In the new movie "The Martian," astronaut Mark Watney
is left behind by his crew and stranded on Mars.
This is every explorer's worst nightmare,
but for Watney, it's a chance to prove just
how capable humans are of survival and rescue.
Let's take a look back at some of the most epic space
rescues in history to see how they
parallel Watney's experience.
The date is 1990.
The Hubble Space Telescope has just
been put into orbit, promising incredible images
and breakthrough science.
As scientists receive the first few images
from the $2.5 billion telescope, they soon
realize the images are fuzzy.
It turns out the curvature of the mirror is incorrect
and though only off by two micrometers,
the telescope is unable to focus.
Fortunately, Hubble was designed to be serviced, so in 1993 six
astronauts set to fly up to Hubble
fix the mirror and rescue, well, NASA's reputation.
The six astronauts train extensively,
spending more than 400 hours in the pool.
Every move, every task is calculated.
When they get to Hubble, the astronauts
do five spacewalks, more than any other mission to date.
They install corrective optics, equipment fixes,
and numerous other upgrades.
After a grueling, 11-day mission, the work is done.
And within weeks, we start to receive breathtaking images
like this.
Hubble is saved.
Many of these rescues rely on the problem-solving
capabilities of astronauts and their ability
to stay cool-headed.
A lot of it comes down to their psychology.
That's Vanessa from Braincraft.
When John Young touched down on the moon in Apollo 16,
his heart rate was only 90 beats per minute.
My heart rate's way more than that when I walk up the stairs.
Speaking of Apollo-- the date is April 13, 1970.
Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Hayes
are two uneventful days into their flight to the moon,
when suddenly--
ASTRONAUT: OK, we have a problem here.
SPEAKER 1: A routine procedure in the service module
has gone wrong.
Oxygen tank 2 immediately reads zero,
and over the next 130 excruciating minutes,
oxygen tank 1 drops to zero.
That entire supply of oxygen is gone.
Forget landing on the moon-- the astronauts
must now figure out how they will survive,
working with Mission Control at NASA every step of the way.
When the oxygen tank exploded, astronaut Jim Lovell's heart
rate jumped to 130 beats per minute, which
is completely understandable.
He knew this would be broadcast back to everyone on Earth,
so he peeled off the electrodes and stuffed his biomonitor
into his pocket.
That's another way to do it.
SPEAKER 1: The astronauts must first
move out of the command module, which is running out
of power, as quickly as possible to save its vital resources
for Earth re-entry.
They move to the lunar module, where they encounter problem
after problem.
This module, which was meant to last two people for 1 and 1/2
days on the trip to the moon's surface,
must now house three people for four days.
They use as little water as possible.
The heat is turned down so low that water starts
to condense on the walls.
Then, the astronauts must figure out
how to change course by repurposing
the lunar module descent system, meant for bringing them
to the moon's surface, to very precisely push them
in a trajectory back to Earth.
Is all of this problem-solving sounding a bit
like "The Martian"?
As time goes on, CO2 might build up
to toxic levels in the lunar module.
Canisters from the command module
can be used to remove CO2.
But they must be jury-rigged, using plastic bags, cardboard,
part of a lunar suit, and lots of tape
to fit in the lunar module.
When the astronauts finally make it back to Earth,
the danger is not over yet.
One final problem requires a team
from the University of Toronto to calculate
the precise pressure to blow the lunar module and command
module apart during reentry.
They have just six hours to do the calculation.
But they succeed, and the astronauts
splash safely into the sea.
That was probably the most nerve-wracking space rescue
of all time.
But it proved just how calm and collected astronauts must act.
Astronaut selection programs have always
made sure that applicants are made of the right stuff,
and part of this is their personality
and how they deal with stress.
NASA psychiatrist Nick Kanas said
he asked astronaut applicants to give him
examples of how they dealt with a stressful situation.
One applicant, a test pilot, recalled a time
he was flying an experimental aircraft
and it spun out of control.
As the plane spiraled down, he took out his manual,
calmly went through it, and figured out how
to get the plane to safety.
The pilot could very rationally control his emotions.
And emotions were surely tense in this next rescue.
The date is 1985.
Cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov and his crew
are tasked with a very unusual mission--
to enter a dead space station.
Earlier in the year, the Russians
lost contact with the Soyuz 7 space station following
an electrical failure.
The Russians are attempting to revive it.
As the cosmonauts approach the station,
they note the solar arrays are pointing randomly
and the station is rolling slowly.
With no automation, the cosmonauts must dock manually,
the first time this has ever been
achieved with a dead station.
Next, they go inside.
They carefully sample the air and find it
to be freezing, but breathable.
The cosmonauts wear winter clothing.
The walls are covered with frost,
and it will take two months until the atmosphere gets back
to normal.
After equalizing pressure, restoring power,
and general maintenance, they bring the station
back to life and working order.
Space missions put a human face on some
of the biggest technological undertakings in history.
And behind those faces, there's a lot to consider.
Technology is one side of it.
The biomedical and psychological fitness of the crew
plays a big role too.
Follow me over to Braincraft, where Vanessa takes a look
at some of the things that happen to your brain and body
in space.
VANESSA: Like, things that happen to your body
when you're inside a pressurized spacecraft-- not
like your lungs exploding when you're just
in the void of space.
But that sounds interesting too.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next week.
VANESSA: These light flashes perceived by astronauts
are called cosmic ray visual phenomena.
The thing is, the light flashes aren't real.
You can't see cosmic rays.
The cosmic rays pass through the astronauts' eyes, mess
with their optic nerve, and make them think they're
seeing flashes of light.