The Martian Page #3

I'm left with only one option.

I'm gonna have to

science the sh*t out of this.

Okay, so, success.

I have doubled my battery life

by scavenging Rover 1.

But if I use the heater...

I will burn through half my battery

every day.

If I do not use my heater, I will be...

slowly killed

by the laws of thermodynamics.

I would love to solve this problem

right now but unfortunately...

my balls are frozen.

I can't. I'm calling it. I'm calling it.

Good news, I may have a solution

to my heating problem.

Bad news, it involves me digging up

the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.

Now, if I remember my training correctly,

one of the lessons was titled...

"Don't Dig Up

the Big Box of Plutonium, Mark."

I get it. RTGs are good for spacecraft,

but if they rupture around humans...

no more humans.

Which is why we buried it

when we arrived.

And planted that flag...

so we would never be stupid enough

to accidentally go near it again.

But as long as I don't break it...

I almost just said

"Everything will be fine" out loud.

Look, the point is,

I'm not cold anymore.

And sure, I could choose to think

about the fact that I'm warm...

because I have a decaying radioactive

isotope riding right behind me...

but right now, I got bigger problems

on my hands.

I have scoured every single data file

on Commander Lewis' personal drive.

This is officially

the least disco song she owns.

Lookin' for some hot stuff, baby, this evenin'

I need some hot stuff, baby, tonight

I want some hot stuff, baby, this evenin'

Gotta have some hot stuff

Gotta have some love tonight

Hot stuff

I need hot stuff

I want some hot stuff

I need hot stuff

-Yeah.

-Where is Watney going?

We believe that

he's preparing for a journey.

He's been conducting

incremental tests...

taking the Rover 2 out for longer

and longer trips each time.

To what end? Why would he leave

the relative safety of the Hab?

Well, we think that he plans to travel

to the Ares 4 launch site...

in order to make contact with us,

but it would be a dangerous gamble.

But if we could talk to him,

we would tell him to stay put...

and to trust that we are doing everything

in our power to bring him home alive.

Thank you very much.

Don't say "Bring him home alive,"

Vincent.

You know what?

These interviews aren't easy.

So God forbid I try to say something

proactive and positive.

Annie.

No more Vincent on TV.

Copy that.

76 kilometers.

Am I reading that right?

Are you asking me?

I am.

Yes, sir.

Mark drove two hours

straightaway from the Hab...

did a short EVA

and then drove for another two.

We think the EVA

was to change batteries.

He didn't load up the oxygenator

or the water reclaimer?

Every 41 hours, there's a 17-minute gap.

It's just the way the orbits work...

so it's possible

that we missed something.

I want that gap down to four minutes.

I'm giving you total authority over

satellite trajectories and orbital adjustments.

Make it happen.

Okay.

Let's assume Miss Park

didn't miss anything.

So Mark's not going to Ares 4. Yet.

But he's smart enough to figure out

that's his only chance.

Bruce, what's the earliest we can

get a pre-supply there?

With the positions of Earth and Mars,

it'll take nine months.

It'll take six months

to build it in the first place.

Three months.

Three?

You're going to say it's impossible

and then I'm gonna make a speech...

about the blinding capabilities

of the JPL team...

and then you're going to do the math

in your head and say something like...

"The overtime alone

will be a nightmare."

The overtime alone will be a nightmare.

Get started.

I'll find you the money.

We need to tell the crew.

Mitch, we've discussed this.

No, you discussed this.

I'm the one who decides

what's best for the crew.

They deserve to know.

Once there's a real rescue plan,

we'll tell them.

Otherwise, it's moot.

Bruce has three months to get

the payload done.

That's all that matters right now.

We'll do our best.

Mark dies if you don't.

It's been 48 sols

since I planted the potatoes.

So now it's time to reap and re-sow.

They grew even better than I expected.

I now have 400 healthy potato plants.

I dug them up, being careful

to leave their plants alive.

The smaller ones I'll reseed,

the larger ones are my food supply.

All natural, organic,

Martian-grown potatoes.

You don't hear that every day, do you?

And by the way,

none of this matters at all...

if I can't figure out a way

to make contact with NASA.

I know what I'm gonna do.

He's moving again.

Where the hell is he going?

He hasn't changed course for 13 days.

He's nowhere near the Ares 4.

Unless he's not taking a direct route.

He might be trying to avoid

some obstacle.

What obstacle?

It's Acidalia Planitia.

There's nothing out there except the...

What?

I need a map.

Yeah.

Hey, come on. What are you doing?

It's all right. It's all right.

Can I borrow this?

Okay, so where is the Hab location?

31.2 degrees north, 28.5 degrees west.

Okay.

Where's Watney?

There.

Okay.

Okay. I know where he's going.

I need to get on an airplane.

-Vincent, how are you?

-Good to see you.

Good flight?

Yeah.

It's in storage just around the corner.

Hey, Vincent, nice to see you again.

Nice to see you.

What are the chances Mark can

get it working again?

It's hard to say.

We lost contact in '97.

We think it was battery failure.

Though I'd like to point out it lasted

three times longer than expected in any...

Nobody's criticizing JPL's work, Bruce.

I just need to speak to everybody

that was here in '97.

They're already here. Guys.

I'd like to introduce Vincent Kapoor.

Director of Mars Missions for NASA.

This is our current team...

and our original project members.

-Is this the replica?

-This is her.

Okay. Let's see it.

Pathfinder.

Pathfinder.

Come on. Come on.

Holy sh*t. Okay.

"Broadcasting status.

"Listening for telemetry signal."

Okay. Signal acquired.

-All right.

-Okay.

Camera.

Incoming.

"Are you receiving me?"

"Yes. No."

Okay, point the camera at "yes."

32-minute round-trip

communications time.

All he can do

is ask yes or no questions...

and all we can do is point the camera.

This won't exactly be an Algonquin

Round Table of snappy repartee.

-Are you kidding me?

-Tim, Tim.

-Just point the camera.

-Roger that.

Pointing the camera.

Yes!

Yes!

So here's the rub.

Somehow we have to have complex

astrophysical engineering conversations...

using nothing but

a still-frame camera...

from 1996.

Luckily...

the camera does spin.

So I can make an alphabet.

It can't be our alphabet.

26 characters plus a question card

into 360 gives us 13 degrees of arc.

That's way too narrow. I'd never know

what the camera was pointing at.

Hexadecimals.

Hexadecimals to the rescue.

I figured one of you guys

kept an ASCII table lying around.

And I was right.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I give you super-nerd Beth Johanssen.

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