The Martian

Mark Watney, the lowest-ranking member of the Ares 3 mission, finds himself stranded alone on Mars. During a severe sandstorm with winds reaching 175 km/hr, NASA ordered an emergency abort of the mission. While evacuating to the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a communications dish was torn away, sending an antenna piercing through Watney's suit and side. The crew, seeing his bio-signs go flat and his suit pressure drop, presumed him dead and departed the planet. Watney survived due to a fluke where his own blood sealed the suit breach and the suit's emergency 'bloodletting' and oxygen back-fill modes kept him conscious. After performing self-surgery to stitch his wound, Watney realizes he is completely isolated: the MAV is gone, the primary communication array is destroyed, and he is trapped in a Hab designed for only 31 days of occupancy with limited food and life support.

Following the storm, the protagonist assesses his survival situation on Mars. He determines that while he has shelter and power, his communication equipment is destroyed and his food supplies, even when rationed, will only last approximately 400 days. He identifies his primary goal as establishing communication with Earth or the future Ares 4 mission, which is scheduled to land in four years at Schiaparelli Crater. To extend his survival window, he leverages his background as a botanist and mechanical engineer to create fertile soil using Martian regolith, Earth soil, and human waste. Despite the backbreaking labor of transporting soil into the Hab and the logistical constraints of limited water, he successfully prepares a planting area. However, mathematical projections reveal that even a maximum yield of potatoes will only extend his life by about 90 days, leaving a gap of approximately a thousand days of food required to reach the Ares 4 landing date.

Mark Watney calculates his survival needs for the four years until the Ares 4 mission arrives. He determines he needs to generate 1,000 calories per day to supplement his existing food supplies. To achieve this, he plans to expand his farming area to 126 square meters by utilizing the Hab's floor, bunks, lab tables, and rover pop-tents. He begins a seed crop with 12 potatoes, intending to accelerate their growth through temperature control and artificial lighting. However, he faces a critical shortage of water, needing 250 liters to hydrate the expanded soil. Watney devises a dangerous plan to synthesize water by combining oxygen—harvested from the Martian atmosphere via the MAV fuel plant and the Hab's Oxygenator—with hydrogen extracted from unused hydrazine fuel remaining in the MDV. He acknowledges the extreme risk of explosion associated with liberating hydrogen from hydrazine but views it as his only viable option for survival.

Mark Watney develops a dangerous plan to produce water by combining hydrogen from hydrazine and oxygen derived from CO2. Due to storage limitations and the high pressure required for the gases, he decides to create water directly in the Hab's atmosphere, allowing the Water Reclaimer to collect it. This process involves venting CO2 from the MAV fuel plant and burning hydrazine-derived hydrogen over an iridium catalyst. Despite the extreme risk of explosion and toxicity, Watney successfully produces an initial 50L of water. However, by Sol 37, he discovers a catastrophic error: not all the hydrogen was burning. Atmospheric analysis reveals that the Hab's air is 64% hydrogen, effectively turning the habitat into a massive bomb. Watney is forced to flee to Rover 2 to avoid a potential explosion, leaving him with a limited window of time to resolve the crisis.

Mark Watney develops a plan to remove dangerous hydrogen gas from the Hab by burning it off in controlled bursts. To prevent a catastrophic explosion, he intends to lower the Hab's oxygen levels to 1% and the temperature to 1°C to put the soil bacteria into a state of hibernation. He moves his potato plants to a rover to protect them from the cold. After tricking the Atmospheric Regulator into purging oxygen using a spacesuit and a plastic bag, Mark begins burning the hydrogen. However, an explosion occurs because Mark's own exhalations from a medical oxygen mask gradually increased the oxygen levels in the Hab. The blast knocks him unconscious and rips off his mask, but he survives by breathing from Commander Lewis's water-filled spacesuit. After performing extensive diagnostics and confirming the Hab's integrity and the survival of his bacteria, Mark realizes his error. Despite the near-fatal accident, he continues the process of reducing hydrazine to produce the water necessary for his survival.

