5 Project Management Lessons From

The Martian
Published Oct. 26, 2015 by Rachel Burger in Project Management

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Warning: This post contains spoilers.

There are two kinds of science fiction movies.

The first kind borderlines fantasy. In these films, technology acts more as a
magical prop than an actual possible human development. Think Star
Wars, Star Trek, and Avatar.

Then there’s the other kind of science fiction, the kind where science and
technology has its limits and humans still have to figure out their own
problems. I count 2001: A Space Odyssey, Moon, and now The Martian in
this vertical.

For project managers, The Martian’s depiction of Mark Watney, NASA, the

CNSA, and Commander Lewis’s crew provides plenty of lessons on how to
survive when times are desperate. Mark Watney was only able to survive
because of phenomenal project management knowhow.

With that said, let’s bring five lessons from The Martian down to Earth.
Break your project up into little pieces.

When Mark Watney first sits down to record that he’s alive on Mars, he has
a moment of panic. He has a damaged suit, little food, no way of contacting
NASA (or any humans for that matter), and no guarantee of rescue.

Like any other human being who just found out they were stranded on a
lifeless planet, he panics.

But unlike those who just keep panicking, Watney allows himself his two
days of freak out and then gets to work.

Like any good project manager, Watney starts off his projects with the end
in mind. For example, Watney needs to make 1480 sols worth of food out
of his initial 400-sol supply. He breaks down his must-dos in Gantt-
chart fashion:

 Create soil to grow potatoes

 Create a constant supply of water
 Plant and care for potatoes
 Harvest
 Repeat

Had Watney remained panicked, he would have likely been overcome by

the immensity of the project before him and died far before help could get
to him.

Project managers with specialized skills tend to

outperform those without.
A few years ago, Pawel Brodzinski reminded IT professionals that project
managers don’t need technical skills. He wrote,

Technical skills is always nice-to-have trait for project manager

but in vast majority of cases they aren’t crucial [sic]. If project
manager has the best technical skills in the team why is she
managing the project and not building the project?
With that said, the idea that project managers don’t need technical skills
gets a lot of pushback. How can project managers know that their team is
competent and giving reasonable estimates without a technical
background? Without going through a grueling research process to verify
his or her team’s numbers, they can’t.

Watney is incredibly lucky that he’s a botanist… and has the know-how to
boot up a long-abandoned Pathfinder, figure out a hexadecimal alphabet,
and enough chemistry to make water out of hydrazine fuel.

He couldn’t have solved his own problems unless he was exactly who he

was.

In other words, had Commander Lewis, Johanssen, Beck, or Vogel been

left behind, none of them would have survived. They did not have the prior
knowledge to create a project plan to stay alive long enough for NASA to
make contact.

The “right” choice isn’t always the obvious choice.

Rescuing Watney was not an easy task. Toward the end of the film, the
NASA director had two choices: risk the lives of everyone aboard
the Hermes (who had a low chance of dying) and potentially save the life of
one man, or save everyone on the Hermes and leave Watney to likely fade
away.

Teddy Sanders, the Director of the NASA, is faced with this classic ethical
problem. He ultimately makes the utilitarian decision: save everyone
aboard the Hermes.

While those aboard the Hermes rebelled and went to save Watney

anyway, Sanders’s choice is not so clear cut. Turning the crew around
could have been a massive PR win–or loss–for the underfunded space
agency. He risks creating division between NASA and the CNSA by
changing NASA’s use of the donated Chinese booster.

Whichever choice Sanders made, it would not have been popular. What
would you have done?

Communication tools are imperative for project success.

Even though NASA knew that Watney was alive, there was a month-and-a-
half-long gap between discovering that he had survived and establishing
any form of communication. Going from “yes” and “no” sessions to full out
information dumps took another several grueling months. The difference in
what could be accomplished–and Watney’s chances of survival–goes up as
communication increases.

Watney’s survival was by no means a one-man project. It involved a

multitude of divisions within NASA including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
the CNSA, and the Hermes crew.

The Martian is a testament to the importance of project management

software and its irreplaceability when communicating with remote teams.
While project managers are certainly not regularly passing messages
between here and Mars, they do often have to communicate with the
opposing side of the world. Investing in software that will not fail in critical
moments will help guarantee project success.

