The Martian (both the book and the movie) is a story that’s a realistic and plausible take on a future mission to Mars, and Mark Watney’s space suit is probably one of the most important environments in the story. After being stranded on Mars, he spends a considerable amount of time in one.

The EVA suit used in The Martian certainly doesn’t look anything like what the real Apollo astronauts used on the Moon. However, it’s designed with an eye towards of realism for what a Martian mission might require. The helmet is designed to impart as much visibility to the wearer as possible, and provides plenty of critical information. It also looks like parts can be worked on or switched out if needed, useful when you’re far from home. Another bonus comes from the book: they’re each tailored for an individual astronaut, and they aren’t a one-size-fits-all garment.

The film also goes above and beyond by showing that space suits aren’t multi-purpose: there’s one for the ground operations, but also an EVA suit for use in space, which looks really close to modern suits that NASA currently uses.

Martian spacesuit

Martian spacesuit

The EVA suit used in The Martian is designed with an eye towards of realism for what a Martian mission might require.

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Space suits from science fiction

Martian spacesuit

Space suits are cool — and complicated. Unsurprisingly, science fiction writers, movie directors, and prop-makers also love space suits — you’ll find them everywhere from Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Have Space Suit — Will Travel, to the latest Alien movie. But not everybody does their homework: for every fictional space ...