Following a memorial service for Mark Watney, NASA officials discover through satellite imagery that he is alive on Mars. Mindy Park, a SatCon employee, identifies evidence of life at the Ares 3 site, including deployed pop-tents and cleaned solar cells. While NASA announces Watney's survival to the public, Administrator Teddy decides to withhold this information from the Ares 3 crew to prevent emotional trauma and distractions during their return journey. The agency faces significant communication hurdles as the primary dish and MAV are gone. In an effort to rescue Watney, Venkat presents a high-risk proposal from JPL to strip down the Ares 4 Mars Descent Vehicle (MDV) for a lateral trajectory rescue. Teddy rejects the plan, citing the extreme danger it poses to the Ares 4 crew, despite the crew's willingness to risk their lives. The chapter concludes with Mark Watney recording a log entry on Sol 61.

The narrator develops a long-term survival strategy to reach the Ares 4 MAV at Schiaparelli Crater, located 3,200km away. To facilitate this journey, he modifies Rover 2 by installing a second battery from Rover 1 using a custom canvas and resin harness and adding 14 solar panels pilfered from the Hab. Initial testing via mission Sirius 1 fails due to extreme cold, as disabling the heater to conserve power proves unsustainable. To solve this, the narrator conducts mission Sirius 2 to retrieve a buried Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) containing Plutonium-238, which provides a sustainable heat source and reduces battery recharge time. Following these modifications, he successfully completes Sirius 3, an 81km test drive. The narrator then begins planning Sirius 4, a 20-day scale model of the final trip, which requires solving oxygen and CO2 supply issues for himself and ensuring the potato crops in the Hab are maintained via compressed liquid CO2 during his absence.

NASA and JPL coordinate a complex rescue operation for Mark Watney, who is being monitored via satellite. While the public follows the story through CNN, NASA officials struggle with the logistics of modifying the Mars Descent Vehicle (MDV) and constructing a presupply probe using a diverted Delta IX booster. Internal tensions arise between Mitch Henderson and NASA leadership regarding whether to inform the Ares 3 crew of Watney's survival, with Teddy and Venkat deciding to keep the secret to maintain morale until a viable plan is in place. As Watney travels south-southwest in a modified rover, NASA officials initially suspect he is heading toward the Ares 4 site. However, by plotting his coordinates on a map, Venkat and Mindy realize Watney is actually traveling toward the long-dormant Pathfinder lander in an attempt to establish a more reliable means of communication with Earth.

Between Sol 79 and Sol 83, Mark Watney undertakes a journey to recover the Pathfinder lander and its Sojourner rover. The trip is characterized by a monotonous daily routine of managing power via solar cells, enduring the cramped and smelly conditions of the rover, and navigating a featureless landscape. Watney initially struggles with navigation due to the lack of landmarks and Mars' lack of a magnetic field, eventually relying on the moon Phobos and a small unnamed crater he calls the 'Lighthouse of Alexandria.' Upon reaching the site, he uses mechanical ingenuity and physical labor to extract the lander from the sand, utilizing the rover's torque to clear debris and building a rock ramp to hoist the heavy equipment onto the roof. He recovers both the Lander and Sojourner, envisioning a communication system with NASA using the rover's wheels to signal letters. The chapter concludes with Watney preparing to return to the Hab with the recovered hardware.

Mark Watney successfully navigates back to the Hab after his trip to the Pathfinder site, arriving on Sol 94. During his journey, he reflects on the loneliness of his situation and the camaraderie he shared with his crew during 'Missed Orbit' training. Upon returning, he performs essential maintenance on the Hab, including checking the crops and power systems, and disposes of the dangerous RTG by returning it to its original hole. Mark then focuses his efforts on repairing the Pathfinder Lander and the Sojourner rover. He identifies that the Lander's battery is dead and that the system likely failed due to the Martian cold and dust. By utilizing a voltage controller and a heater salvaged from a spare rover, he manages to power the Lander. The chapter concludes with a technical log from Pathfinder indicating a successful boot sequence and the acquisition of a telemetry signal, suggesting that Earth has finally established contact.

JPL successfully establishes two-way communication with Mark Watney using the Pathfinder lander. After initial yes/no signals, Watney implements an ASCII-based system using hexadecimal cards to exchange detailed information. To increase data transmission speeds, software engineer Jack Trevor develops a complex patch to link Pathfinder to the Ares-3 rover. Through this link, Watney informs JPL of his survival, the cause of his injury, and his plan to drive to the Ares 4 site. He reveals he is growing potatoes in 126 square meters of farmland, extending his food supply to approximately Sol 900. Meanwhile, a conflict arises within NASA leadership; Venkat initially argues against informing the Hermes crew of Watney's survival to avoid distracting them from their return trip. However, Mitch Henderson eventually convinces Teddy to grant permission to tell the crew, arguing that the existence of a rescue plan and food supply extension provides necessary hope.

