Chris Greene- Watney and his plant powers

Andy Weir's science-fiction novel, The Martian, has impressive credibility with the scientific detail within the storyline. With Mark Watney being stranded on Mars for over 400 days with the remaining rations from his crew I did not think it was possible for a human to survive on Mars, but I was shocked to find out that it is possible for a human to survive on Mars with the limited resources he or she may have depending on the skills the person stranded has to survive as long as Watney did.

Mark Watney is possibly the best person who could have been stranded on Mars and survive. The reasoning behind this is due to Watney being a Botanist and mechanical engineer. For those that do not know what a Botanist is. A Botanist has the power of plants, but really they are scientists who specialize in the science of plant life. Considering Watney had only the remaining rations from his crew mates, he figures out a way to get the nutrients and water necessary to grow potatoes. Some may say it is impossible to live off potatoes for over 400 days, but it actually is possible to survive, grow, and use the martian soil to grow potatoes. Potatoes are actually high in all nutrients for the human body to survive, especially in vitamins A, B-12 and E as well as calcium. Chris Voy, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission went through 60 days of eating nothing but potatoes just to prove a point, but by day three he regretted it just as Watney did.

The only part in the novel that is not credible within The Martian is when Watney said that the winds in the sandstorm got up to 175 kph. This would be the most unrealistic part in The Martian due to Mars atmosphere being only one percent of earth's, meaning that the winds on Mars, it would not even come close to being a category one hurricane on Earth. These winds will not be able to blow away person such as Mark or the crew needing to evacuate.


Citations:
Weir, Andy "The Martian" Crowni MC, 2014

Contributor, Elizabeth Howell Space.com. “'The Martian' Dust Storm Would Actually Be a Breeze.” Space.com, 29 Sept. 2015, www.space.com/30663-the-martian-dust-storms-a-breeze.html.

Brion, Raphael. “Shocker: Man Now Regrets All-Potato Stunt Diet.” Eater, Eater, 27 Oct. 2010, www.eater.com/2010/10/27/6712825/shocker-man-now-regrets-all-potato-stunt-diet.