In The Martian, Matt Damon plays an astronaut stranded, Robinson Crusoe-style, on the surface of Mars. Left for dead by his NASA crewmates and with limited food and water, Mark Watney’s situation looks dire. To stand any chance of survival, this STEM-savvy astronaut knows he’ll have to “science the s*** out of this” (as he puts it in the film’s trailer.) On this edition of “Science Goes to the Movies,” Ira talks with NASA’s “Mohawk Man,” JPL engineer Bobak Ferdowsi, and astronaut Don Pettit about their take on this Hollywood thriller, where space geekery takes center screen.

Listen to Science Friday’s interview with The Martian author, Andy Weir, here.