The Martian | Andy Weir | Talks at Google

Andy Weir's brilliant debut novel The Martian ( is a gripping story of survival against all odds...set in space. Wise cracking astronaut Watney is a member of Ares 3, the third manned mission to Mars, scheduled for a two month assignment. After an epic dust storm threatens the crew's ascent they are forced to abort the mission. Watney, separated from the rest of the team, is unintentionally abandoned, with the rest of the crew believing him to be dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive—and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his MacGyver-esque ingenuity, mechanical engineering skills, and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit, he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Weir, first hired as a programmer for a national lab at age fifteen, has been working as a software engineer ever since. In The Martian, all of the obstacles his hero confronts, and the solutions he engineers (from generating water to calculating calories needed for survival), are entirely believable and science-based thanks in large part to Weir's relentless research and fascination with space travel, NASA, orbital dynamics, astronomy, and the history of manned spaceflight. If we started planning a manned mission to Mars tomorrow, it would look a lot like what's depicted in these pages. The Martian is that perfect blend of science and suspense. As astronaut and Commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield notes, The Martian is the "...very rare combination of a good, original story, interestingly real characters and fascinating technical accuracy."

This talk was hosted by Boris Debic.

[mwfilm]

21:50 I like how he says he wanted the book to "keep the user interested" instead of keep the reader interested. A true computer programmer

[robpalmer]

Loved the book. Unbelievable that the guy introducing the author didn't bother to learn the name of the book's hero.

[WillianMolinari]

Watching this in 2022 while listening to the Audiobook and still impressed about everything

[liveecarbme]

A hearty thanks to Adam Savage and the Tested team for the recommendation! Great novel!!

[williammullikin]

So glad I got to "meet" Andy Weir, great talk, very interesting and wonderful book.  I have watched this video over and over and enjoy it every time and I will most likely watch it again. Best book I have read this year

[asmundhagen]

15:45 Orbital mechanics, explained with simulation.
17:50 Simulation of Hermes, Ares 3 expedition from start to finish(in a few seconds)

[juliovnobre]

Andy was really talking to his crowd there he looked really comfortable. If you haven't read The Martian beware there are some spoilers but he warns about it don't worry.

I read The Martian and it's fresh high quality sci-fi really you need to read it if you haven't trust me you'll thank me later or you'll thank Andy but go read it now! :)

Thank you google! 

[jcbbb]

Andy Weir, amazing writer, you have inspired me greatly with this book.

[ErizotDread]

Started listening to the audio book, and I'm really enjoying it. The awesome thing is that the story behind the story is just as interesting if not more interesting than the story itself. It's very inspiring, and a testament to what's possible for a creative person with the internet, and also doing something for the love of it can still lead to successes. Well done, Mr. Weir!

[gerGoPrintD]

He is a true software guy, i love how he calls readers "users" at 21:48

[JohnBare]

Best book I have read in the last couple of years, I all but sat hunched in a corner drooling while reading it. The Martian grabbed me exactly like the book The Hunt for Red October and the movie Alien did many many years ago.

Looking forward to the movie, but knowing I usually am disappointed in the movie versions of my favorite books but repeated viewings finally gets me to accept the totally different forms of media, it is different but the same story. I guess the pictures in my mind are just different enough from the movie that I take some time to adjust.

[tomislavnikolic]

Impressive! I was already amazed by the book, and all, but didn't know Andy wrote a simulation program for it. It's just so cool.

[canadianwildlifeservice]

This story mixes a decent amount of technical writing and science fact with a good story.

[jnrg]

"Duck Tape fixes anything"
- The Martian

[Greedytheonly]

I am really amazed how this guy is using metric system. :)

Nice book too!

[emilie]

I am loving the book and am grateful to have now found this talk by Andy Weir.
Also, I am looking forward to the movie based on the book.

[jeraldbrewer]

Fascinating, this is as much about inside publishing as it is about this excellent book.

[iamkenignacio]

This is awesome! Now I'm even more excited to see the movie this October! Loved the book!

[nibbunrep]

Great book Andy! Finally a sci fi story that deals with the serious perils of space flight and planetary exploration..who needs the damn monsters and space slaughter scenario..stories like yours, and the story that came after yours, "Gravity" show that there is enough challenges, suspence and triumphs to to satisfy the publics need for chills and spills without resorting to serial murders in space or men parading around in rubber monster suits trying to appeal to a 14 year olds

[JonCoxote]

I listened to his book as an audiobook, a few months ago.  Loved it.