Was the Iron Man scene in The Martian realistic?

Closer to the ending of the movie, when Mark Watney cuts a hole in his EVA suit to rendezvous with the Hermes, we see him spiraling wildly out of control before he links up with the Hermes crew.

Since the book clearly does not have this scenario, and based on the answers here, we know that NASA exclusively granted access as well as support to the makers of the Martian, was this scene realistically granted NASA's backing as well or was this one of the writer's inventions?

Additionally, has the author, NASA or the filmmakers ever spoken about this?

plot-explanation the-martian

Best Answer

How I thought about it was like when you let go of a freshly blown up balloon and it spirals around the room in a frenzy as the air escapes, not all balloons do this, it depends on a few different factors of the balloon, air pressure, and environment, so on. The difference between a balloon and manned space suit in the vacuum of space is that the suit is like an airplane that gets a hole-- everything gets sucked out or enough to block the hole. I came across an article that supports the unlikely odds of the "Iron Man scene" (http://www.outsideonline.com/2023396/how-accurate-martian)

I think Fox went with the alternative ending of the "Iron Man" for a couple reasons; fun because it's Iron Man and the Avengers are big in pop culture, readers get to experience the alt-ending from the book, and many of the crew members where also in marvel/super hero movie casting.

Weir confessed he never talked to Nasa about the specifics behind the Mars trip, he was just curious and enthusiastic about science and did some research. From your article, it appears that NASA approved their logo in the movie because there's aspects of the movie that are science fiction/can't be achieved with current technology.

I also recommend this Interview between Andy Weir and Adam Savage

Pictures about "Was the Iron Man scene in The Martian realistic?"

Was the Iron Man scene in The Martian realistic? - Woods Covered With Snow

Was the Iron Man scene in The Martian realistic? - Man Standing Near Gray Metal Equipment

Was the Iron Man scene in The Martian realistic? - Man Wearing Orange Hard Hat

Is the Iron Man scene in The Martian possible?

The 'Ironman' Stunt: Impossible Even with a change of course from Hermes, the crew isn't quite close enough to grab Watney, so he cuts a hole in the glove of his suit and uses the escaping pressure to \u201cfly like Ironman.\u201d

What is scientifically inaccurate in The Martian?

Inaccuracies in the book and movie Although Mars does get dust storms, the atmospheric pressure is so low that the wind is negligible, although the dust itself can be harmful. Andy Weir admits the dust storm was used simply to move the plot along and leave Mark Watney stranded on Mars.

Is the spaceship in The Martian realistic?

The film adaptation of Andy Weir's breakout novel "The Martian" isn't just awesome, it might also be one of the most realistic space exploration movies that's ever graced the silver screen.

Is The Martian book scientifically accurate?

\u201cThe Martian\u201d is a technically accurate sci-fi, so tons of research and constant double-checking of math had to be done. Anything else would have been ruinous to the reader's suspension of disbelief. Along the way, the math revealed plot points that would have otherwise never happened.

Martian: Mark watney as Iron Man

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