Keep it light.

Let’s be honest: Mark Watney should have died.

If being impaled by an antenna didn’t kill him, his space suit could have
deflated and left him suffocating.
If he survived getting impaled, he could still have messed up his sutures
and bled out or succumbed to a serious infection.
If he didn’t figure out the staples, he could have still starved to death.
Once he found the potatoes, he still could have lacked the know how to
sow the crop.

The list goes on–and it should also include the psychological torment that

Watney must have gone through.

Luckily, Watney is a character who is able to make jokes throughout the

entire movie to essentially no one. His optimism resonates back to Hermes,
NASA, and the entire world. Watney’s positivity kept his mission–his
ultimate survival–on target and on time.
Project managers: even when your project looks dismal, have the strength
to bring positive energy to your team. It may be the difference between
project success and failure.

https://blog.capterra.com/the-top-5-project-management-lessons-from-the-martian/

The Martian by Andy Weir

Book Info
Grade Level
High School

STEM Concepts
Space Travel, Engineering, Biology, Nutrition, Math, Astrophysics, Space Flight
 Publisher
Crown/Random House

ISBN
978-0804139021

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be
the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking
him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—
and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are,
though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old
“human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his
ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one
seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the
impossible odds against him?

https://stemread.com/book/the-martian-by-andy-weir/

Management lessons from “ The Martian” .

 Published on November 16, 2016

Sandeep Ramesh
SCM || CX || DeX || Analytics || CSSBB || SPJIMR
5 articles Follow

Yes , that’s right . I am talking about the Matt Damon starrer - “ The Martian”.

The movie intrigued me, because not only is it entertaining, but it does have lessons on
problem solving, team management, decision making, strategy and leadership.

Some points that caught my attention:

1)     Everyone in the team is important : Yeah , I know America likes bringing

Matt Damon back :) .

The movie shows how NASA go all out to bring their stranded astronaut back to Earth. It is
important to care for everyone in the team and help them through tough situations.
2)     Decision making is about making tough calls and owning
it: Commander Melissa Lewis is forced to board the spacecraft and not look for injured
(presumed dead or lost) team mate in-order to save the lives of others. However, she also
acknowledges that it was her decision to leave him when she discovers that he is alive. 

Very often, we are tempted not to take the blame for a mistake but a leader must own the
decision taken by him/ her or by their team. This helps to keep the team together and learn
from the mistakes.

3)     Let the team decide the path forward: Good teams are capable of taking
decisions on their own. Also, it is important to allow the team to reach a consensus on the
path forward. It helps in better implementation and the team would be willing to go the extra
mile for getting their goals accomplished. Leaders only give the direction and allow the team
to express themselves.

In the movie, Hermes flight director, played by Sean Bean, decides to provide the coordinates
for the maneuver and allows the team to decide if they want to save Mark Whatney (the
stranded martian). Commander Melissa Lewis explains the pros and cons of the decision and
assures the team that they would consider the plan only if the team decides unanimously. The
team decides to go forward and takes extra steps to ensure Mark Whatney’s safe return.

4)      Break the problem into small parts, prioritize and solve them
one by one : Problem solving techniques have emphasized the point again and again.
Maybe we have heard it from our peers, our seniors and  our entrance coaching centres and
even in our mock consulting interviews :) .

Mark Whatney demonstrates how he breaks the survival problem into parts :

1)     Fixing his injury

2)     Calculating the remaining food supplies and rationing

3)     Trying to create sustainability in food supplies

4)     Finding a way to tell NASA that he is alive

5)     Working on an escape plan.

Another example in the movie is when Commander Lewis finds that they won’t be able to
intercept with Mark Whatney in the mars orbit.

5)     Plan for risk taken , have a Plan B in place or at least the ability
to come up with an alternative:
A famous dialogue from a renowned tv series says “When there is a gun to your head, there
are 146 different ways to escape. All you need to do is think”.
NASA comes with alternate plans whenever their original plan fails. When the spaceship
carrying supplies burns away as a result of expediting schedules for testing; NASA uses an
alternate plan and help from Chinese space agency to save Mark Whatney.

6)     Give stretch targets and push the team. They will achieve
extraordinary results: Steve Jobs called this ability as “Reality Distortion”. Often we
see that teams achieve more than expected, or more than they ever thought. All they need is a
little push and encouragement to achieve stiff targets.

