Hang in there, Mark Watney. The world is cheering for you to find a way home. Everyone’s watching every move you make, every arduous step you take, every wry observation.
This particular castaway is an astronaut stranded alone on Mars, forced to survive with extremely limited resources, in a place completely inhospitable to human life. But this futuristic MacGyver – Andy Weir’s protagonist from “The Martian” – is determined to contact NASA and get back to his family.
Here on Earth, starting Sept. 15, teams will compete in a Hacking Mars design challenge to come up with solutions to help Watney, while fans can track his progress on the Red Planet with a new interactive map from Bing. And teachers and students across the country will be able to download space-related curriculum through Bing in the Classroom.
These are just some of the ways that Microsoft and 20th Century Fox are tapping into the release of the film adaptation of “The Martian” as an opportunity for fans of all ages to learn more about Mars and space. It’s also a way to empower those around the world to embrace and imagine what life on Mars could look like.
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Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff