THE MARTIAN

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They say that timing is everything, but could you believe NASA's timing? The space agency announced earlier this week that water possibly exists on Mars. On the same week, 20th Century Fox released a major motion picture about space exploration and the lack of water on Mars.

In recent years, we’ve lost our sense of wonder about space flight and that we are regularly sending astronauts off to planets and bringing them back. And that is the story of The Martian, the new science-fiction film from director Ridley Scott.

Matt Damon, who calls himself Captain Blonde-beard finds himself stranded on Mars when the rest of his crew is forced to leave the planet without him. With any potential rescue mission years away, he must improvise and manage resources to survive on his own in an environment that is lethal to all known forms of life.

I do not think there has ever been a science-fiction film not about space battles, or alien invasion, but math and technology? Watney, aka Blonde-beard crunches numbers throughout the film to overcome dilemmas that could possibly kill him.

In one very funny scene, he attempts to generate water in molecular fashion by burning hydrogen and adding oxygen. It’s as dangerous as it sounds, and Watney comes out the other end looking like Wile E. Coyote after another failed Acme scheme.

Over and over, the characters in the film solve problems with hard science. Back on Earth, the NASA team collaborates with the Chinese space agency to mount an unlikely rescue mission. Their common currency isn’t language, and it certainly isn’t politics. It’s math and science and a shared understanding of the fundamentals of technology.
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NASA has been criminally underfunded for years and the percentage of overall US funding for NASA peaked in 1965 at 4.31 percent. Estimated 2015 number: 0.47 percent. In the U.S., more money is spent annually on pizza than on funding our space agency.

After watching the entire film, including the credits, I went to eat a slice of pizza. What a shame we no longer prioritize space exploration like we did years ago, BACK IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

'The Martian' Movie Review: Matt Damon Delivers One of His Best Performances - ABC News - http://abcn.ws/1PSJKcz via @ABC

Box Office: 'The Martian' Blasting Towards $53M Debut After $18M Friday http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-martian-blasting-53m-8… via @thr

Box Office: ‘The Martian’ Rockets to $18 Million Opening Day http://variety.com/2015/film/box-office/box-office-martian-ridley-scott… via @Variety

The 5 biggest differences between 'The Martian' book and movie http://usat.ly/1Rmwm1i via @usatoday

The Martian by Andy Weir (audiobook) https://youtu.be/8el0f1e9_zQ via @YouTube

The Martian | Teaser Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX https://youtu.be/Ue4PCI0NamI via @YouTube

PHOTO: AP