Story & Timeline
18 entries in the The Martian compendium.
Ares 3 LaunchSix go up. Five come down. One stays behind.Sandstorm at Acidalia PlanitiaThe sandstorm at Acidalia Planitia is the catastrophic weather event that sets the entire story of The…Abandonment of Mark WatneyLeft for dead on a world of red dust.Potato Farming BeginsTurning Martian dirt into dinner, one spud at a time.The Hab ExplosionOne wrong valve, and the Hab becomes a bomb.Pathfinder RecoveryExhuming a ghost to call home.MAV Ascent ModificationA short-hop rocket, jury-rigged into a long-shot rescue.Hermes Resupply and RescueA desperate gamble to bring one man home—and the most audacious space rescue ever attempted.Ares 4 MAV Intercept3,200 km, one rattle-bucket, every scrap of duct tape he could find — no convoy, no backup, no stopping.Watney's EVA to the MAVOne last walk to ride a rocket home.The Iron Man LaunchOne gutted rocket, one man's last shot at home.Hermes Crew Rescue of WatneyOne final, impossible shot to bring him home.HermesThe ship that carried six to Mars, left one behind, and had to come back for him.Chen WuA quiet crewmate whose evacuation from Mars ignites a planet-wide rescue race.Anatoly BelyayevRoscosmos's chief, who chose a shared rescue mission over a geopolitical standoff.Vincent KapoorThe man who had to say 'yes' to the impossible while the world held its breath.Ares IVSix astronauts land on Mars; only five leave when the storm roars in.JPLThe whiteboard where a man on Mars becomes a problem humanity refuses to let go unsolved.
Browse Story & Timeline in the interactive codex →
Frequently asked questions about The Martian · How this site is sourced