The 2015 film tells how the actor's astronaut character Mark Watney is stranded on Mars after being left behind. "For survival on Mars, some assumptions are made for the organization of the settlers and engineering issues. "The minimum number of settlers has been calculated and the result is 110 individuals." Prof Salotti stresses this is a hypothesis using Mars as a case study, "a rough estimate with numerous assumptions and uncertainties". US billionaire Elon Musk is pumping cash into his SpaceX programme in hope of one day colonising Mars.

Source: Daily Mirror June 19, 2020 06:56 UTC