NASA gives the JPL only 3 months to prepare a space ship that would carry supplies to Mark
Whatney. It would enable him to survive up to the next Hermes mission. The JPL director
says that best achieved is only 6 months, it would require over time, etc.. But, the push from
NASA and Mars Mission director help them to get the space craft ready on time.

7)     Hire the best: Hiring the best minds helps to find solutions to complex problems.
They are capable of analyzing the situation, do the math and work their way through it. It also
helps to understand and pre-empt what the team is trying to convey or do.

The classical example in the movie is about the “space pirate” definition given by Whatney
and then even Mars Mission director thinks about the same. Of course, only to be stopped by
his colleague that they already know it.

But, this raises another question. The best minds would think logically. And logic has an
issue. It would be the same for most. Maybe, hiring the best alone wouldn’t serve the
purpose. I would say : Hire the right mix of the best minds – Logical and Creative. In the
same team.

Lastly, stay positive. Corporate life is tough. The fatter the pay check, the fancier the
job, the going gets tougher and lonelier. A recent survey mentioned that 60% of CEOs said
they were lonely. More like Mark Whatney. The key is to stay positive, focus and move
forward.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/management-lessons-from-martian-sandeep-ramesh/

The Martian stars Matt Damon as a stranded astronaut — and Mars as the red
planet of doom. Can our hero survive life on Mars? Can NASA find a way to bring
him home? To help you better understand the film — and the scifi novel that came
first — we’ve picked 5 TED-Ed Lessons that explore some key Martian life skills.

CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING
Mars is a cold, mostly dry, lifeless place. The hostile environment of the red planet
is just one of Mark Watney’s 99 problems in The Martian. What other obstacles
must he overcome to survive? This TED-Ed Lesson explains the main challenges
of life on Mars.
CHEMISTRY
Mark Watney isn’t a chemist. Yet his working knowledge of chemistry turns out to
be crucial in The Martian — especially when it comes to making rocket fuel. To
learn more about any of the elements, explore this interactive periodic table.

MATH 
In The Martian, Mark Watney quickly discovers that his fluency in math can mean
the difference between life and death. But is math the language of the
universe? This lesson explores the idea.

HEALTH
What is a calorie? How many calories are required to stay alive? When you’re
hungry on Mars, it’s crucial to know how the human body works. Test your own
knowledge about food energy in this lesson.

ASTRONAUT TRAINING
The Martian is science fiction. But the true history of space travel is just as
fascinating. Learn more about the life of a real NASA astronaut in this lesson.
https://blog.ed.ted.com/2015/09/22/the-science-of-the-martian-5-ted-ed-lessons-to-help-you-
understand-the-film/
6 Valuable Lessons You Can Learn From The Martian
MOTIVATION

6 Valuable Lessons You Can Learn

From The Martian
Published
 4 years ago

on
 May 15, 2016

By
 Susan De Jong


 

There may be times on your journey toward your goals when the situation seems

hopeless. When you look toward your vision and can’t see any path that will lead you

there. What do you do then?

Imagine you were presumed dead and left behind on a mission to Mars, with

only minimal support equipment. That is the premise of The Martian, a novel

by Andy Weir, which was made into a major motion picture.

Would you curl up and die? Or would you, as protagonist Mark Watney does,

proceed to do everything in your power to ensure your survival and ultimate rescue?

Here are 6 lessons we can learn from the character Mark Watney as he faces a hopeless
situation:

1. Focus on the moment

When Mark discovered that he had been left for dead on Mars, he knew he

was desperately out of luck. But he didn’t want to die on the surface, so he

made his way into the Hab, the self-sustaining habitation unit, and tended to

his wounds.

Even the knowledge that the situation was hopeless didn’t stop Mark from taking

the immediate actions

necessary to ensure his short term survival.

“The power for creating a better future is contained in the

present moment: You create a good future by creating a good

present.”  – Eckhart Tolle

2. Try anyway
When Mark was left behind, his first reaction was to think that the situation

was impossible. But, although he “knew it was hopeless”, he “tried firing up

the communications array”.

If you haven’t tried yet, you don’t know with certainty that an action will fail.

