The Chinese
I can see where the Chinese Space Agency would want to help out, but I'm not sure that they could get their government to go along with it.
shareYou'd be surprised these days unless of course you watch and read American news only.
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MovieChat Forums > The Martian (2015) Discussion > The Chinese
Since the film is set in the future, how nice it would be to know the Chinese would be so cooperative. I liked that feeling. This rescue was a world event with a food result.
sharenot a bad deal for China, really. They get to be the heros, plus it looked like some Chinese astronauts got to join the next mission to Mars.
shareThe Chinese are only in there as an anti-Russian dig.
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It's not "Sci-Fi", it's "SF"!
"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker
The Chinese are only in there as an anti-Russian dig.
No, the Chinese are in there because that's how Andy Weir wrote it in his novel titled The Martian.
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Still an anti-Russian dig.
The only mention of Soviets and/or Russians in there is a grudging mention of Gagarin despite the massive contributions of the USSR to space exploration. And even then it's about how dangerous their equipment was.
Consider the following:
First artificial satellite
First animal in space.
First man in space
First woman
First black, Asian etc
First craft to leave Earth orbit
First to land on Moon
First rover
First to see far side of Moon
First lunar orbiter
First soft landing on Moon
First landing on another planet (failed probe)
First robotic sample return
First interplanetary probe to send back pictures
First landing on Mars (failed probe)
First transmission from Martian surface.
First space walk and use of spacesuit outside craft
First radio communication between two spacecraft
First space station
Plus umpteen records for time spent in space.
Nothing to be sniffed at. Even today they are doing crucial research into the logistics of Mars missions.
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It's not "Sci-Fi", it's "SF"!
"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker
And let's not forgot that:
- the Russian Soyuz is the most reliable rocket ever built and cheaper to operate that the space shuttle.
- US's Atlas III and Atlas V rockets rely on RD-180 which is a rocket engine designed and built in Russia.
True that. I was thinking the same thing.
I thought the Russians would get involved at some point but it was as if Russia didn't even exist in that Sci-Fi world.
Like come on!
Yes, the Russians had a tremendous amount of firsts and routinely embarrassed the US in the 1950s and 1960s. However, there is no need for your list to contain falsehoods:
"First black, asian, etc"
Sorry, that was the USA: First Black in space was Guy Bluford (1983) from the US, and first Asian in space was Ellison Shoji Onizuka (1985) also from the US
"First to land on Moon" - I assume you mean first probe to land on moon, which indeed was the Luna 2 in 1959. If you meant first people, obviously, that was the US
Your premise is otherwise sound. The Russians were amazing space pioneers and it is odd to me that so many people know the prominent scientist working for the US program - Werner Von Braun - but how almost no one knows the genius Russian scientist who spearheaded so many amazing Russian triumphs: Sergei Koralev.
Good point, considering the Russians would be much more on-par with the research than the Chinese.
shareActually some of those records are not firsts and some of them can be "sniffed at".
The USA put the first animals (monkeys and mice) in space aboard modified V-2's in the late 40's and early 50's years prior to the Soviets putting a dog in orbit.
The Soviets putting the first woman or ethnic minority in space was just a publicity stunt in their eyes.
Many of the Soviet "space firsts" were only months ahead of the USA. The Soviets/Russians did not have a successful heavy lift boosters until Energia in 1987; their N-1 failed four times which ended their manned lunar program in the 1970's.
In the book, the Chineses decide to offer their help (renouncing their own mission) in exchange for a Chinese astronaut on the next mission to Mars.
You can actually see him during the movie credits.
I'm Winston Wolf. I solve problems.
...And no dream is ever... just a dream...
The movie did a poor job of showing how the Chinese were able to initiate use of their booster.
In the book two Chinese space administration officials were discussing Watney's fate with one of them telling the other that their booster could send 900 kilograms to Mars, but the Americans did not request to use the booster as they didn't know its capabilities.
They decided to make the negotiation between scientists instead of government officials so that it would happen quickly. They merely got a translator to call Teddy to propose that their booster be offered to send supplies in exchange for a Chinese astronaut of their choosing on Ares 5. They knew the Chinese government would trade their own mothers to publically rescue the Americans and show the world that Chinese technology was the equal of the USA's.
The book has a bunch more detail on everything compared to the movie and without the stupid Iron Man ending.
In the book two Chinese space administration officials were discussing Watney's fate with one of them telling the other that their booster could send 900 kilograms to Mars, but the Americans did not request to use the booster as they didn't know its capabilities.
They decided to make the negotiation between scientists instead of government officials so that it would happen quickly. They merely got a translator to call Teddy to propose that their booster be offered to send supplies in exchange for a Chinese astronaut of their choosing on Ares 5. They knew the Chinese government would trade their own mothers to publicly rescue the Americans and show the world that Chinese technology was the equal of the USA's.
(Blinks) What, did you go to the restroom, go to get popcorn, or check your emails during the movie? What you wrote is exactly[ what happened in the film.
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As I recall the movie script did not detail the terms for use of the Chinese booster. No one knew that a Chinese astronaut on Ares 5 was part of the deal until the end of the movie and even that was not perfectly clear.
shareAs far as I know it is illegal for NASA to cooperate with China.
shareAs far as I know it is illegal for NASA to cooperate with China.
NASA didn't cooperate with China ... they cooperated with their Chinese counterpart--the CNSA. In the novel and in the film they kept it between scientists without going through their governments. With the worldwide interest in Watney's wellbeing, neither the U.S. or China objected.
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It was Hollywood stepping in, making China out to be the heroes so that the movie is well received in China. That market is where you can get a big boost to the movie's gross.
Many big movies are doing that now. At the very least, they feature a Chinese actor.
I cannot imagine China sacrificing their space mission to help America save one astronaut. The US and China are not allies. China would not help the US for anything unless there was more to gain for them than what they give up. But all this for one life? How much money was spent saving him? How many people die each day that either government makes no attempt to save? Why is his life so much more valuable than anyone else's?
If your film makes China out to be the bad guy like Arrival did, it gets panned in China. If you make them a hero or give one actor a major role, you get a nice boost to ticket sales.
If your movie is expensive, you kowtow to China. Simple as that.
Or it was like, you know.. Like that in the original novel.
shareAs the book described, the Chinese scientists said supplying NASA with a booster would result in;
1. Publicly saving the Americans.
2. Showing that Chinese tech is equal to American tech.
3. Put a Chinese astronaut on Mars.
As Guo Ming pointed out, the Chinese leadership would trade their own mothers for that kind of recognition.