The Ares crew, led by Commander Lewis, attempts surface operations on Mars during a severe storm. During an evacuation to the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), Mark Watney is struck by flying wreckage. His bio-monitor transmits a 'Bad Packet' showing zero blood pressure and pulse, leading Doctor Beck to presume he is dead. Due to the extreme winds and the MAV's instability, Lewis makes the difficult decision to launch, leaving Watney behind. Four months into their return journey to the Hermes, the crew receives a voice message from NASA official Mitch Henderson. Henderson reveals that Watney is alive and healthy, and that NASA had censored this information for two months. While the crew reacts with shock and joy, Commander Lewis is overcome with profound guilt for abandoning her crewmate in a barren wasteland. Henderson outlines a rescue plan involving a modified MDV from the Ares 4 mission.

Chapter 13 alternates between Mark Watney's current experiences on Mars and a chronological flashback detailing the manufacturing and failure of a specific piece of Hab canvas, AL102. Mark enjoys renewed communication with NASA and the crew of the Hermes, though he remains adversarial toward NASA's micromanagement. He successfully manages his potato crops, planning to store them outside in the Martian cold to prevent rot. He also independently repairs a clogged Water Reclaimer despite NASA's warnings. Meanwhile, the narrative reveals that AL102 was manufactured by Deyo Plastics and installed by Lewis and Beck during the original Ares 3 mission. Over time, a storm and repeated airlock cycles weakened the material. On Sol 119, while Mark is preparing to exit the Hab, AL102 suffers a catastrophic failure. The resulting decompression launches the airlock like a cannonball, leaving Mark unconscious with a shattered faceplate and a leaking airlock, facing a critical life-threatening emergency.

Following a catastrophic decompression that collapsed the Hab and detached the airlock, the narrator survives inside the airlock with a smashed EVA suit faceplate. He employs desperate improvisation to survive, using static charge to burn his own arm hair to locate a hairline fracture in the airlock, which he seals with duct tape. To repair his suit, he cuts off the suit's left arm to create a material patch for the faceplate. After rolling the airlock 40 meters toward the Hab by body-slamming the walls, he makes a dash to the rover to retrieve Martinez's patch kit and helmet, barely reaching safety as his air supply fails. Once secure, he refills his tanks and signals NASA by spelling 'A-OK' with rocks. However, the immediate victory is overshadowed by a long-term crisis: the loss of pressure and extreme cold have destroyed his crops, soil bacteria, and earthworms. Calculations reveal that while a supply probe is scheduled for Sol 856, his remaining food will only last until Sol 600.

Following a decompression event that destroys his potato farm, Mark Watney coordinates with JPL for a rescue food probe named Iris. To meet the starvation deadline of Sol 584, JPL Administrator Teddy makes the high-risk decision to skip critical safety inspections and reduce mounting time, saving 11 days. While astrodynamicist Rich Purnell completes the orbital calculations and pursues a secret side project, the Iris probe is completed in 62 days. However, the subsequent launch ends in catastrophe. A minor fuel imbalance causes a 'shimmy' that liquefies the protein-cube food supply into a sludge. During second-stage ignition, the shifting mass of this sludge shears a defective mounting bolt, leading to a cascade of failures that causes the probe to break loose and disintegrate. The chapter concludes with the stark contrast between the despair of NASA officials and Watney's hopeful inquiry regarding the launch status.

NASA and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) coordinate to utilize the Taiyang Shen booster to rescue Mark Watney. Two primary strategies emerge: a high-risk 'crash-lander' food probe and the 'Rich Purnell Maneuver,' which involves the Hermes performing a gravity assist to return to Mars. NASA leadership, specifically Administrator Teddy, debates the ethics of these options, ultimately rejecting the Purnell maneuver to avoid risking the six-person Hermes crew in favor of the Iris 2 plan. However, the details of the maneuver are secretly leaked to the Hermes crew via a disguised email to Vogel. In a decisive act of mutiny, Commander Lewis and her crew unanimously agree to execute the maneuver, with Johanssen disabling the ship's Remote Override to prevent NASA from intervening. The chapter concludes with Mission Control detecting the ship's course change and Teddy confronting Mitch, who is heavily implied to be the leaker.

