NASA and the author of 'The Martian' tell us exactly how we'll get to Mars

In "The Martian," Matt Damon plays a NASA astronaut who has been stranded on Mars and has to figure out how to survive until the space agency can devise a daring plan to rescue him. But Earth's first manned mission to Mars will share little resemblance to the hit film -- not to mention the book it's based on, according to author Andy Weir and top NASA officials. Despite winning plaudits for making "The Martian" as scientifically accurate as possible, Weir thinks the real thing is likely to involve a smaller role for NASA and a bigger role for robots, 3D printing and private spaceflight companies. "It won't look anything like it looked in the movie," he said at "Transformers," an event hosted by The Washington Post on Wednesday. It may surprise you to hear that NASA completely agrees. "Andy … he's absolutely right," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.