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A lot has happened during the past few Sols. We are introduced to some intense problems and life threatening situations. As we read the next chapters of The Martian, reflect on how Mark has dealt with the problem the problems he is faced with.

Reflect on all of the following five statements or questions, and write and post your reflections for one or more of the posted questions.

1. The first time the narrative switched from Mark's log entries to third-person authorial narrative back on Earth, were you surprised? How does alternating between Mark's point of view and the situation on Earth enhance the story?
2. When Mark leaves the HAB and ventures out in the rover, did you feel a loss of security for him? In addition to time, the author uses distance to build suspense. Discuss how.
3. After regaining the ability to communicate, how would you react when faced with the loss of communication again?
4. Do you feel that Teddy's decision not to tell the crew can be justified? How do the weigh the value of five lives vs. one? Discuss from Teddy's perspective and   Lewis' perspective.
5. In the book, NASA is forced to rush project Iris to deliver a package to Mars. With the current climate of NASA today, do you feel the privatization of the space program would yield better results or cause future problems?

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2. When Watney ventures out in the rover, he undoubtedly sacrifices some of the immediate security. However, Watney is in an extreme survival situation, an encounter that in itself, is based purely on chance and ratios. The opportunity cost of Watney risking the journey to Pathfinder is incomparable to Watney sitting in the HAB, awaiting death.

4. Teddy's decision is justified, but the alternative is as well, in my opinion. I do believe Teddy is in a much more neutral position than Lewis. As Teddy states in a later chapter, the crew is far too emotionally attached to be relied upon solely for a decision of this magnitude. On the other hand however, Watney is a human being - and some risks are worth taking...not necessarily out of Lewis' loyalty, but out of the fact that Watney represents the eye of humanity peering into the threshold of the grand, unknown universe. It would be going against everything humankind strives for, in abandoning a human on Mars - in essence, we would be giving up on ourselves.

5. Now for my favorite question of all - we currently live in the MOST exciting moment in all of space history. NASA is controlled by the reigns of Congress, and as such, their mission may get cancelled or altered every new election cycle. This significantly hinders the advancement of not only the U.S., but the human race as a whole. However, more and more private companies and entrepreneurs are rising up to exploit the many benefits of space exploration and assume certain roles of NASA, and usher in all of the benefits of capitalism are being expanded to the frontiers of space! Expect BIG things to happen in the coming decades, the likes of which our world has never seen! Exciting times indeed!

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5. I recently had a conversation with a friend who works at NASA that was pretty enlightening and made me think privatization may be more efficient in the long run. She works on educating internal offices, museums, etc about NASA programs. This is an essential job, as priorities change from one administration to another and communicating these changes across the organization is necessary. Bush was all about going back to the moon, Obama is looking toward Mars. If, every four years NASA is having to stop and start again that is definitely an impediment to progress. However, something of this magnitude has to have the support and muscle of the government in terms of scope, safety and logistics. That will become more apparent as the book continues.

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4. Certainly Teddy's decision to wait before telling the crew can be justified. I believe, as Teddy tells Mitch, it would have only caused more stress if the crew had known that Watney was alive, but not how to save him. Until NASA came up with a solution, it would have distracted the crew from their mission back home. However, I would like to know what Teddy would have directed NASA to do if there was no way to save Watney. Never tell them he survived?
"As soon as we come up with a plan for rescue, we can tell Hermes. There needs to be some hope, or there's no point in telling them." (8.85)


Obviously, Teddy sees the situation more rationally than Lewis would, but I think he's also less motivated to risk the lives of the crew. He would rather ensure the lives of five people than risk all.

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2. When Mark ventures, yes of course something could have mess him up and he could be screwed but Mark is a professional, I am pretty sure he knew what he was doing before going out there. He had to takes risk to survive and to get things done so people can rescue him and I am sure he had a back up plan just in case he got into a jam.

3. If I knew I might lose contact with people, I would be scared and frustrated and try to get online again so I can have communication but at least people at NASA know that I am alive and can help on their side and get me an alternate source of communication.

