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I am the creator of **isitplausible.com**

SciFi fan since my early childhood

IT Engineer with degree in computer science

Amateur meteorologist and an avid paragliding pilot

I am also the creator of the leading weather site for soaring pilots in Europe

<https://meteo.guru>

[[~7dTrffcO2cc]]

mmom

[[!Scott_Manley]] was the first to remark that the launch to rendez-vous from [[!Acidalia_Planitia]] is impossible because it could not have the right inclination for a spacecraft coming from the plane of the [[!Ecliptic]].

[[~84IA5OUzHDE]] 

His analysis is correct, but the Hermes could have performed a very slight mid-course burn to enter the Martian SOI at 50° inclination.

Mars does experience some extreme weather - including a very large amount of [[!Dust_devil]]s which seem to be much more common than on Earth, but the very thin atmosphere makes it absolutely impossible for the wind to exercise any significant force.

A fine example of the current trend towards realistic space travel in science fiction movies, *The Martian* offers a heavily dramatized, but still somewhat accurate depiction of what a manned mission to Mars might look like. Probably not the very first one - but one of the more advanced follow-ups.

Normally, the window that allows a transfer from Earth orbit to Mars orbit occurs once every 26 months. A transfer outside that window is still theoretically possible, but could possibly require orders of magnitude more [[!Delta-v]] - making it impossible in practice.

The [[#16]] around Earth, that allows *Hermes* to head back to Mars despite being outside this window, is indeed possible - in fact Laura Burke from NASA Glenn Research Center did examine its plausibility within the limits of their upcoming [[!Vasimir]] engine - and deemed it feasible.

The part where Watney barely reached *the Hermes* would probably have been less dramatic, as its advanced ion engines should have been easily capable of lowering its orbit with the required distance, but everything is remarkably accurate and is based on real orbital mechanics - up to the point where Mars' and Earth's orbital positions match their expected orbital positions in 2036.

You can see a full animation at <http://galactanet.com/martian/hermes.mp4>

The only thing completely unrealistic about it is that a slingshot maneuver would require a brainstorming session at NASA and someone will have to explain its nature to the director of flight operations - since a [[#16]] is what has made possible every single NASA deep space mission since the [[!Mariner_program]].

The chemical reaction depicted in the movie is indeed possible, but it still seems a very odd decision, since

* There is lots of ice to be found on Mars
* [[!Hydrazine]] is a very dangerous and toxic chemical that must be handled with extreme care (the fumes of the small and explosion and the fire could have been lethal)

![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Hypergolic_Fuel_for_MESSENGER.jpg)

There is no way there will be artificial gravity on the first manned spacecrafts headed to Mars.

This is part of the larger problem of [[#70]] in movies.