Mark Watney begins preparations for a rescue mission that requires a 3200km journey to the Ares-4 MAV at Schiaparelli Crater. To survive the estimated 100-sol period of travel and modification, Watney plans to use two rovers, modifying one to serve as a pressurized trailer to house 'The Big Three' life support systems: the Atmospheric Regulator, Oxygenator, and Water Reclaimer. To construct the trailer, Watney modifies a rock sample drill to be powered by the Hab using a modified charging cable. However, during the drilling process on Sol 196, a catastrophic electrical short occurs. A power surge of nine thousand milliamps travels through a workbench and conductive Mylar balloons into Pathfinder's hull, frying the probe's delicate electronics. This accident results in the permanent destruction of Pathfinder, severing Watney's only means of communication with Earth and leaving him in total isolation.

Between Sol 197 and Sol 209, the narrator focuses on the engineering challenges of modifying a rover and trailer to travel to the Ares-4 MAV. He meticulously calculates power requirements for the 'Big Three'—the Atmospheric Regulator, Oxygenator, and Water Reclaimer—ultimately deciding to abandon the Water Reclaimer to conserve energy. By utilizing the RTG's waste heat to replace the Atmospheric Regulator's internal heaters and optimizing solar panel capacity to 28 cells, he significantly reduces power draw and potentially shortens his travel time. Despite suffering a back injury on Sol 200, he successfully retrieves the RTG and strips the rover and trailer of unnecessary weight, including passenger benches and redundant life support. The chapter concludes with the narrator achieving a technical state of readiness for a target travel distance of 100km per day, though he remains anxious about the upcoming launch of the Hermes resupply probe from China and the safety of his crewmates.

Chapter 19 focuses on the logistical and emotional preparations for the delivery of the supply probe to the Hermes. The narrative shifts between several perspectives: Robert and Commander Lewis share a brief, affectionate video call; Teddy Sanders and Venkat Kapoor arrive in China to coordinate with the China National Space Administration (CNSA); and Alex Vogel speaks with his wife, Helena, about his family and the risks of the mission. A significant revelation occurs during a call between Johanssen and her father, where she reveals a secret contingency plan: if the probe fails, the crew will sacrifice themselves to ensure Johanssen, the youngest and smallest, survives on the remaining food. The chapter culminates in the successful launch of the Taiyang Shen booster from Jiuquan and the subsequent precision docking of the supply probe with the Hermes, piloted by Rick Martinez and monitored by Chris Beck and Alex Vogel. The tension resolves as the crew secures the vital supplies, though the emotional toll of the mission's extension remains evident among the crew's families.

Between Sol 376 and Sol 390, the narrator focuses on extensive modifications to the rover and its trailer to prepare for a 3200km journey to Schiaparelli crater. Key engineering achievements include the creation of a pressurized area in the trailer using a pop-tent, the construction of a heat reservoir by submerging an RTG in water, and the fabrication of a larger 'bedroom' tent using canvas harvested from the Hab. The process of harvesting the canvas requires the narrator to depressurize and then reseal the Hab using Martian sand to detect leaks. As the narrator prepares for a planned departure on Sol 449, he conducts a final inventory of essential supplies, including 1,692 potatoes and 620L of water. Throughout this period, the narrator grapples with the psychological strain of isolation, musing on the legal status of Mars and his identity as a 'Space Pirate' while simultaneously feeling a deep fear of leaving the relative safety of the Hab.

Mark Watney spends the chapter meticulously preparing for his long-distance journey to Schiaparelli. He modifies his rover and trailer, integrating life support systems including the Atmospheric Regulator and Oxygenator, and constructs a custom canvas bedroom. After overcoming an initial failure with the bedroom's seam and conducting various tests—including a 'Plugs-out test' for battery power and test drives averaging 93 km per sol—Watney implements a heating solution using a fan and the RTG. He eventually performs a final shutdown of the Hab's systems as an homage to the Ares 3 mission and departs on Sol 449. Meanwhile, NASA monitors his progress via satellite imagery, aided by NSA software, but discovers a low-velocity dust storm in Arabia Terra that threatens to severely delay his travel by reducing solar power. On the Hermes, Commander Lewis manages the deteriorating ship systems and crew dynamics, reassigning Martinez's sleeping quarters for safety and officially condoning the relationship between Beck and Johanssen.

