The Martian

[Stan H]

I recently read a book called The Martian (a soon to be movie staring Matt Damon). The premise of the story is that an astronaut is accidentally left on Mars and must try to survive. He does this in such a way that I thought for sure they would have consulted Dr. McDougall. It's an interesting read, and I am sure the movie will be good too.

[Gershon]

Remember that old Twilight Zone episode where the Martians came to earth? They brought a book with them called, "How to Serve Man." It's not the McDougall way of eating.

[Katydid]

FYI, The Martian is currently on sale at Amazon as a Kindle book for $1.99.

Kate

[Gershon]

Thanks Katydid. I bought the Kindle book.

[Jumpstart]

I wonder how the movie will solve the problem of where he's going to get his protein

[Pumpkin Pete]

Maybe these 'Martians' can take some advice from Prot from K-Pax
Prot in the movie K-Pax came from another planetary system.
He was vegan and loved the fruits here on Earth as can be seen in the following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5bvNVx1NqM

[Taggart]

The premise of The Martian is that the character in the movie is stranded on Mars and must survive on an "all potato" diet for the next four years before a rescue mission can arrive. He has to be able to grow enough potatoes for his own survival on the red planet. How he's going to cook them, I don't know?

Trapped on Mars: Matt Damon's incredible new movie 'The Martian' shows how man could survive on the red planet

"The botanist only has a few weeks of supplies to provide himself subsistence for the four years he would need to stay alive to be rescued.

Watney hatches a plan to grow his own food by converting the floor of the research station into a field.

The film shows him using sprouts from potatoes the astronauts brought along for a Thanksgiving meal.

This involved calculating how many calories he would need to survive four years - 2,137,500 - and how many potatoes that requires, as well as how much land would be needed.

In reality, Mars is a relatively ideal place to put up a greenhouse, according to Nasa.

The day and night cycle is almost identical to Earth's, and the total solar energy hitting the surface is enough for a plant's needs.

In the film, potatoes are used, because they are the best calorie yield per land area.

6 TIPS FOR SURVIVING ON MARS, BY 'THE MARTIAN' AUTHOR ANDY WEIR

Tip #5

5 - You’re going to need food
Just think of how much food you eat in a year and imagine how much space it takes to grow it. Hope you like potatoes."

[hazelrah]

Remember that old Twilight Zone episode where the Martians came to earth? They brought a book with them called, "How to Serve Man." It's not the McDougall way of eating.

I think, from the Martian perspective, it might qualify as a, "Feast day."

Mark