Movies adapted from successful books don't always capture the magic of the original text — and the calculation- and science-heavy story of "The Martian ... the audience's view, because readers ...

Scientists are used to suspending disbelief when they go to movies. But “The Martian,” which opens Friday, offers a mostly realistic view of conditions that astronauts might encounter on Mars.

If you were stranded alone on Mars with hardly any food, oxygen, water and a limited supply of space technology and duct tape, what would you need to do to survive? "I'm going to have to ...