‘The Martian,’ and dealing with (human) life on Mars

It's hard to imagine Ridley Scott casting someone else other than Matt Damon to play Mark Watney, the astronaut and botanist who spends more than a year stranded on Mars in "The Martian." Damon conveys such stoic good humor even in the face of overwhelming odds. Left behind when his captain and crew are forced to abandon the new Mars base in the middle of a ferocious sand storm, Damon's Watney is first faced with the stark reality that any rescue attempt or supply

It's hard to imagine Ridley Scott casting someone else other than Matt Damon to play Mark Watney, the astronaut and botanist who spends more than a year stranded on Mars in "The Martian." Damon conveys such stoic good humor even in the face of overwhelming odds. Left behind when his captain and crew are forced to abandon the new Mars base in the middle of a ferocious sand storm, Damon's Watney is first faced with the stark reality that any rescue attempt or supply rocket won't get back to him u…