The Author and his web
Andy Weir- http://www.andyweirauthor.com/
Summary
The Main character in this book is a male mechanical engineer, botanist, and astronaut named Mark Watney. He is with his crew called Ares 3 on Mars when there is a very powerful storm. The astronaut crew are about to go inside the rocket to go back to Earth when a antenna impales Mark. The crew, believing that he is dead leaves him and go on their about 400 day trip back to the Earth. Mark Watney then wakes up and he goes back to the Hab, the astronaut's home area. Mark, then seeing that he does not have enough food to wait for the next Mars crew called Ares 4, starts to grow potatoes. Meanwhile, NASA looks at satellite photos and finds out that Mark is not dead but does not tell the Ares 3 crew who are on their way back to Earth to bot distract them. Seeing that it is his only chance of survival, Mark decides to drive 3,200 kilometers, 2,000 miles to the Schiaparelli Crater where the Ares 4 crew will land in 4 years. He modifies the rovers by adding an extra battery and solar panels to it. He then tries out the modified rover by driving to the Pathfinder, a unmanned failed mission-droid thing, and another rover. Mark then brings then back to the Hab which allows him contact NASA and the Earth. After a short conversation, Mitch Henderson, the director of Ares 3, convinces NASA administrator Teddy Sanders to tell the Ares 3 crew that Mark is alive. The Ares 3 crew is relieved and happy except for the commander, Melissa Lewis who is full of guilt that she left Mark at Mars by himself. Back at mars, the canvas of one of the airlocks tear and collapse the Hab almost killing Mark. He repairs the Hab with duck tape and other handy tools but all his plants died. NASA, finding this out hastily prepares supply probe which vaporizes on liftoff. NASA then gets to options. #1 is to send a unmanned rocket to Mars that will crash into the surface but the contents will survive it. #2 is to send a rocket to the Ares 3 rocket which will catch it an use the supplies to go the Mars where they will catch the Ares 4 rocket with Mark inside it. Either way, NASA plans to borrow a Chinese rocket. At first, Teddy Sanders decides to go with #1. But Henderson secretly emails the Ares 3 crew the #2 plan. The Ares 3 crew agree to do it. NASA says yes. Watney, after completing his modifications to the rover goes to the Ares 4 rocket (MAV). When he reaches the MAV, he finds out that he needs to take out the hull and other parts of the rocket to make the MAV lighter so it can reach the speed required. After doing so, Mark patches/covers everything up with the Hab canvas. When Mark finally lanches off in the MAV, the Ares 3 crew find out that they are too far away. Lewis blows a hole in an airlock which allows the rocket to go closer to the MAV. A crewman on a tether then reach Watney on board and carry him to the rocket.