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Episode 43Nov 28, 2017

Andy Weir loves to geek out about space economics

The author of “The Martian” and “Artemis” has big plans for the moon.

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Author Andy Weir speaks during the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Tour at in Beverly Hills, California.
Author Andy Weir speaks during the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Tour at in Beverly Hills, California.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

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Andy Weir really likes to do research. He’s a software engineer who wrote “The Martian,” which was adapted into a movie a couple years ago starring Matt Damon. Now he has a new book out, “Artemis,” about a colony on the moon. We had him on to talk about the economics behind his fictional world and what it might have to do with moral capitalism.

On Marketplace.org, you can find Molly’s interview with Andy Weir on Marketplace Tech and you can read an excerpt from “Artemis” on our blog. Also on our site, you’ll find links to all those calculations Weir made finding the cost to get to the moon, plus the music video for the song NASA commissioned to honor Neil Armstrong.

Finally, this episode is coming out on Giving Tuesday. If you’d like to become a Marketplace Investor (and get a great pair of socks) check out our donation page.