The Martian - Ridley Scott Movie

[Atlantis]

its got matt damon in it. Not convinced on seeing it to be honest.

THE MARTIAN | Official Trailer: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

In Theaters - October, 2015

 

[Tripler]

Guess he'll blow mars stuff up and beat the crap outta some mars rocks . Yah . I will wait till it hits the internet highway before I decide to watch it .

 

[Atlantis]

Guess he'll blow mars stuff up and beat the crap outta some mars rocks . Yah . I will wait till it hits the internet highway before I decide to watch it .

I was wondering how it will take for someone to post that reference anyway. I just wanted to discuss is it scientifically possible to even grow anything on mars? Because the soil hardly has any nutrients in it unless if he uses some soil samples from earth.

 

[ecgordon]

He does use soil brought from Earth to enrich the Martian dirt. The book is good, and I will see the movie, although it might not be an opening weekend for me. I'm not a Damon fan, and I've been disappointed in a couple of Ridley's recent films, most especially Prometheus.

 

[Tripler]

I really enjoyed Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity . They were great spy tough guy movies . Anything else and I've been dissapointed with his work .
I did not watch the trailers so I have no understanding of his situation other than he is stranded on mars .
I find trailers today leave little to the imagination and always show to much of the story so I look away and plug my ears . Remember the Jaws preview or ET or Alien ? They showed very little and you were surprised ,scared to death and thrilled when you went to see them .
Like I said ,,, internet highway for this one . And yes I also have been very dissapointed with Ridley Scott ...

 

[shavedape]

It actually looks interesting but I'm gonna wait until it hits Netflix or cable. I have a "No theater" rule that I only break on very rare occasions. This isn't one of those occasions.

 

[shavedape]

I was wondering how it will take for someone to post that reference anyway. I just wanted to discuss is it scientifically possible to even grow anything on mars? Because the soil hardly has any nutrients in it unless if he uses some soil samples from earth.

Just curious. Why do you think that Mars soil doesn't have nutrients? Granted, it wouldn't have the carbon/mineral content of Earth soil, but one would assume it would contain minerals that plants could use to grow. Or at the very least the building blocks that bacteria and molds could feed off of thereby enriching the soil over time and making it useful for higher lifeforms to exploit.

I fully admit I could be wrong here as I'm no expert on Mars geology. Would be interested in knowing more though.

 

[Overmind One]

its got matt damon in it. Not convinced on seeing it to be honest.

THE MARTIAN | Official Trailer: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

In Theaters - October, 2015

This premise reminds me of Mission To Mars with Gary Sinese. One guy was left on Mars and he survived by growing food and such, and they found him on the next mission. Even though that was not the central storyline, it was a huge part of it. Nothing new there. Still, I want to see this even if it is a trainwreck because my fascination for all things Martian (scientific or otherwise) has never waned since childhood.

 

[Overmind One]

Just curious. Why do you think that Mars soil doesn't have nutrients? Granted, it wouldn't have the carbon/mineral content of Earth soil, but one would assume it would contain minerals that plants could use to grow. Or at the very least the building blocks that bacteria and molds could feed off of thereby enriching the soil over time and making it useful for higher lifeforms to exploit.

I fully admit I could be wrong here as I'm no expert on Mars geology. Would be interested in knowing more though.

For the record, Martian soil does have every nutrient that most species of plants on earth can survive (even THRIVE) in. The issue is temperatures and pollination. Carbon dioxide is the life giving gas for all plants. Contrary to the false global warming scam claims, CO2 is not now nor has it ever been dangerous to plants. They respirate it! The air we breathe is the waste product of plant photosynthesis and respiration. Plants that would thrive on mars are the same hardy plants which today grow in the arctic and antarctic circles, those which grow in the higher altitude zones of the earth, and those which live in groundwater and water ice melts (like diatoms). Lichens would thrive on Mars, even in the polar regions.

 

[Overmind One]

I was wondering how it will take for someone to post that reference anyway. I just wanted to discuss is it scientifically possible to even grow anything on mars? Because the soil hardly has any nutrients in it unless if he uses some soil samples from earth.

What "nutrients" are missing? Scientists have come to a consensus that earth plants can easily grow in Martian soil (simulated) without adding any nutrients or fertilizers. Initially, there MIGHT be a need for nitrogen fixers (like decomposing plant material or human/animal wastes), but not necessarily:

http://www.realclearscience.com/jou...th_possible_in_mars_and_moon_soil_108834.html
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0103138

Plants do not use oxygen. They excrete it as waste. To a plant, a CO2 rich atmosphere like Mars is like the original Earth. A paradise. Rainforests could form on Mars if the temperatures were right. Still, it is warm enough to grow many plants which grow on earth.

 

[shavedape]

For the record, Martian soil does have every nutrient that most species of plants on earth can survive (even THRIVE) in. The issue is temperatures and pollination. Carbon dioxide is the life giving gas for all plants. Contrary to the false global warming scam claims, CO2 is not now nor has it ever been dangerous to plants. They respirate it! The air we breathe is the waste product of plant photosynthesis and respiration. Plants that would thrive on mars are the same hardy plants which today grow in the arctic and antarctic circles, those which grow in the higher altitude zones of the earth, and those which live in groundwater and water ice melts (like diatoms). Lichens would thrive on Mars, even in the polar regions.

