Astronaut Andrew Feustel answers all of our space questions — like could we really travel to Mars?

IS THERE life on Mars? No, not yet. But when news.com.au travelled to NASA to speak with a real astronaut we discovered we’re not that far off.

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LAST week The Martian earned two Golden Globes, for Best Comedy and Best Actor, and the film is tipped for Oscar glory at the 88th Academy Awards next month.

But how realistic was the movie? News.com.au was invited to NASA to speak to Andrew “Drew” Feustel, a geophysicist and astronaut with several space missions under his belt to find out.

Andrew was one of six astronauts in 2009 sent up the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

What are some of the biggest day-to-day obstacles humans face in a zero-gravity environment?

“Well, we have learned to eat in space and we have learned to clean ourselves and bathe by way of sponge baths. We have learned to use the toilets in space very carefully and delicately. As of right now, all of what we need to survive on the space station is pretty much there and there is nothing lacking in terms of human life-support systems.”

In this photo provided by NASA, astronaut Andrew Feustel, STS-125 mission specialist, retrieves a power tool as he navigates near the Hubble Space Telescope on the end of the remote manipulator system arm, controlled from inside Atlantis' crew cabin 16 May 2009. Astronauts Feustel and John Grunsfeld were continuing servicing work on the giant observatory, locked down in the cargo bay of the shuttle.

In The Martian, the astronauts spend extended periods of time together in close quarters. What type of personality is automatically ruled out for this kind of occupation?

“You don’t want anyone who is claustrophobic, that is a bad thing to be with in space because you are living in a beer can that is going around the planet. You need to be able to get along with people. That’s imperative.”

How is a group of astronauts assembled after you’ve met the educational and physical requirements?

“Astronauts select astronauts. Much of the time an applicant is not chosen based on the medical examinations but the psychological evaluations and the time spent with the other people who work in the space program. So when an astronaut comes to an interview and undergoes medical and psychological exams what they should realise is that every moment that they spend talking to another astronaut, it’s an evaluation. We are trying to figure out who they are and we are trying to see how they fit in.”

In this image provided by NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel enters the hatch on the International Space Station at the end of the mission's first spacewalk Friday May 20, 2011. Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff installed a light fixture and swapped out some experiments parked outside the space station during the first spacewalk. (AP Photo/NASA - Ron Garan)

Presumably you go on some practice sessions being with each other in difficult environments?

“Yes. We go on wilderness training activities and we have an underwater habitat in Florida that we live in together. We go to the caves of Sardinia and we put ourselves in confined, difficult and challenging work environments as a team with day-to-day objectives and deep-breathe every day.

“We then ascertain, how did you act and how did you react to it? How did I react to it and what could have I done better in that situation? So everybody tries to learn and talk and be open-minded about themselves so they understand themselves better, and everybody else. When I go to space with you, I need to understand that you may not do everything that I would want you to do, but at least I know exactly what to expect, so when it comes down to that one thing that I know that you can’t do, I am not going to ask you, I am going to ask the other person.”

If we were to go in space together, what is the most important thing for me to know if a crisis occurs?

“Stay calm! (laughs) That’s in any scenario and the same for us here on Earth, right? When stuff hits the fan, the last thing you want to do is completely lose it, because then you are not thinking straight. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to stay focused when everything is crashing in on you and something is going wrong.”

Have you had those kinds of experiences?

“Not wrong enough to make me fear for my life, but launch is a little bit scary, but there’s nothing you can do about that except go along with the ride.”

What real life problems do we face going to Mars that we haven’t solved yet?

“I don’t think we’ve solved the radiation problem yet and that’s really a function of how fast we can get there. So the faster we can there, the less radiation exposure we have. At the moment it would take a year but we need it to be three months there and three months back.”

Does the spacecraft in The Martian resemble reality? It looked very neat and tidy.

“Yes. That’s the way they look. They are cramped and small but efficient.”

What is realistic and not so realistic about the film?

“Well, we have never been to the surface of Mars as humans. But Andy Weir, who wrote the book that the movie is based on, did a great job of researching the information on which we needed to build the book and eventually the movie. So all the technology in the book isn’t stuff that he made up; he researched all of that and he gathered all the information. Much of it is from NASA’s plans and architecture for a Mars mission.”

This photo released by 20th Century Fox shows Matt Damon in a scene from the film, "The Martian." Damon was nominated for an Oscar for best actor on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, for his role in the film. The 88th annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Aidan Monaghan/20th Century Fox via AP)

What was the most far-fetched thing in the film?

“The only criticism I had with the film is at the end when they did the space walking because that is what I am most familiar with. When they were outside of the space ship, getting ready to do the rescue, they broke a lot of our safety protocols. When they were in the white suits they were clowning around in the spacecraft.”

And in reality what would you do?

“Use tethers because it’s important when you are on a space flight that you don’t float away, that is the main thing — safety tethers.”

What about the convertible rocket Matt Damon flies in?

“It’s a movie! (laughs) But most of it was pretty good.”

The Martian is available now on Digital HD. The film is launching on Blu-ray and DVD on February 10.