Mark Watney travels through Mawrth Vallis and into Arabia Terra toward Schiaparelli, employing a homemade sextant and Phobos transits for navigation. He establishes a routine of 'Air Days' for maintenance and rest while gathering soil and rock samples. Meanwhile, NASA and the Hermes crew are aware of a dust storm in Arabia Terra that threatens Watney's solar power, though Watney remains unaware of the danger. Upon reaching the ridge of Marth Crater on Sol 474, Watney notices asymmetrical visibility and a decline in solar cell efficiency, leading him to realize he is inside a dust storm. He determines that the storm is thickening as he approaches his destination and concludes that remaining stationary would be fatal. At NASA, Mindy Park monitors Watney via satellite and discovers a Morse code message from him stating, 'DUST STORM. MAKING PLAN.'

Mark Watney, the lone inhabitant of Mars, works to navigate around a dust storm by constructing makeshift power loggers from EVA suit cameras and power meters. By measuring solar cell efficiency loss across three points, he determines the storm's movement and direction, leading him to travel 540km south to clear the weather. After reaching 100% power regeneration on Sol 484, he arrives at the entrance to the Schiaparelli crater. However, while navigating the rugged terrain of the Entrance Ramp, the rover drives off an invisible ridge into soft powder. This causes the vehicle to roll over and tumble 20 meters, resulting in the loss of solar cells and the detachment and flipping of the trailer. Despite the violence of the accident, Mark survives, and the rover's pressure seal remains intact.

During his descent into the Schiaparelli Basin, Mark Watney suffers a rover accident that leaves the rover on its side and the trailer flipped. NASA monitors the crash via satellite imagery, while Watney communicates his status through brief Morse code messages. Over several sols, Watney employs mechanical leverage—using a drill bit and cabling—and digging to right both vehicles, subsequently repairing the tow hook and restoring life support systems. After cautiously navigating the remainder of the Ramp at a reduced speed of 5kph to avoid powder pits, Watney enters the basin. Utilizing a homing signal broadcast by NASA from the MAV, he navigates the remaining distance, driving significant stretches on Sol 503 and 504. The chapter culminates in Watney's emotional arrival at the MAV, where he celebrates his survival before entering the airlock.

Mark Watney reaches the MAV and begins a series of drastic, high-risk modifications dictated by NASA to reduce the ship's weight for a high-velocity intercept with the Hermes. To increase the intercept velocity from 4.1kps to 5.8kps, Watney strips the MAV of nonessential gear, life support, and structural panels, effectively turning the ship into a 'convertible' covered by Hab canvas. He further enhances the fuel supply by electrolyzing urine to produce hydrogen. Meanwhile, the crew of the Hermes prepares for the recovery mission: Martinez trains for remote piloting since the MAV's control panels were removed, Beck prepares a 214-meter recovery tether, and Commander Lewis coordinates the final battle plan. As the launch date arrives, Watney reflects on the extreme risks and the 12 light-minute communication delay that leaves Mission Control powerless to intervene. After leaving behind his remaining potatoes and samples, Watney enters the MAV, prepared to face a high-G ascent with a calculated 4% failure rate.

Mark Watney launches from Mars in the MAV, but a canvas patch failure causes atmospheric drag, resulting in an orbit that misses the Hermes by 68 kilometers with a dangerous relative intercept velocity of 42 meters per second. To rescue him, Commander Lewis authorizes a high-risk maneuver: breaching the Vehicular Airlock (VAL) to create thrust. Vogel constructs a rudimentary pipe bomb using sugar and liquid oxygen to blow the inner door, slowing the relative velocity to 13 meters per second. Dr. Beck performs a dangerous EVA, leaping from the airlock to intercept and retrieve Watney from the MAV. After a successful recovery, Watney is treated for injuries, including two broken ribs, and eventually returns to Earth. The rescue is celebrated globally, and Watney is tasked with training the Ares-6 Engineer. The chapter concludes with Watney enjoying the simple, boring pleasures of Earth, where he firmly rejects a young boy's question about whether he would ever return to Mars.