‘Mars’ Lifts Off Tonight on Nat Geo: Astronaut Compares Accuracy to ‘The Martian,’ ‘Interstellar’

Astronaut Compares Accuracy to ‘The Martian,’ ‘Interstellar’

John Grunsfeld has spent nearly two months in outer space, which makes him pretty darn qualified to break down “Armageddon,” we’d say.

The debut officially kicks off Nat Geo’s rebrand, which is encased in spirit by new tagline, “Further,” and aims to increase the cable network’s premium content count.

TheWrap welcomed the physicist, who is currently on hiatus as NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, aboard our rocket to break down the television show, and to compare its accuracy with some big blockbusters.

For starters, is the Nat Geo show’s utilized 7-month timeframe to get from Earth to Mars in its 2033 setting accurate?

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[...] we’d just blow up trying.

“Even though Ridley Scott is one of my huge heroes, I grimaced constantly at the inaccuracies,” Grunsfeld told us of the movie version.

While Grunsfeld was ultimately able to put his experience aside and enjoy the human story of “The Martian,” other films got higher marks right off the bat from the man who’s manned five space shuttle flights.