiation on Mars. He notes that the six-month trip to Mars alone would expose the astronaut to 15 times more radiation than is permitted for nuclear energy workers in a year.

The magazine Popular Science also explored the movie’s divide between science and science fiction. It noted⁵ the same windstorm and radiation problems as Time magazine.

But Popular Science also reported much realism in the details. Science writer Sarah Fecht points to Astronaut Watney’s struggle to work in astronaut clothing, especially the gloves. And, an expert she spoke⁶ with said the stiff⁷ gloves are a real problem. They are very difficult to bend.

Popular Science also interviewed former astronaut Mike Massimino who said he found the acting⁸ realistic. He said astronauts grow very close through flight training and survival⁹ school. He said the movie shows the close relationships that are formed. “We take care of each other as best we can,” he told the magazine. “When someone needs someone, there's nothing we wouldn't do.”

“The Martian” is receiving excellent reviews from top critics. Anne Hornaday of the Washington Post calls it a “spirited example of how cool science can be.” Mike D’Angelo of the A.V. Club describes “The Martian” as a “celebration of our ability, as a species¹⁰, to solve even the most daunting¹¹ problems via rational¹² thought.”

Words in This Story

audience – n. people who gather together to see a performance

character – n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie or television show

funding – n. an amount of money that is available for something

accurate – adj. free of mistakes or errors

falsehood – n. an untrue statement

daunting – adj. tending to make someone afraid or less confident; very difficult to do or deal with

rational – adj. based on facts or reason and not on emotions or feelings

1 Mars   

n.火星，战争

参考例句：

• As of now we don't know much about Mars.目前我们对火星还知之甚少。
• He contended that there must be life on Mars.他坚信火星上面一定有生物。

2 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 stiff   

adj.严厉的，激烈的，硬的，僵直的，不灵活的

参考例句：

• There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。
• You have to push on the handle to turn it,becanse it's very stiff.手柄很不灵活，你必须用力推才能转动它。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

10 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

11 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

12 rational   

adj.合理的，理性的，能推理的；n.有理数

参考例句：

• It was a rational plan and bound to succeed.这是一个合理的计划，肯定会成功。
• The reasoning seems rational.这论据似乎是合乎情理的。