Questions regarding "the martian"

I'm posting this while I'm reading other posts, where my questions might be answered. I'm sorry if it's duplicated.

With my niece's new interest of Mars & wanting to be the first Martian, I'm learning quite a bit myself so to have discussions with her about the red planet.

Forget the existing beef with the film (radiation on surface, US organizations forbidden to work with China (in fact why isn't Japan's space program the one US works with), storm would have nearly no affect on people let alone objects on surface) what about other things? Granted the film was done very well. I love all the facts that are tied in to pursuing "sciencing the shit out of problems"
I also really enjoyed the replicating of what mark has to aid him best, much alike to Apollo 13 film.
I especially love the solution to heating the Rover. Heh.

Any how...

Where is curiosity? Why couldn't NASA send curiosity to the hab location to establish communication while they wait & continue to watch & attempt to interpret marks movements? Seems it would be more reliable. If Watney can find where pathfinder is, why not be able to send a signal to curiosity?

The mav, curious how crew boarded Hermes after evacuation? Hermes was in low orbit where mav could reach it? From what we see of the mav launch with Mark it seems incredibly wild & nearly uncontrollable. + Hermes would be orbiting Mars, correct? Would mav be able to orbit until it reached Hermes? Or wouldn't one pilot need to remain on Hermes to link up the mav?

Why couldn't new plants be established after hab depressurization? Watney still had bio waste, water, dirt and other potatoes.

Given scale of Mars missions ever being pursued, there would have to be billions continuously involved, would think there would be multiple Hermes craft alternating more than every 4yrs, at least ever two, when any team is coming one is going, and would charge departing team with setup of new location for new team.

Why does it take so long to build the rations probe? Again, scale of project of missions would think NASA would have to continuously build and supply probes regularly out to Mars.

Cheers.

Submitted January 11, 2016 at 10:42PM by LeJourLeFroid http://ift.tt/1KalG1m