wgp3 t1_j190byu wrote
Reply to comment by RSomnambulist in Perseverance sample tube drop by coffeesam
He used the same premise in the book. He also regrets using that premise because it isn't accurate at all. But at the time I don't think he knew how inaccurate it was or he just couldn't write a better scenario. Can't remember. He's talked about it though.
Definitely should read the book. There's a lot more details that really get you experiencing the struggles in a way the movie couldn't convey. Movie was still solid.
Sammy81 t1_j19shdj wrote
He doesn’t regret it, and he knew the facts when he wrote it. He said it was just a choice he made for dramatic effect and to get the book going. It’s hard to think of a scenario where astronauts would leave behind one of their own, so he invented one.
I tried to make the book as accurate as I could. The biggest place that’s inaccurate – don’t tell anybody – but if you’re in a dust storm on Mars, you’re not even going to feel it. Mars’ atmosphere is less than one percent of Earth’s. So a 150-km/hour wind would feel like about a 1-km/hour wind does on Earth. It wouldn’t do any damage to anything. Shhh …Most people don’t know how Martian dust storms work, that it’s not like being in a sandblaster. It’s just more dramatic that way. So I just made that concession. [shrugs and smiles] I know I’m a liar. I just … wanted that.
StrangeTangerine1525 t1_j1jug0y wrote
Which would be wrong though. Density wise the Martian atmosphere is closer to 2% the density it is on Earth, but wind would still exert roughly 1/9 the force it would here on Earth, not counting low gravity. A 60 mph wind on Mars (fastest average windspeed in a dust storm) would feel like a 7 mph wind on Earth, and could pick up things similar to a 20 mph wind because of the lower gravity. Still probably not enough to pick up a metal tube filled with rock though.
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