The Martian: Chapters 8–13

by Andy Weir
Botanist and mechanical engineer Mark Watney was chosen for NASA's Ares Program to explore Mars, but when a sandstorm prevents him from reaching the departing spaceship, his new solo mission is figuring out how to use the limited resources to survive on a lifeless planet.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–13, Chapters 14–19, Chapters 20–26
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. incremental
    increasing gradually by regular degrees or additions
    Next time we saw him was two days later, when he drove four kilometers away, then back. Another incremental test, we think.
  2. apprise
    inform somebody of something
    It fed him a real-time stream of all the comm chatter from Mission Control. He wasn't on shift, but he was kept apprised at all times.
  3. allocation
    the act of distributing or apportioning according to a plan
    Shift schedules, fund allocations, project juggling, out-and-out looting of other projects...he'd never pulled so many stunts in his life.
  4. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    In the months leading up to launch, the crew was put through a grueling training schedule. They all showed signs of stress and moodiness.
  5. dismantle
    take apart into its constituent pieces
    Why didn't I do it the previous night? Because trying to dismantle and stack solar cells in total darkness isn't fun.
  6. reckoning
    problem solving that involves numbers or quantities
    By my reckoning, I'm about 100 kilometers from Pathfinder.
  7. discernible
    capable of being seen or noticed
    The weather's been very good. No discernible wind, no storms.
  8. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    The little fella was only two meters from the lander. I vaguely remember it was farther away when they last saw it. It probably entered a contingency mode and started circling the lander, trying to communicate.
  9. exhaustive
    performed comprehensively and completely
    Naturally I did an exhaustive check on my crops, and they're all healthy.
  10. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    The battery was a lithium thionyl chloride non-rechargeable. I figured that out from some subtle clues: the shape of the connection points, the thickness of the insulation, and the fact that it had "LiSOCl2 NON-RCHRG" written on it.
  11. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    Eventually it's using more power to keep warm than it's getting from the meager daylight that makes it through the dust.
  12. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    I piled some leftover parts of the MDV into a makeshift table and ramp.
  13. optimal
    most desirable possible under a restriction
    It's a 40 amp-hour Ag-Zn battery with an optimal voltage of 1.5.
  14. wayward
    deviating widely from an intended course
    If the lander comes back to life (and that's a big if), it'll try to establish contact with Earth. Problem is nobody's listening. It's not like the Pathfinder team is hanging around JPL just in case their long-dead probe is repaired by a wayward astronaut.
  15. hamper
    prevent the progress or free movement of
    The rover heater is designed to heat air at one atmosphere, and the thin Martian air severely hampers its ability to work.
  16. intervening
    occurring between events, spaces, or points in time
    I (hopefully) fixed the lander yesterday evening. It's morning now, so most of the intervening time has been night.
  17. ad hoc
    often improvised or impromptu
    The ad-hoc Pathfinder control center was an accomplishment in itself.
  18. antiquated
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
    Over the last twenty days, a team of JPL engineers had worked around the clock to piece together antiquated computers, repair broken components, network everything, and install hastily made software that allowed the old systems to interact with the modern Deep Space Network.
  19. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
    One Associated Press camera team pressed against the back wall, trying—and failing—to stay out of everyone's way while recording the auspicious moment.
  20. console
    a scientific instrument with displays and an input device
    Turning to the headsetted man at the communications console, Venkat asked, "What's your name, new best friend?"
    "Tim," he said, not taking his eyes off the screen.
  21. telemetry
    automatic transmission of data from remote sources
    We sent the return telemetry automatically. It'll get there in just over eleven minutes. Once it does, Pathfinder will start high-gain transmissions.
  22. panorama
    a picture representing a continuous scene
    "It says the imager's working. We'll have it take a panorama as soon as we can."
  23. parse
    analyze in detail in order to discover essential features
    "The rover currently parses the signal into bytes, then identifies the specific sequence the Hab sends. That way, natural radio waves won't throw off the homing. If the bytes aren't right, the rover ignores them."
  24. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    "I ask for a picture, and I get the Fonz?" Annie asked, admonishing Venkat.
  25. schematic
    diagram of an electrical or mechanical system
    He paid more attention to the schematics in front of him than the conversation.
  26. forte
    an asset of special worth or utility
    A career software engineer, mornings were never her forte.
  27. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    The darkness to the east undulated and flickered in the rays of the rising sun.
  28. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    The cacophony grew louder by the minute.
  29. gale
    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots
    Pressing through the gale, they stumbled toward the MAV, with Lewis and Beck in the lead and Watney and Johanssen bringing up the rear.
  30. morosely
    in a sullen, moody manner
    "Copy," Beck said morosely. "Blood pressure zero, pulse rate zero, temperature normal."
  31. insubordination
    defiance of authority
    "I don't feel good about this," Beck said.
    "Neither do I, Doctor," said Vogel, climbing the ladder, "but the commander has given us orders. Insubordination will not help."
  32. proximity
    the region close around a person or thing
    "What about the proximity radar?" Lewis said. "Could it detect Watney's suit?"
  33. postulate
    maintain or assert
    "We're tipping back."
    "Or the wind died down a little," Beck postulated.
  34. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    Abruptly, the engine stopped, and an oppressive calm replaced the previous cacophony.
  35. in earnest
    in a serious manner
    Traveling feet-first along the ladder, he soon had to grip it in earnest as the centripetal force of the rotating ship took hold.
  36. centripetal
    tending to move toward an area in the middle
    No mere luxury, the centripetal gravity of Hermes kept them fit. Without it, they would have spent their first week on Mars barely
    able to walk.
  37. regimen
    a systematic plan for therapy
    Zero-g exercise regimens could keep the heart and bones healthy, but none had been devised that would give them full function from Sol 1.
  38. schlep
    pull along heavily, like a heavy load against a resistance
    Admittedly, I have to schlep to the rover five times a day to check e-mail.
  39. propagate
    become distributed or widespread
    Within a tenth of a second, the rip was a meter long, running parallel to the seal-strip. It propagated all the way around until it met its starting point. The airlock was no longer attached to the Hab.
  40. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    His faceplate took the brunt of the blow, the safety glass shattering into hundreds of small cubes.
Created on Mon Feb 22 20:09:29 EST 2016 (updated Sun Jul 23 10:11:55 EDT 2023)

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