TheMartian
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Experiment suggests potatoes really will grow on Mars
It looks like Mark Watney, the fictional, stranded astronaut in The Martian, was right about one thing. Potatoes can grow on Mars. The International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima placed a special potato inside a sealed container that simulates Mars temperature, air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. The results so far are positive; cameras inside the canister show sprouts.
'The Martian' author to make NASA TV drama with CBS
It's been a while since we've had a fictional TV series based around the present-day exploits of the folks at NASA. That's all set to change with the news that CBS has commissioned a pilot for a drama about the next generation of astronauts, entitled Mission Control. The show will focus on the personal and professional exploits of a group of young, would-be space cowboys on a "critical mission with no margin for error." The show has been written and created by Andy Weir, who rose to fame as the author of hit sci-fi novel The Martian.
'The Martian' VR experience comes home
It's been a long time coming, but The Martian VR Experience is finally ready. Fox has released its virtual reality take on the stranded-on-Mars movie (plus Andy Weir novel) for the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, with Oculus Rift support coming soon. Spend $20 and you can fill the boots of astronaut Mark Watney as he struggles to survive and make it back to Earth, both in 3D sequences and 360-degree videos. As Fox explains to Variety, this isn't just a polished version of the demo we saw at CES in January -- there are many "technical and narrative improvements" that could make it feel fresh.
Detailed Mars maps help you plan the hike of your dreams
With the help of NASA's Curiosity rover, we've seen a lot more of Mars than we ever anticipated -- especially the Red Planet's sand dunes. But the exact topography of the planet remains a mystery to anyone not carefully studying the space agency's data. Britain's Ordnance Survey (OS) agency wants to change that, so it used its mapping expertise to create new charts detailing Mars' terrain.
'The Martian' VFX reel shows how they put Matt Damon on Mars
If you want a reminder of why The Martian was nominated for a best visual effects Oscar, check out this highlight reel from MPC, the lead VFX company for the film. While the film was shot in an actual desert (southern Jordan, to be exact), director Ridley Scott still needed plenty of CG assistance to bring the story to life.
'Star Wars,' 'Mad Max' and 'Martian' get Oscar nominations
The next Oscars ceremony looks to be an exciting one for geeks, with some of 2015's best sci-fi films nominated for major categories. Who could have imagined we'd actually see Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian as Best Picture contenders? Genre films typically get nominated for technical categories (things like sound mixing and editing), but over the past few years the Academy Awards has also become surprisingly inclusive for geekier fare.
Fox pushes virtual reality to the limit with 30 minutes on Mars
I wasn't prepared for The Martian VR Experience. All I'd known before sitting down in a padded seat in a near-pitch-black booth, tucked away in the Library bar at Vegas' Marquee nightclub, was that I'd be enveloped in virtual reality for up to 30 minutes. And I was worried about that. Bad virtual reality -- VR that lasted up to two minutes -- has sidelined me in the past, leaving a lingering nausea I'd prefer to never revisit. But by going all in with its first commercial experience, 20th Century Fox has made an expensive bet that pays off: It's created comfortable long-form VR.
'The Martian' author Andy Weir: Private space travel is 'critical'
The Martian is the sort of success story that will inspire countless authors. Andy Weir initially started writing the story of Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who gets stranded on Mars, as a free serial on his website. Eventually, fans pushed for him to place it on Amazon's Kindle store, where he offered it for a paltry 99 cents. Soon after that, he had liftoff. It ended up being one of Amazon's best-selling sci-fi books, which led to a major book deal (the print version remains at the top of The New York Times' best-selling paperbacks). Naturally, Hollywood came calling, and now we have Ridley Scott's adaptation of The Martian hitting theaters on October 2nd. And yes, you can relax: The film is more akin to Scott's best work, like Alien and Blade Runner, than his recent follies. In a wide-ranging interview, we chatted with Weir about the book, the state of NASA and the importance of commercial space travel.
Fox is bringing more than 100 movies to the Oculus VR Cinema
While gaming and other fully immersive experiences have already flourished on VR, at least one studios is jumping in with a way to watch movies on the big (small) screen. Fox confirmed today at the Oculus Connect 2 event that the company is bringing more than 100 of its movies to the Oculus Store at launch. You'll watch the movies in the Oculus VR Cinema app, where you can watch movies in 2D or 3D on a huge virtual screen (you can see what it looks like after the break). Movies that are coming include Alien, Birdman, Taken, Die Hard, Office Space and more.
NASA lists 'The Martian' tech that already exists
A lot of sci-fi films feature technologies we still only dream of, such as time traveling or warp drives -- Ridley Scott's and Andy Weir's The Martian, however, makes use of more realistic ones. In fact, NASA's already developing a number of technologies used in the film, including a Martian habitat and a spacesuit suited for the planet's environment. The agency has listed nine technologies shown in the film that already exists in some form -- not really surprising, seeing as NASA served as its consultant. Some of them are actually in use aboard the ISS right now, and who knows: the others might be ready in 20 years, when the events in the movie take place.
Watch 'The Martian' astronauts struggle with isolation training
One of the greatest challenges for any manned Mars mission isn't surviving the planet itself, but remaining mentally sound on the way there -- you don't want to freak out during a months-long space voyage. And it looks like the producers behind the movie adaptation of The Martian are well aware of this practical reality. They've posted a teaser clip showing how the fictional NASA crew copes with 10 days of isolation training meant to simulate the disconnection they'll likely experience during the journey. As you'll see below, some of them handle it better than others. A few are practically itching to go on the expedition, while others clearly... suffered a bit. Why does Aquaman have control over whales?
'The Martian' trailer: Matt Damon gets stranded on Mars
What do you do when you're stranded on an alien planet all by yourself? Engage your engineering skills -- or die. That's the basic plot of The Martian, the latest film by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), based on Andy Weir's hugely successful self-published novel. The film stars Matt Damon (who, apparently can't catch a break on far-off planets these days) as an astronaut who gets left behind on Mars by his crew. Originally thought to be dead, he ends up inspiring a long-shot rescue mission. The only problem? He still has to survive on his own for several years. While the book wasn't exactly well-written, it was notable for its commitment to scientific accuracy. It basically reads like an engineer's handbook for surviving on Mars. Judging from this trailer, it looks as if Scott's lush aesthetic style could end up elevating The Martian from its source material. Then again, we also got excited for Prometheus, and look what happened there. The Martian hits theaters on November 25.
My Favorite Martian
If The Martian DS looks a little rough on the edges, it's because the title was originally created by a team of three for a 72-hour game development competition four years ago. The resulting project is actually quite impressive, considering, and we're happy to see that one of the original developers took the time to create a homebrew port of it for the DS. Short but sweet, The Martian DS is a side-scrolling shooter in the vein of Alien Hominid. Players roam the city picking up weapons and power-ups while dodging constant gunfire from the local law enforcement. The game really suffers from the lack of a soundtrack, but the original character sprites, especially the donut-heaving boss, makes up for it. %Gallery-4955% [Via GBATemp]
