The Martian | Teen Ink

The Martian

January 24, 2017
By Langdon.Cam BRONZE, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Langdon.Cam BRONZE, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Craig Sager once said, “I will live my life full of love and full of fun. It’s the only way I know how.” In a person’s life, whether they have twenty minutes or twenty years to live they want to live them to the fullest or the best way they can. They want to be loved by friends and family. Mark Watney, a fictional character from the book (2011) and movie (2015) “The Martian”.  Mark Watney would like to have a full life, that maybe be hard because he’s alone on planet Mars. The only breathing and living thing on a whole planet! He will be left behind by his crew, won’t be able to talk to earth, and he’ll have a tough time to survive with all of those factors blocking his path back home.

 

On Sol six, a severe storm is about to hit the Ares III base camp in Acidalia Planitia and the six members of the crew are forced to abort the mission. When the crew must make the short trek to the MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle), the storm is thrashing them along the path. When suddenly the communication system break off and comes flying towards the crew. It strikes Mark Watney and his suit breaches and he dies, or that’s what the crew and all of planet Earth believes. With the storm pushing the MAV over, the crew must leave the red planet in hopes that they survive, after a quick search for Watney’s body. Watney awakes to his beeping suit, and he tries to stand but the comm system is sticking out of his stomach. So he cuts part of it off and returns to the hab (Artificial habitat), but with no comm system he can’t tell earth that he’s alive. When or will he be able to contact earth?
With the current communication systems down and, no one knowing that he’s alive. Watney must figure out a way to survive and reach the Ares IV land site, which is 3,200 kilometers away, and contact Earth. But once Watney figures out a plan to contact Earth, he must journey across Mars in a little roover. Good news is that Earth knows Watney is alive, because they have been using satellites to take pictures of him, but he doesn’t know that. Once he has reached Pathfinder, he must bring it back to the hab and figure out a way to get it to work, so he can tell earth that he is alive and to figure out a plan to get him off the planet. If he will ever get pathfinder working he must tell them that he is ok and doing well with his potato crop. Food was one thing he was lacking for survival, but once he got that down many other things get in his way.


After he was left behind Watney realized he didn't have enough food to survive him long enough to reach the Ares IV lad site he looked for a way to ration out food. But then he found potatoes that the crew were saving for thanksgiving. He used the crew's own feces to grow and he created water using by hydrazine. (after blowing himself up once) He was successful in the growing of his garden. Another experience is when the airlock which is attached to the hab blew off, while he was in it. He had to repair his mask quickly so he wouldn’t suffocate. These are only a few of the ways he could have died on the martian soil.


Going over these point in how he was left behind, lost communication and then regained it with earth, and finally two of the many ways he could have died. Despite how much time is left in a life that person would love to live it full with people that they love and care about. Mark Watney has a determination to live just like our late Craig Sager. Finally, will Watney escape Mars deathly clutch upon him just watch this thrilling movie to find out.
 


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