10 things you need to know before seeing 'The Martian'

On October 2 you can see actor Matt Damon "science the shit" out of Mars in a movie adaptation of "The Martian," a bestselling sci-fi novel by Andy Weir.

In the movie Damon plays the character Mark Watney, an astronaut who relies on engineering, chemistry, and botany to survive after his crewmates abandon him on Mars.

With so much science at every turn in the film, we think you'll enjoy it more with a little background knowledge. Thus, we've compiled this handy guide of essential Mars science, NASA trivia, and other key details to know before seeing film.

Keep scrolling, and don't worry; we've kept it as spoiler-free as possible.

1. How to get to Mars

The first scene in "The Martian" takes place on Mars, but how would humans even get there?

NASA estimates it would take about six to eight months with space travel technology we have now. In "The Martian," Watney and the rest of the crew use the fictional Hermes spacecraft to reach the red planet.

Hermes is "the most complex and expensive object ever built," astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says in a promotional video for the film.

On a real trip to Mars, we'll have to worry about the astronauts losing muscle mass and bone density while spending so much time in a microgravity environment. Space is also filled with dangerous cosmic radiation that can rip through a human's very DNA.

The Hermes has artificial gravity and a radiation shield to make the journey more comfortable for the crew. NASA is working on developing both of those things, but it has a long way to go.

2. What it's like on Mars

Here's what Mars is like, according to NASA:

- Mars has a reddish-orange glow during the day from all the dust.

- Sunrises and sunsets appear blue because Mars has almost no atmosphere.

- One day or "sol" on Mars is a few minutes longer than an Earth day.

- One Martian year is nearly two Earth years. That's because Mars orbits the Sun much farther away than Earth, so it takes a lot longer for the red planet to complete one lap.

- The average surface temperature on Mars is a chilly minus-80 degrees Fahrenheit. But temperatures can swing from a low of about minus-195 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, to a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer.

- Gravity on Mars is only about 40% that of Earth's, so you'd be 60% lighter (but not moon-bouncing light).

- Mars has barely any atmosphere — about 1% of the density of the cozy atmospheric blanket around Earth. That's hardly enough to protect the surface from dangerous space radiation.

- Dust storms can envelope the planet for days at a time.

It's a pretty inhospitable place. Good luck, Watney.

3. Martian dust storms

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Dust storms on Mars happen often, and they can occasionally produce lightning. However, the wind in a real dust storm on Mars looks nothing like the clip from the movie above.

The air on Mars is simply too thin for the wind to do that much damage, Jim Greene, NASA's planetary science director, told The New York Times. Even a scary-sounding 100 mph gust would carry almost no force.

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