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1. I wasn't surprised, no. It was necessary to keep the story going. If Weir wanted this book to be about the survival of man, the reader needs to know that there is a chance he can survive, meaning we need to know what NASA is up to in regards to aiding Mark. It just gives the readers more of a context for what is happening, and a break from Mars. It's like the movie Phone Booth. We don't just see Colin Ferrall in the phone booth; we see what other people are trying to do to make sure Firth makes it out of the phone booth. If you don't change the setting, the audience can get bored, the situation can get to depressing, and the story being told loses a sense of reality. The world doesn't stop because one person is in a truly desperate situation.

2. I wouldn't say I felt a loss of security. He could make it back. With everything else he has accomplished at this point, why should a rover adventure be any different? By adding the distance, it should make the readers uncertain if Mark will ever make it back, especially given the weather and dust of Mars. If he runs into a storm, or if he loses his path, he could potentially not make it back to HAB.

3. I'd just try to fix it. If I can get the signal once, I can get it again. It just takes time. I'm not sure I would have an emotional response to that.

4. Teddy absolutely made the right decision. I'm a huge proponent of Mill and Utilitarianism, where you have to think of the good of everybody. As mentioned in answer 1, the world doesn't stop for one person. You have five people in space on the way home -- people who are already riddled with guilt and feeling terrible about what happened. Because he cannot stop them from turning around and going back, Teddy has to keep that information from them because he's responsible for all six lives. Better to get five home, then none. The truth of the matter is that if the crew went back, then all six would have died due to a lack of supplies. It's not worth it. From Lewis's perspective, she probably wanted the information from the get go so they could go back. Mark was her crew member, and therefore her responsibility. Going back for him would absolve her of the guilt from leaving him behind. From what is known about her, she feels personally accountable for Mark's situation, so she would sacrifice the crew to get Mark back. Giving her information that he is alive is too risky, at least until they are nearly halfway home. Again, I'm with Teddy. The crew is already going through enough, survivors guilt and trying to get home on their 8 month trek. Letting them know Mark is alive causes further unnecessary emotional trauma.

5. I suppose it could work. It would at least speed up the bureaucratic problems, but at the same time, there would still be problems with the original sentence of having to rush Project Iris. Even privatized, NASA would have schedules. If this situation really did happen, a project or two might still need to be rushed. It's tough to know if it would lead to better results or cause further issues. Clearly there are some issues right now, but we can only postulate theories about benefits of privatization right now. Until it's actually implemented, there is no real way to know ultimately what is better.

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1. I was glad to finally get a glimpse of what NASA and the entire world was handling the loss of Mark. I liked how they started putting the pieces together that he really could be alive. Now a plan has to formed on what to do. I like how they switch between Mark and NASA. You have to have both perspectives of what is going on Mars  and what NASA is doing to try and save him.

2. When Mark decided that he was going to go out in the Rover it did make me nervous. He has all he needs right now and the risks he is willing to take is high. I did find it funny how he found his first mission a failure because he got too cold. I could just imagine him just making circles around his sight. I would of done the same thing in not wanting to get very far from the HAB.

Will finish my post later

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1. I was actually expecting/hoping for the perspective at everyone back on Earth. With the way the book was first set up in chapter 1 to 5, I had hopes of getting their perspective l. The differentiating point of views add depth to the novel and provide a more interesting story.

2. I knew that Mark was going to have a plan to get to Ares 4- while I was concerned that he could be in possible danger with the slightest miscalculation. I had feelings that the author was using fake suspect se while comparing the number of the km Mark travels to the hours he spent traveling.

3. After regaining the ability to communicate, I would feel like losing hope when faced with losing communication again, but I would also feel a bit hopeful because yet I lost it once before. I might have a chance to find it again.

4. It is understandable why Teddy did not want to tell the crew that Mark was alive. He knew that they would feel guilty for not trying to save him or stay and look for him. Watney, knowing they could be wishing that it was their lives in exchange for Marks. Lewis is one of the crew members who ended feeling guilty for Warnes abandament.

5. I think the privatization of the space program would produce better results. In the book, the crew has to balance Marks predicament with the press, resulting in less time spent on fixing the problem and publicizing instead. While people have a right to know what is going on around them, they can be too nosy and pose problems to the problem instead of helping resolve them.