I would assume that plants grown in a greenhouse on Mars, using martian soil, would grow quite well. Why there would be a need to bring Earth soil to Mars to grow plants eludes me.

 

[Overmind One]

I would assume that plants grown in a greenhouse on Mars, using martian soil, would grow quite well. Why there would be a need to bring Earth soil to Mars to grow plants eludes me.

The only reason for the greenhouse would be to control the temperature and maintain humidity (cause water would likely remain in a "slush" state). There is absolutely no need at all for earth soil. The starter nitrogen fixers could be the human waste pods from the spacecraft and spacesuits. It would make the perfect fertilizer. Later, decomposing plant material (compost) would provide the nitrogen fixing. There is nothing in earth's virgin soil that is not in Martian soil. It is the millions of years of the mingling of decomposed organic material from life on earth which makes it fertile. Plants have been on earth at least a billion or more years before any complex animals evolved.

 

[Bluce Ree]

What "nutrients" are missing? Scientists have come to a consensus that earth plants can easily grow in Martian soil (simulated) without adding any nutrients or fertilizers. Initially, there MIGHT be a need for nitrogen fixers (like decomposing plant material or human/animal wastes), but not necessarily:

http://www.realclearscience.com/jou...th_possible_in_mars_and_moon_soil_108834.html
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0103138

Plants do not use oxygen. They excrete it as waste. To a plant, a CO2 rich atmosphere like Mars is like the original Earth. A paradise. Rainforests could form on Mars if the temperatures were right. Still, it is warm enough to grow many plants which grow on earth.

From Wikipedia:

"In June, 2008, the Phoenix Lander returned data showing Martian soil to be slightlyalkaline and containing vital nutrients such as magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride, all of which are necessary for living organisms to grow."

 

[Tripler]

Then what are we all waiting for !!! Lets move there !!!


--- merged: Aug 19, 2015 at 2:11 PM ---
This thing may help man get to mars easier ...

http://qz.com/482112/a-space-elevator-has-been-patented-to-take-astronauts-12-miles-off-the-earth/

Personally I think the tower has to go right into space so that the weightlessness of space basically holds it in up and in place .

 

[Atlantis]

I guess I was wrong about being able to grow anything on mars but surely it would take a long time and how would he recycle the oxygen supply? I am no biologist but I've read somewhere that at night plants excrete carbon dioxide as excess I am not 100% sure on this but its something I've read.

 

[shavedape]

I guess I was wrong about being able to grow anything on mars but surely it would take a long time and how would he recycle the oxygen supply? I am no biologist but I've read somewhere that at night plants excrete carbon dioxide as excess I am not 100% sure on this but its something I've read.

It might take awhile to build up nitrogen-based composted material (replete with bacteria) but eventually the soil should be nutrient rich enough to grow plants as well as on earth.

As for the plants respiring CO2 I'm not up to speed on that, but I would think O production would require lots of flora. I could be wrong here but it would be interesting to find out how much plant life is required to fill a room with oxygen.

Edit: Sorry, I originally wrote "H2O" when I simply meant "O" for oxygen.

 

[Overmind One]

I guess I was wrong about being able to grow anything on mars but surely it would take a long time and how would he recycle the oxygen supply? I am no biologist but I've read somewhere that at night plants excrete carbon dioxide as excess I am not 100% sure on this but its something I've read.

It is the opposite. Plants respirate CO2 (carbon dioxide). They breathe it, and excrete oxygen as a waste product. Plant respiration is opposite of animals.

You are right about the "night cycle". At night, the plant will excrete CO2 that is excess. But that is fractional.

It might take awhile to build up nitrogen-based composted material (replete with bacteria) but eventually the soil should be nutrient rich enough to grow plants as well as on earth.

As for the plants respiring CO2 I'm not up to speed on that, but I would think H2O production would require lots of flora. I could be wrong here but it would be interesting to find out how much plant life is required to fill a room with oxygen.

If the floor of the room were a living lawn of common grass, that would do it easily. The thing you said about nitrogen fixing is important. Soil which is not fixed will stifle plant growth. Human waste, rotting plant material, even dead bodies could provide the nitrogen fixing properties plants would need on Mars. I think that keeping the water liquid and preventing too much evaporation would be the problem. Mars is not exactly warm, but near the equator in a Martian summer, it can get to 70 degrees. More than tolerable with no extra gear.

 

[shavedape]

If the floor of the room were a living lawn of common grass, that would do it easily. The thing you said about nitrogen fixing is important. Soil which is not fixed will stifle plant growth. Human waste, rotting plant material, even dead bodies could provide the nitrogen fixing properties plants would need on Mars. I think that keeping the water liquid and preventing too much evaporation would be the problem. Mars is not exactly warm, but near the equator in a Martian summer, it can get to 70 degrees. More than tolerable with no extra gear.

There would no doubt be evaporation but at least it would be within a closed environmental system. A type of dehumidifying system could be rigged to pull evaporated water from the air thereby returning it to a liquid state for irrigation purposes. Of course that doesn't even take into account any sources of natural water occurring on Mars, most likely frozen below the surface of the planet but nonetheless available.

 

[Atlantis]

You can't keep Neil Tyson away from the spotlight just like Bill nye

 

[Atlantis]