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The Martian by Andy Weir is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. I’ve read it more than once. In fact, I’m half-way through my third audio reading of it. And you need to read it because of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CumZP6_9sHU
No, see, I’m serious. It’s going to be a movie. And it’s going to be a movie that has to be good, because the book is freaking awesome. And if the film isn’t as good as the book, I will cry. Lots.
So do me a favour, and read the darned book. Then come back here, and figure out with me in the Comments Below how the hell they’re going to film and portray the majority of the book… Because I have no idea.
Oh wait. There’s a FREAKING OFFICIAL TRAILER.
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Okay Nikki, I bought the book today and I’ve started reading it. So far so good. I’ll let you know when I’m done.
Hi Nikki. I’ve finished the book. It was entertaining but there were a couple parts I had questions about. One was the scene where the drill killed Pathfinder. I’m an electronics engineer and I know you are at least above average in the area of electronic hardware, so I’m curious what you think:
He created a short circuit between the lander chassis and its negative power terminal. There was an internal ground connection between the two. The wire connected to the negative terminal melted. He said the wire had come off so presumably it melted all the way through (in essence it was a fuse). The circuit breakers blew.
So, to start with, if you put a fuse and a circuit breaker in series one will blow, not both. As soon as one blows, the current stops and there’s no current to blow the other one. The same is true of two or more fuses in series. The circuit breaker *and* the wire could not both blow.
Then there’s the story that the current went through many components and fried them. What components would be along the ground path? Typically none. At worst there might be a PCB trace, but if it blew, then the wire and circuit breaker wouldn’t.
As I type this, something occurs to me. Perhaps this was the idea:
1. Perhaps the voltage of the drill was higher than the voltage of the Pathfinder positive terminal (I don’t recall if he says).
2. The short to ground blows the wire on the negative terminal.
3. Ground is now floating and rises to the drill voltage – above the Pathfinder positive terminal voltage.
4. Pathfinder’s polarity is now reversed.
5. The junctions in the ICs melt damaging them permanently and forming a high current connection between power and ground (i.e. “blown closed”).
6. The circuit breaker finally blows.
This scenario is only possible if the wire blows before the breaker. It would need to be a thin wire or a very poorly connected stranded wire.
What do you think?