Although not everything that you try will succeed, 100% of the things

you don’t try will fail, simply through lack of trying.

3. Take stock of your situation

After a good night’s sleep, Mark was feeling a little more hopeful. He took

stock of his supplies, and found that there was food to last him for 300 days.

The Hab was intact, and the oxygenator was working. He found the Rovers

buried in sand, but otherwise functional; same with the solar cell arrays. The

water reclaimer was working too, but there was no backup.

Although there was no solution to help him get rescued and back to earth, he knew

what he had to work with, and how he could meet his short-term survival needs.

4. Make a short-term plan

Mark knew that the next mission to Mars, Mars 4, would arrive in about four

years. The planned landing location for Mars 4 wasn’t in the same location

where he was, but he thought that if he could somehow work out a way to

communicate with Earth, they might be able to arrange a rescue.

Even though he didn’t know how he could survive four years, he made a plan to fix

the radio, so that he could attempt to communicate with earth.

Mark didn’t have answers to everything, and he only had imperfect answers to what

he did know, but he went ahead with a plan and a purpose. He took action, doing

the best that he could for the moment, and figured he would solve the other

problems as he went along.

5. Solutions don’t have to be sophisticated

Throughout the book, Mark is ingenious at solving many engineering

problems. But much of what he does only requires common sense or practical

knowledge. He even uses plain old duct tape for some of his solutions.

He doesn’t get stuck into thinking that there is only one way to solve a problem, or

that you can only do something if you have the proper tools. He doesn’t just play by

the rules; he makes up rules as he goes along.

He creates practical solutions to many of the problems that he encounters.  The

results may not be pretty, but they often work. He does the best that he can with the

materials that he has at his disposal.

6. Don’t give up
One defining characteristic of Mark is his dogged refusal to quit. Sometimes

he gets depressed, but then he rallies himself and tries something. No matter

how dire the situation gets, he refuses to just lay down and die.

At one point he says, “Things weren’t 100 percent successful. They say no plan

survives first contact with implementation. I’d have to agree.”

Marks accepts bumps in the road, even dreadful setbacks, and just gets on with

business. There is always a next problem to solve, and he always pulls himself

together to focus on solving it.

“Never give up, and be confident in what you do. There may
be tough times, but the difficulties which you face will make
you more determined to achieve your objectives and to win

against all the odds.”  – Marta

Mark Watney may be a fictional character, but the lessons we learned can be put to

good use in the real world. When you find yourself stalled when working toward a

vision or goal, think to yourself, “How can I be like Mark?”

https://addicted2success.com/motivation/6-valuable-lessons-you-can-learn-from-the-martian/

The Martian — Lessons in

Problem Solving
Finding Answers in Science, Analytics, and Space
Piracy

Corsair's Publishing
Follow
Jun 16, 2016 · 5 min read

Problem Solving Is All About Iteration

At some point, everything’s gonna go south on you…

everything’s going to go south and you’re going to say, this is
it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you
can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the
math. You solve one problem… and you solve the next one…
and then the next. And If you solve enough problems, you get
to come home. All right, questions?

Problems happen or as Mark Watney notes, things “go south”. It

is an inevitability for every business and every enterprise. Most
likely you will not find yourself stranded alone on another
planet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find solid inspiration in
the story line of The Martian.

The Martian is the story of problem solving. It is the story of

men and women overcoming adversity and defying odds. They
do this with a few very basic techniques that we can draw on for
this article. The quote above is the closing lines of Mark Watney,
the central character in The Martian. For our purposes, it is the
perfect quote to begin.

Mark summarizes his entire journey and the secret to survival

with a single concept iteration. Or, as he states it, first solve one
problem and then the next. Iteration is a concept I have written
about numerous times. It is an essential component of problem
solving and is the best way to segment your challenges into
more manageable steps.

If It Were Easy You Wouldn’t Need Science

In the face of overwhelming odds, I’m left with only one option,
I’m gonna have to science the shit out of this.

If you are looking for help, your problems must not be that easy.
If they are not easy, you are likely in need of some science and
analytics. Mark Watney plays the science card repeatedly
throughout the movie.

