Love the movie. Have seen it dozens of times and still can't figure this out...or maybe it is staring me in the face;

Why did they take a perfectly good Rover, air tight and by now radioactive heated, and cut the roof out? Didn't this make it non-airtight? And why put the plastic 'balloon' in place of the roof they just cut out? The balloon piece docent seem to have any function I can think of.

Am I missing something?

I read the book and I recall there was a need to cut a hole in the roof. Cannot recall the exact reason...

Watney needed more room in the rover to fit essential life support equipment. In the book, he explains,

quote:

I need to modify the rover to carry the Atmospheric Regulator, Oxygenator, and Water Reclaimer. I call them “The Big Three”. All three need to be in the pressurized area, but the rover isn't big enough.

...

I'll have to make structural changes to that trailer. And by “structural changes” I mean “cut a big hole in the hull.” Then I can move the Big Three in and use Hab canvas to loosely cover the hole. It'll balloon out when I pressurize the rover, but it'll hold.

In the movie, there's no explanation for it. I really don't even think it's necessary. You never see the equipment as described in the novel.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
In the movie, there's no explanation for it. I really don't even think it's necessary. You never see the equipment as described in the novel.

^^Yes, I dont think I saw anything being loaded thru the hole in the roof. That would have explained it. Never read the book so thanks to all for clearing it up. Still an outstanding movie.

Yes, it was the oxygen and water equipment if I remember. Also it gave him the ability to stand up as well. But in the movie I dont remember them showing it being used. He is on this trek for close to a year iirc.

He used the second rover as a trailer. And even built an airlock tent device so he could sleep outside during the day without the suit on. Camping on mars he called it.

Anyway, while drilling the holes for the roof he shorts the radio and loses connection to earth.

The explanation might have been a deleted scene.

quote:

Originally posted by urbanwarrior238:
Love the movie. Have seen it dozens of times and still can't figure this out...or maybe it is staring me in the face;

Why did they take a perfectly good Rover, air tight and by now radioactive heated, and cut the roof out? Didn't this make it non-airtight? And why put the plastic 'balloon' in place of the roof they just cut out? The balloon piece docent seem to have any function I can think of.

Am I missing something?

It is a portion of the book that was poorly adapted to the movie. In the book, he has both rovers (in the movie one was destroyed when the MAV launched in the beginning of the movie).

He turns the second one into a trailer and there is A LOT about all the modifications he needs to make in order to engineer the 2 vehicles for the journey, to include taking the roof off one (I think the trailer rover). He also makes a small 'living space' off of one, so he has a larger space to work without his suit on (he had EVA limits since he only had so many CO2 scrubbers). Basically part of the HAB that he could inflate and stretch out in.

While making the mods, he also loses communications with Earth since he fries the comm link with the drill. So that explains the odd movie line of being a 'space pirate', because in the book he was out of comms with Earth, hadn't specifically been given permission to take the MAV, but would have to board it to establish comms, becoming a 'Space Pirate'. But in the movie he still had comms, so the line doesn't really work.

He also flips the rover on the journey and it looks like they filmed that scene, it's one of the montage scenes of the journey where the rover is in loose sand and he's trying to drive it out.

Anyway, long story short - the rover mods and journey were far more detailed in the book and some of it didn't flow perfectly into the movie.

If you haven't read the book, it's a fun easy read. The movie is great and so is the book.

Great movie. I agree, the book is well worth the read.

Better yet, try the audiobook. RC Bray provides one of the best narrations I've ever heard.

The audiobook was far superior to the film.

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
Great movie. I agree, the book is well worth the read.

Agree. Movie was good; the book was great.

I'm not a science fiction reader, but lots of people here raved about it here and I bought it based on the enthusiasm for it. I could not put it down.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

While making the mods, he also loses communications with Earth since he fries the comm link with the drill. So that explains the odd movie line of being a 'space pirate', because in the book he was out of comms with Earth, hadn't specifically been given permission to take the MAV, but would have to board it to establish comms, becoming a 'Space Pirate'. But in the movie he still had comms, so the line doesn't really work.

Thanks. Never read the book so that line always puzzled me.

I loved both the book and the movie.
I couldn’t believe how great—inspiring even—the movie was.
BTW the book The Martian was I believe the first huge self-publishing sci fi success.

Was the ass-kissing of the Chicoms in the book too or was that written in so they could show it favorably in China?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Was the ass-kissing of the Chicoms in the book too or was that written in so they could show it favorably in China?

Yes. They were the only other agency with a rocket prepped and on the pad with the carrying capacity capable of getting either getting supplies to Mars (as was the stupid plan) or to the Ares (once the astronauts mutinied and began the Parnell (sp?) maneuver).

My recollection of the book vs. the movie as regards to the chinese space agency was that they went to NASA and offered their booster, subject to some quid pro quo to include a seat on a subsequent launch. I dont remember much ass kissing at all.

Andy Weir's followup novel, "Artemis" is a pretty good read too. Just finished it this past weekend.

The movie followed the book almost to a t but left out a ton of details and some of Marks inner thoughts on everything which was one of my favorite parts of the book.
I read the whole thing in two sittings.

quote:

Originally posted by motor59:
Andy Weir's followup novel, "Artemis" is a pretty good read too. Just finished it this past weekend.

I finally read Artemis a couple weeks ago and thought it was a fun, more light-hearted novel. I look forward to reading more of Weir's novels.

Sol 385. " I need a place to stay where I can stand up and take a few steps without hitting thing...so today, I started making a tent."

R.C. Bray's audiobook edition is great.

quote:

Originally posted by motor59:
My recollection of the book vs. the movie as regards to the chinese space agency was that they went to NASA and offered their booster, subject to some quid pro quo to include a seat on a subsequent launch. I dont remember much ass kissing at all.

Yes - the Chinese scientists call NASA scientists and offer the booster in exchange for a Chinese Astronaut on the next Ares mission (plus paying for the rocket) - which was a failure for China scientifically (since their scientists believed the politicians wouldn't use the money to rebuild another rocket that big), but a 'win' for the prestige of their country.

It's not spelled out as such in the movie, but notice the Chinese Astronaut on the Ares 5 launch at the end.