CMA presents "Stranded on Mars: Could an Ingenious Astronaut Survive?"

The Martian is Andy Weir's first novel and recounts the story of an astronaut trying to survive after being accidentally left on Mars. Originally self-published and available for free on his website, the novel quickly became a phenomenon and, eventually, a New York Times bestseller. A film version directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon is scheduled for release in November 2015.

As a self-proclaimed space nerd, Andy strove to make The Martian as true to life as possible, including incorporating facts about the Red Planet as well as the physics of space travel. Join us as Andy describes his journey from programmer to writer and discusses his inspiration for the novel, the people and events that influenced his writing, and how JPL came to be part of the story.

Andy was first hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at age fifteen and has been working as a software engineer ever since. He is a devoted hobbyist of subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. His idea of a perfect day? "Sleep in. Meet Buzz Aldrin for brunch. Head over to JPL and watch them control the Curiosity Mars rover. Dinner with the writing staff of Doctor Who."

This event is free. The talk is open to all members of the Campus and JPL communities and retirees. Because of security requirements, individuals without JPL badges must have a Laboratory employee or resident affiliate submit a visitor request and be their escort. For more information, contact Athena Castro at (626) 395-6163 or [email protected], or email [email protected].

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