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[KoopaTheCasual]

Andy Weir, author of The Martian, was so determined to include potatoes that he wrote a program to (among other things) figure out when there would be a good launch window to Mars such that the mission would be on the surface for Thanksgiving.

Sidetrack: Is this the same Andy Weir who wrote "The Egg" short story? Its my favorite short story ever.

Edit: Top of page with a de-rail. Kill me.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Matt Damon was so selfish he put all of Mars at risk instead of just dying

What if we just cant see the beings that live on Mars because they exist in the 5th dimension? Maybe human emotion can make them sick like small pox did to people on earth since things like love can transcend time and space.

 

[triplestation]

They science the shit out of that shit fam

 

[McLovin]

Aren't potatoes like really bad nutrition-wise

 

[BronsonLee]

Aren't potatoes like really bad nutrition-wise

Why do you think he looked like shit by the end of the film

 

[7iberius]

This experiment was only testing Mars-like atmospheric conditions (namely pressure and composition). It did not test all Mars-like conditions that food would need to be able to tolerate to grow on Mars. The experiment did not test Mars-like soil, which is chock-full of toxic compounds; it did not test Mars-like radiation, which is severe; nor did it test Mars-like gravity, which is only about a third of Earth's. The experiment also assumed a plentiful supply of nutrient-rich liquid water was available to the food, which is not an assumption to be taken for granted on Mars.

It's premature to reach the conclusion that potatoes can realistically/practically be grown on Mars.

 

[Trouble]

That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?

Yes, they clean room anything being sent to orbit for a few reasons. Bringing soil into the HAB isn't a wanton violation of planetary protection protocols, because he wasn't releasing stuff onto the surface. The HAB airlock blowing out was beyond his control, so you can't really pin the blame on him for that.

Aren't potatoes like really bad nutrition-wise

They go into that in the book a bit. He uses potatoes primarily for the calories and takes multivitamins. It's not ideal, and his health does suffer quite a bit, but it beats starving to death.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Why do you think he looked like shit by the end of the film

Because he ate like half a potato a day

 

[sangreal]

Since this is a XiaNaphryz thread, I can only assume that this bodes well for the future of martian french fries

For some reason I can't stop laughing at the name "International Potato Center" -- I guess it works better in spanish

 

[HideyoshiJP]

McMars

He does look like a Martian baked potato.

 

[BobTheFork]

Fuck that, what about corn?

If we're going to send the next generation of children away to Mars without their consent, I'd feel better knowing HFCS was waiting there for them.

 

[Trouble]

Fuck that, what about corn?

If we're going to send the next generation of children away to Mars without their consent, I'd feel better knowing HFCS was waiting there for them.

Children of the Martian Corn

 

[Paskil]

Organization needs to change their name to the Interplanetary Potato Center.

 

[Kayhan]

This is how Terra Formars starts.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Cant we grow meat in a lab yet? We could just bring a meat lab with us and grow meat.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

For some reason I can't stop laughing at the name "International Potato Center" -- I guess it works better in spanish

"Centro Internacional de la Papa" does have a better ring to it.

 

[Sinfamy]

The only news here is that an international potato center exists.

 

[Guevara]

IPC blazing trails as usual.

 

[Zombine]

Us Irish are resilient as fuck. We can survive in space.

 

[Lucky Forward]

Us Irish are resilient as fuck. We can survive in space.

 

[titiklabingapat]

Mikazuki's dreams will finally be a reality. Provided he survives Arianhod's attack on Tekkadan and McGillis.

 

[kswiston]

Us Irish are resilient as fuck. We can survive in space.

Thank Peru

 

[Trouble]

I love that episode. Everyone is all cultured and futuristic, but the Irish have reverted to the 19th century.

 

[superdeluxe]

That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?

Well it was either do that or die.

 

[Marky Mark]

"Centro Internacional de la Papa" does have a better ring to it.

So that's why it's CIP and not IPC. Tl;dr the linked article but it was fucking my head in.