Hilarious in Hindsight: In light of events a few years later, Luna contemplating her in-flight meal...
Darn, she thought, I should have asked for potatoes. Mashed. With butter and cream. They’d be less messy to get out of a tube than this alfalfa...
The Maretian
Heartwarming Moments: The personnel working at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena work around the clock for days to complete the payload packages for Sleipnir 4 and 5 (supplies for Hermes to enable the Purnell Maneuver). Local businesses provide support (food, laundry services, etc.) at no cost. The completed payloads are loaded on transport aircraft early on Sol 209: Six days before launch.
Padding: The story goes into significantly more detail than the original, not always justified. The Martian only focused on major, immediate problems Watney faced (oxygen, food, etc.) while implying he solved lesser problems offpage, keeping the story tightly paced. The Maretian goes almost day-by-day for the entire duration and a large number of obstacles aren't very urgent, so the story often moves at a crawl.
