Communication with NASA is one of the key survival methods used in the novel The Martian by Andy Weir. In David Seed Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction the idea of succeeding in the attempt of space travel is introduced, “The 1969 Apollo landing on the Moon radically altered the tradition of space exploration in science fiction by transforming our sense of possibility.”(Seed 21) Having NASA succeed in space travel, “...made it no longer possible to ignore science in narratives of space exploration.”(Seed 21) Andy Weir did not ignore this, but took advantage of NASA’s knowledge of Mars in his main characters time on Mars. The first half of the novel is just trying to get communication with NASA so he can use their knowledge, “NASA has