Mark also has a few advantages that are important to note. For
starters, NASA (at least in this movie) has been very good at
instrumentation, so Mark has a lot of data and information at
his finger tips. This is often not the case in many problem
solving situations. Mark also has an immense opportunity to
think and focus — so while being isolated on a desolate planet IS
his problem, it is also an opportunity. Again, you are unlikely to
find yourself trapped on Mars, but don’t discount the possiblity
that your problem is presenting its own opportunities.

Mark also has a few disadvantages. It is very difficult for him to

talk to his support and research teams at NASA. In fact, at the
beginning of the movie it is not even possible until he digs up
some old technology. Both of these plot elements are carrots for
business problem solvers. Communication is always a struggle,
if not distance, simply understanding. Old technology, old data,
and simple history are often advantageous when things go
south.

Embrace Your Inner Pirate

I’ve been thinking about laws on Mars. There’s an
international treaty saying that no country can lay claim to
anything that’s not on Earth. By another treaty if you’re not in
any country’s territory, maritime law aplies. So Mars is
international waters. Now, NASA is an American non-military
organization, it owns the Hab. But the second I walk outside
I’m in international waters. So Here’s the cool part. I’m about
to leave for the Schiaparelli Crater where I’m going to
commandeer the Ares IV lander. Nobody explicitly gave me
permission to do this, and they can’t until I’m on board the
Ares IV. So I’m going to be taking a craft over in international
waters without permission, which by definition… makes me a
pirate. Mark Watney: Space Pirate.

Mark Watney had far more in common with pirates than he

realized. Pirates were notoriously stranded in desolate places,
lacking means of propulsion, low on food, low on water,
scrounging old tools and supplies. Undertanding the techniques
used by people in the past can be quite helpful.

Admitting though that many problems are half as analagous to

piracy, there is another lesson to be learned here. Take some
risks! The movie never tells us whether Mark was tried for his
space piracy, perhaps that will be the sequel? When things get
tough, you have to be willing to push the limits on what is
possible. I am not advocating breaking international laws, but
don’t get lost in formality and bureaucracy. Just go for it!
When Your Faith Is Flagging, Turn To Passion

I know what they’re doing. I know exactly what they’re doing.

They just keep repeating “go faster than any man in the
history of space travel”, like that’s a good thing. Like it’ll
distract me from how insane their plan is. Yeah, I get to go
faster than any man in the history of space travel, because
you’re launching me in a convertible. Actually it’s worse than
that, because I won’t even be able to control the thing. And by
the way, physicists, when describing things like acceleration
do not use the word “fast”. So they’re only doing that in the
hopes that I won’t raise any objections to this lunacy, because I
like the way “fastest man in the history of space travel” sounds.
I do like the way it sounds… I mean, I like it a lot.

[pauses]

I’m not gonna tell them that.

We come now to the pinnacle in the story. The problems have

been iterated. Science and analysis have been applied. The team
has pushed to the limits taking numerous risks along the way.
Unfortunately, the final solution has additional risk. The
probabilities are low. Faith is flagging.

Mark teaches us one final lesson. When confidence starts to

falter, find something to inspire your passion. There is a reason
that military leaders speak of glory minutes before a battle.
When fear and trepidation arise, a well stoked ego is just the
ticket. You are likely to need something larger than you or your
business to give you the energy and confidence you need to take
those final steps.

In the end, that won’t be enough. You will need to continue to

iterate, science, and take risks as well.
https://creative-analytics.corsairs.network/the-martian-lessons-in-problem-solving-e4cf4f613ccf

Lessons from ‘The Martian’

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Lessons from ‘The Martian’

October 17, 2015 Nathan Research Adminblog
Recently saw ‘The Martian’. This and ‘Apollo 13’ are two of my most favorite movies of
all time.

‘The Martian’ obviously has a lot of very real, relevant science (math, physics, botony),
and engineering (mechanical, electrical, electronics). The author of the book upon which
the movie is based, Andy Weir, a software engineer actually coded the trajectory
simulation that is shown in the movie.

The science & engineering aside, another fascinating thing about the movie were the
subtle lessons in management, teamwork, work ethic, life etc. Some specific, notable
examples-

1. Work Ethic, Dedication – The goofy but brilliant kid (my favorite character by the way)
that comes up with the solution to the problem –  works, sleeps, eats at his office. For
him it is not just a job, it is a mission ! How can we show that kind of passion and
dedication in what we do ?
2. Teamwork – The entire mission crew, the ground control team at NASA, the team at
the strategic partner JPL – they come together to solve a problem, putting aside their
personal prejudices and feelings.

