Members and guests enjoyed a 3D showing of “The Martian” on Oct. 14 at Cinerama.  Afterward, the following scientists from the UW Astrobiology program joined us next door at Cantina Lena to chat about the movie:

  •  Stephen Wood, a planetary scientist at the UW who worked on the Phoenix Mars Lander mission.
  • David Catling, a professor of earth and space sciences at the UW who has been involved in analyzing data from various Mars orbiters and landers for more than 20 years. David is also author of “Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction.”
  • A few graduate students from the UW Astrobiology program also attended.

Directed by Ridley Scott, “The Martian” follows the struggles of Mark Watney (Matt Damon), an astronaut presumed dead after a fierce storm who must use his wits to survive alone on the hostile planet.

View the trailer above, then read an interview with Andy Weir, author of the book the movie was based on.