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Writer's pictureDr. Minardi

Founder Finds: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

There are those books that have been on your list for a long while. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is exactly one of those for me. I never read the lauded The Martian but I did get to watch the film.

FOUNDERFINDS-STEMFROM-PROJECTHAILMARY-SPACE

So, I thought it might be the time to delve in and enjoy some of Weir’s works. It was by happenstance that I was goat-sitting (yes, you read that accurately) and during a walk with the family’s dog, I noticed the neighbors had erected a neighborhood library box. And surprise—there Project Hail Mary was!! Hello there!! 

 

I used to thoroughly enjoy science fiction novels. Galactic battles, space operas, fun futuristic technologies, you name it. I never was really into the whole alien and science on steroids stories whether full length novels or short stories though. But I read great things about this book and thought why not? 

 

The plot follows a middle school science teacher and former scientist who was recruited to help Earth find a strategy to ameliorate Astrophage. Yes, lots going on in that sentence. Astrophage appeared one day and essentially sucked the energy from the sun. Bad! The impacts of this calls for a slow and steady demise that would ultimately spiral into an ice age, killing life across the globe. So what do you do when faced with certain extinction? Find a way to avoid it. And thus, we find one of the major themes in Project Hail Mary: survival.  

 

Not only is the story incredibly fascinating, but I must also give major kudos to Andy for incorporating so much science into it. At times it may come off as exhausting, but still emphasizes one of the basic principles of STEM: curiosity. All actions portrayed by the main characters stem from humanity's innate sense of curiosity, not only to conduct scientific experimentation but also to find a means to save all those students on Earth he has taught over the years.  

 

The novel covers all topics across STEM, from botany to thermodynamics, to health to energetics to mechanical engineering. Weir doesn’t seem to lack any semblance of scientific topic he can’t cover. My favorite part was his discussion around enabling the body to go through lightning speed and a coma and to revive without any issues from the lengthy sleep (on orders of years). What is even more fascinating is the AI that supports life on the mission knowing when and what food to provide to a human body coming out of a coma. (This would be better than most current day usages.) Let alone the medical procedures it facilitatesthroughout the novel. Do you think there will be something like that in the future? I do. Are we there yet technologically? No. But we will be! 

 

IF you have an opportunity to dive into almost 500 pages of fun both speculative and accurate STEM subjects and motifs, I would highly recommend the read. It's a challenge and will keep you occupied but is really worth it. You also may need primer courses on Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  

 

Oh....the main character befriends an alien. What more do you need to know before you dive in for yourself? 

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