Mark Watney Sparknotes

As readers we can notice the book is written as multiple journal entries of the hard-fought times of stranded botanist and engineer Mark Watney. The journal entries make the novel more personal and grips us into the adventures of astronaut Watney.
The plot begins in the year 2035, where the lives of crew members from the Ares 3 mission are in danger as an approaching sandstorm can trap them there permanently and the crew is ordered to take off with immediate effect. We learn that Mark Watney was hit by a loose antenna and was thought to be trapped and dead on Mars. His crewmates make the difficult decision to abandon any search efforts.
However, Watney survived and has been found to have minor injuries. The book begins to tell us the different challenges Watney must overcome with his new life in the Hab through logs written by Watney. Watney begins to adapt the philosophy of "work the problem", using this mentality to solve various

challenges that end upcoming his way. His main struggles are food and water, and he works out he does not have enough to last him four years till the next launch lands for his rescue, he uses science to find ways for him to grow his food in the Hab.
Watney realised his only hope for a rescue is dangerous drive of 3,200 kilometers to the location of the next Ares 4 mission which is due to land in the next four years. His only mode of transport on Mars is one of the rovers on which he begins make modifications on by adding on solar panels and an extra battery. Before, making the deadly journey Watney decides to take a three-week trip to retrieve the unmanned pathfinder lander and another rover, which he hopes will allow him to contact earth.
The canvas of the airlock in the Hab tears due to Watney’s excessive use of the airlock to enter and exit the building, allowing outside air in which nearly kills him. Watney repairs the torn canvas; however, all his plants have died and with them his hopes of survival. Watney begins to realise that he will have to set aside any consideration for safety protocols due to time constraints. NASA tries to find out a way for them to try to send food and other supplies to Mars, however their attempt to send an unmanned rocket disintegrates after lift-off. NASA then are forced to make a deal with the Chinese National Space Administrative that will provide them with another unmanned probe.
NASA inform the crew of the Ares 3 of a plan that involves them making a ‘slingshot’ trajectory back to mars to rescue their stranded crew member.

The main person at NASA vetoes the idea of this new plan as he believes it will only danger the other crew members, but Henderson the chief of the mission secretly emails the details to Hermes the escaped space ship from mars. The crew all agrees to help the final member of their crew.
Watney begins again with modifications on the rover, as the newly developed rescue plan requires him to lift-off from Mars in the Ares 4 Mars ascent vehicle (MAV). During the process of modifying the rover Watney accidentally shorts the power from the pathfinder, his only communication with earth.
After Watney leaves to retrieve the Ares 4 MAV, NASA detects a major sand storm that is going to interrupt the journey of Watney but they are unable to warn him. The solar cells that power the rover will not be as effective in the sand storm and this also puts in the danger of the power left in his life-support

suit.
Watney’s final curve in his path is when he rolls the rover on the downhill into the location with the MAV and survives. Watney reaches the MAV and it is here where he can contact earth again and receive instructions with modifications needed to get this MAV to take-off. One of the major modifications that must be made is the removal of the front piece of the MAV, which he covers with canvas from the Hab. Once Watney becomes airborne the canvas tears which begins to create drag that prevent the MAV of reaching the height of the interception. His old crew leader Lewis who must improvise and make a new plan to reach the MAV, she does this by firing the ships thrusters and by blowing a hole in the front airlock and from this the ship can reduce speed.
This allows the ship to intercept the MAV and in the final log entry by Watney we as the readers can feel the joy and relief from Watney for his rescue.
My favourite line in the novel was when Mark Watney said during logged entry SOL 61 “How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Males no sense.” (2011:64). The reason I say this is that I found it quite funny as it was completely unexpected and it was an entire log entry dedicated to just that line which made it even funnier.