9 technologies from the movie "The Martian" that exist now

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Today, October 8, Ridley Scott's film "The Martian" was released. The picture shows technologies that, it seems, we can only dream of. In fact, many of them in one form or another have already been developed by NASA, others - scientists will bring to mind within 20 years. The fact that today is already reality, and not fiction, we talk about in this article.

Residential module

The main character of the film, Mark Watney, remains in the living unit when the team leaves. NASA astronauts live in the HERA module for 14 days, training for long space travel.

Space farm

In the film, Watney grows potatoes in an apartment block. In August 2015, on the ISS, astronauts raised and tasted lettuce for the first time. And he was wonderful. Next in line are tomatoes, radishes and cabbage.

Ion engine

The crew in the movie uses an ion drive to get to Mars faster. In September 2007, scientists already used an ion drive on the automatic interplanetary station Dawn to minimize fuel consumption while traveling to the dwarf planet Ceres. Now scientists are improving Hall effect motors.

Receiving water

The urine processing system on the ISS produces the purest water. It is cleaner than any water that is available on Earth, says Jennifer Pruitt, NASA's lead engineer for converting urine into drinking water. To cleanse the bacteria, a drop of iodine is added to the water, which makes it slightly sickly. But this is easy to get used to.

Like Martian Mark Watney, researchers on the ISS recycle every drop of urine, sweat, tears, and used water into drinking water.

Oxygen production

The Oxygen Generation System splits waste water into oxygen and hydrogen.

Rover

Several rovers have already traveled the planet. But NASA is improving designs for traveling across Mars and nearby asteroids.

Spacesuit

NASA employees are working on the Z-2 spacesuit, which looks rather strange, but will allow people to explore the red planet. The main advantage of the Z-2 is its hardened upper, which is necessary for work in outer space.

Thanks to the luminous inserts, the astronauts can be seen from afar. Scientists have provided folds so that astronauts can bend their arms and legs. Rotating bearings and wear-resistant panels make the suit more secure and more mobile than previous models.

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG)

The generator uses thermal energy, which is released during the natural decay of plutonium [328], and converts it into electrical energy. The RTG is installed aboard the Curiosity rover. It produces 110 watts - enough to light a light bulb.

The output power of the generator is small, but it is simpler and more compact than a nuclear reactor using a chain reaction. The RTG has no moving parts, is maintenance-free and has been in operation for decades.