3. Creativity – Not all problems need complex solutions. The way Matt Damon fixes his
helmet with duct-tape and how NASA suggests the best way to make an opening on the
top of the launch vehicle is to hit it with a hammer are examples.  Seemingly complex
problems might have simple, creative solutions.

4. Ideas vs Experience – Great, powerful ideas can come from anyone – a junior level
scientist like the goofy kid. Not all ideas have to come from ‘experience’.

5. Leadership – Lead by example , take charge, engage – like the flight commander did
when she said she was going to go and pick up Matt herself.

6. Consensus building & Unity – Get opinions and take a decision – the commander
takes everyone’s opinion and then makes the decision about going back to Mars to pick
up Matt.

7. Loyalty – The team members are loyal to each other, care for and support each other,
and they are loyal to the leadership and the larger mission / purpose.

8. Unity – The team exhibits a great sense of unity of purpose. They stick together, as a
team

9. Responsibility – Each of the team member knows his / her specific responsibility and
executes on it .

10. Mission before self – Several times in the movie they have to make decisions –
individual and team decisions and they always put the mission and the team ahead of
self. Families are important but they are not made only of blood but out of work and
mission too!. Work and Life are not necessarily different, they are one and the same! For
us, building great products and bringing value to our customers is a mission.

11. Organized dissent – When people have different ideas, they express it, the team has
an honest discussion on the ideas and then the leader makes a calculated decision.

12. Clarity, frequency and effectiveness of communication – They have to communicate

clearly with each other, communicate frequently and effectively. They also have to keep
in mind what and how they communicate to the public. The ‘world’ is watching. Another
example of nice, simple, effective communication is when the kid explains the trajectory
to the bosses (‘I am sorry who are you’?  ‘I am the director of NASA’ ,  ‘Ok stand
here’… )

13. Respect for authority, protocol – There are a number of scenes where we see the
need for respect for protocol and authority comes into play in making decisions and
taking action. Powerful teams have a healthy balance of allowing freedom of thought and
expression while maintaining a sense of order.

14. ‘Ego-lessness’ – Another beautiful aspect of the movie is there is no display of ego
among a lot of very smart people ; there is no place for it. In the scene where the kid
explains the trajectory to the bosses in an excited manner NASA chief dismisses him
first and then asks his team, ‘is the kid correct ‘?

15. Education – When everything is over and the guys are back safe on earth, what
does Matt decide to do, when he could have had a lot of options as a celebrity, make
money etc ? He decides to teach, become a NASA instructor, spread the knowledge,
and impact others in a positive manner. Spread knowledge among team members, look
for opportunities to train, teach others and create impact.

16. Focus – They have a steadfast focus on the mission. It is simple, clear and creates a
strong sense of determination.

17. Speed – For the objective to get accomplished, speed of execution in various sub-
tasks is critical. There is a scene where the NASA chief calculates how various tasks
need to get done in a certain number of hours and how we need to look for ways to get
things done faster. It is super-critical to be super-agile in today’s world.

18. Project planning and execution – A number of things have to happen in a systematic,
coordinated manner. Yes tools and processes are important, but it is the discipline of
planning and execution that is most important.

19. Deadlines – if you don’t get things done within a certain amount of time, you are
literally ‘dead’. There are things that just need to get done within a certain amount of
time. There are no options. Lesson – “GET IT DONE”.

20. Completing things – you can’t ‘almost reach Earth’ . Either you reach Earth back or
you don’t. Otherwise you get lost in space. There is no such thing as ‘almost done’.
Things are either ‘done’ or ‘not done’!
21. Finally ‘Failure is not an option.’ – this is actually a quote from ‘Apollo 13’ . They HAD
to come up with a way to solve the problem, whatever they had to do!

22. Diverse workforce, international cooperation – there is a woman spaceship

commander, black and Asian scientists and the Chinese space agency comes in to help!
Of course these aspects of the movie were chosen to create a dramatic impact but these
are increasingly relevant in today’s world.

All in all, great movie we can learn from for motivation !

https://nathanresearch.com/lessons-from-the-martian/