火星科幻电影希望能启发科学家

Martian Science Fiction Film Hopes to Inspire New Scientists 火星科幻电影希望能启发科学家

WASHINGTON—

The Martian, a film about a marooned¹ astronaut who uses science, wit and courage to survive in a very hostile environment, is making hundreds of millions of dollars and has gotten good reviews.

Some scientists also say the film has the potential to inspire as well entertain.

In The Martian, Mark Watney is a U.S. astronaut who has to survive alone on Mars after his crew leaves the planet without him, thinking he died in a storm that swept him away.

Watney, a botanist², is played by Matt Damon. Not your typical Hollywood here, Damon is one of several role models in the film for aspiring³ scientists.

Space enthusiast⁴

Another is Mars mission commander Melissa Lewis, played by Jessica Chastain.

It's a performance that excites Costa Rican space enthusiast and student Montserrat Cordero, who appeared on HashtagVOA via Skype.

"Jessica Chastain's character is amazing. We also have the computer programmer who is also a woman. This is not what we tend to see. So I'm really excited to see this kind of thing, hope to see a lot more of it," said Cordero, a Stanford University student.

Cordero is also a graduate of an international summer school run by the Foundation for International Space Education in Houston, Texas.

Justin Kugler, director of educational programs at the Foundation, told HashtagVOA via Skype that The Martian's role models will have a positive influence.

"The more women we have involved in science, technology, engineering and math, the better a society we have, and the better we’ll be able to accomplish those missions and do things like go to Mars," Kugler said.

Manned mission efforts

In the film, NASA, the U.S. government space agency, tries to overcome great obstacles to bring Watney back to Earth.

That's not just science fiction. The science and technology shown in the movie is based on real-life work by NASA, which acted as an adviser⁵ to the filmmakers. And that work includes preparations for an actual manned mission to Mars.

As part of that effort, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been operating rovers to collect Martian soil samples.

Speaking to HashtagVOA via Skype, Robert Manning, the laboratory's Mars engineering manager, said his team needs diversity to succeed.

"People who see the world from different angles to come in and bring their creative ideas with them, to come here and to help us out. So what we do here is really, in many respects, an international effort," Manning said.

1 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

2 botanist   

n.植物学家

参考例句：

• The botanist introduced a new species of plant to the region.那位植物学家向该地区引入了一种新植物。
• I had never talked with a botanist before,and I found him fascinating.我从没有接触过植物学那一类的学者，我觉得他说话极有吸引力。

3 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。