Week 2

1.what is the purpose of Sirius 4?

Sirius 4 is to find the Pathfinder which enables Mark to contact to the earth with the radio.

2.Where are the crew members now and how is it possible that they have no access to such information as regard to Mark’s current status?

The crew members are on the ten-month flight back to the earth.Their only channel of information on earth is from higher-ups and they chose not to tell the crew that Mark is still alive. Consequently they have no idea about the situation of Mark.

3.why is navigation tricky? And how does he overcome this issue?

The travel is tricky since the Hab navy beacon only reaches 40 kilometers. In addition, the lack of magnetic field makes it impossible to use a compass. Mark overcome this with Phobos.

4.why can’t Mark use the alphabet to "receive" messages but have to resort to a seemingly more complex system?

26 letters，360 degrees—there are only 13 degrees between two letter, thus making it difficult to distinguish each letter.

5.What do think about Lewis, the Commander, more specifically, her heroism and, later, deep remorse?

Lewis shows her great responsibility and leadership during the entire mission, especially when the sand storm struck the Hub. After Mark was lost, she was even willing to risk her life to seek Mark until the last minute. After the crew were informed that Mark is still alive, Lewis is rather remorseful and blame herself for abandoning Mark on a desolate planet.

6.Mitch is going to tell the crew the news that Mark is still alive. If you haven't read ahead, what do you think their reactions will be?

They will feel extremely delightful for the luck and intelligence of Mark, but meanwhile they may feel guilty because they leave him alone on Mars.