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You don’t have to be stranded on Mars to want the impressive spacesuit worn by Matt Damon in “The Martian.”
“MythBusters” co-host Adam Savage admired the NASA spacesuit, which was designed by Janty Yates and brought to life on screen by FBFX special effects studio, so he decided to build a replica of the highly-detailed costume.
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Savage, along with Frank Ippolito and the rest of his build team, plan to recreate the costume step-by-step in videos on his tech, science and maker website, Tested.
“Spacesuits are one of my primary passions,” Savage said in a video. “I’ve been wanting to add a ‘Martian’ spacesuit to my collection ever since I first saw the photos from the set of ‘The Martian'”
In the first video of the series — “Replicating ‘The Martian’ Spacesuit, Part 1: Building Reference” — Savage studies and documents parts of the costume, including the helmet, which he has on loan from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
“We’re going to be taking careful pictures of everything using rulers and digital calipers,” Savage said in the video. “We’ll also be using a color chart to make sure all of our colors match.”
It’s fun to see Savage’s process in documenting and cataloging every inch of the spacesuit, from the ankle armor to the custom-made etched brass buckles.
“I have to admit I’m a little overwhelmed by how much detail there is in this thing,” Savage said. “It’s incredible piece of engineering.”
