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the martian - What stopped the Ares IV MAV from toppling?


At the beginning of the film The Martian, part of the dialogue implies that one of the crew has the job of monitoring the MAV to check it is still upright. The importance of this job is clearly shown when a storm hits.


Later we find out about another MAV which will be in place for a significant period of time before it is needed, yet no one shows any concern that it may also be at risk of toppling.


So given the importance of this escape craft, why wasn't any plan in place to tether the first craft? And were NASA just gambling on the weather that the latter MAV didn't topple before it was needed?



Answer



Well, they said the MAV could handle up to 150kph winds before it started to tilt. The storm they experienced reached (or exceeded) 175kph winds.


However:



The maximum wind speeds recorded by the Viking Landers in the 1970's were about 30 meters per second (60 miles an hour) with an average of 10 m/s (20 mph). Just as on Earth, at certain latitudes, the winds tend to blow in certain directions. - NASA Mars facts




60 miles per hour is about 96 kilometers per hour. So the winds would have to exceed their maximum recorded values (for where ever Viking landed) by 50% in order to reach the maximum tolerance of tilting, but NASA doesn't expect those wind speeds. It was bad luck that the Ares III mission experienced what might be called a "storm of the century" given its severity.


Also, from the book:



The MAV was soft-landed (as opposed to the balloon bounce-fest the other supplies had). Of course, it was in constant communication with Houston, and if there had been any problems with it, we would have passed by Mars and gone home without ever landing. - The Martian, ch. 1



One wonders though, with such a massive storm, how did the air clear so quickly?


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