What did Watney study?

So, What Exactly Did Mark Watney Study?

Okay, so Mark Watney, the astronaut we all rooted for in The Martian, wasn’t just some lucky guy. He was seriously smart, and his background is a HUGE part of why he didn’t become Martian dust. It wasn’t just one thing he was good at, either. He had this awesome combo of skills that saved his bacon.

First off, Watney’s a botanist, plain and simple. You see it all the way through the story. He knows his way around plants, dirt, and what makes ’em tick. I mean, the dude grew potatoes on Mars! That’s not just book smarts; that’s getting your hands dirty and making it happen. He wasn’t wrong when he called himself the “greatest botanist on Mars,” was he?

But here’s the kicker: he wasn’t just a plant guy. Watney also had a degree in mechanical engineering. Think about it – botany keeps him fed, but engineering keeps him alive. Need to fix a rover? No problem. Gotta figure out how to make water from thin air? He’s on it. That engineering brain let him MacGyver his way out of some seriously sticky situations.

Honestly, that’s what made Watney so uniquely suited for his little Martian vacation. He could grow food, sure, but he could also fix the stuff that kept him alive. It was like he had the ultimate survival kit built right into his brain. This mix of skills, plus a whole lot of grit and a sense of humor, turned him from a stranded astronaut into, well, a one-man Martian colony. It’s been suggested that everyone on the Ares III mission had a few tricks up their sleeves, which makes sense when you’re heading to another planet!

Of course, let’s not forget that Watney was an astronaut. That means he went through a crazy amount of training. We’re talking physical stuff to handle the G-forces, sure, but also learning about all sorts of science and how all the mission gear works. It’s like astronaut school is designed to turn you into a walking, talking encyclopedia of space survival. And in Watney’s case, it definitely paid off.