1. Example: By understand the Martian soil he was able to plant potato's. "Martian soil has the basic building blocks needed for plant growth, but there’s a lot of stuff going on in Earth soil that Mars soil doesn’t have, even when it’s placed in an Earth-atmosphere and given plenty of water" solo 10 page 10
2. Calculus
2.1. Survival Tactic: Used when building a communication device
2.1.1. Example:
2.1.1.1. Example: Mark finding the Path finder in order so that he can modify it. To communicate with Earth.
3. Mechanical Engineering
3.1. Survival Tactic: Communicate with Earth
3.1.1. Example: Mark locates Pathfinder, which NASA lost contact with in 1997. He fixes it up and the is able to communicate with Earth
3.2. Survival Tactic: Sources of Water
3.2.1. Example: Marks knowledge of chemistry sciences and of course Mechanical engineering is what allowed his to make water from the MVA full
4. Planetology
4.1. Survival Tactic better understanding the environment that you must survive in
5. Rocket Science
5.1. Helped create Water
5.1.1. Example
5.1.2. "20 hours for the MAV fuel plant to fill its 10L tank with CO2. The Oxygenator can turn it in to O2, then the Atmospheric Regulator will see the O2 content in the Hab is high, and pull it out of the air, storing it in the main O2 tanks." solo 32 page 23. This is when Mark used MAV fuel to make water it would all be imposible if he didn't understand rocket science.
6. 3
6.1. Survival Tactic: Water sourcing
6.1.1. Example:
6.1.1.1. Example: Mark Watney made water by taking the hydrazine from the lander and using chemistry to convert it into water.
6.2. Understanding of how dangerous chemicals can be - This knowledge protected him and kept him safe
6.2.1. Example: "Then I got an oxygen mask from the medical supplies and some lab goggles from Vogel's chem kit. Almost all of my body was now protected and I would be breathing canned air. Why? Because Hydrazine is very toxic. If I breathe too much of it I'll get major lung problems." solo 33 page 26. You can see Mark taking extra precautions when working with chemicals saves his life more then once.
7. Botany
7.1. Survival Tactic: Sustainable Farming
7.1.1. Example:
7.1.1.1. Example: "I got my undergrad degree at the University of Chicago. studied botany". Solo 14 page 11. Which is how he was able to grow something in a place where everything is dead.
7.2. Survival Tactic: Composting as a source of food generation
7.2.1. Example: “Look at the silly hippies!” I would scoff. “Look at their pathetic attempts to simulate a complex global ecosystem in their backyard.” Of course now I’m doing exactly that. I’m saving every scrap of biomatter I can find. Every time I finish a meal, the leftovers go to the compost bucket. As for other biological material". Him learning about what how the hippies were trying to develop special why for compost farming is whats helping him survive.
7.3. By Managing his waste Mark created a cycle. He used Garbage and poop as compost for the soil so that he can grow the potatoes which then he eats and that becomes compost.
7.3.1. Example: “Look at the silly hippies!” I would scoff. “Look at their pathetic attempts to simulate a complex global ecosystem in their backyard.” Of course now I’m doing exactly that. I’m saving every scrap of biomatter I can find. Every time I finish a meal, the leftovers go to the compost bucket. As for other biological material". Him learning about what how the hippies were trying to develop special why for compost farming is whats helping him survive.
8. Nutrition
8.1. Survival Tactic Composting
8.1.1. Example: By knowing how to properly compost Mark can make use of food scrapes and poop to grow his food.