In the new movie "The Martian," astronaut Mark Watney is left behind by his crew and stranded on Mars.

This is every explorer's worst nightmare, but for Watney, it's a chance to prove just how capable humans are of survival and rescue.

Let's take a look back at some of the most epic space rescues in history to see how they parallel Watney's experience.

The date is 1990.

The Hubble Space Telescope has just been put into orbit, promising incredible images and breakthrough science.

As scientists receive the first few images from the $2.5 billion telescope, they soon realize the images are fuzzy.

It turns out the curvature of the mirror is incorrect and though only off by two micrometers, the telescope is unable to focus.

Fortunately, Hubble was designed to be serviced, so in 1993 six astronauts set to fly up to Hubble fix the mirror and rescue, well, NASA's reputation.

The six astronauts train extensively, spending more than 400 hours in the pool.

Every move, every task is calculated.

When they get to Hubble, the astronauts do five spacewalks, more than any other mission to date.

They install corrective optics, equipment fixes, and numerous other upgrades.

After a grueling, 11-day mission, the work is done.

And within weeks, we start to receive breathtaking images like this.

Hubble is saved.

Many of these rescues rely on the problem-solving capabilities of astronauts and their ability to stay cool-headed.

A lot of it comes down to their psychology.

That's Vanessa from Braincraft.

When John Young touched down on the moon in Apollo 16, his heart rate was only 90 beats per minute.

My heart rate's way more than that when I walk up the stairs.

Speaking of Apollo-- the date is April 13, 1970.

Astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Hayes are two uneventful days into their flight to the moon, when suddenly-- ASTRONAUT: OK, we have a problem here.

SPEAKER 1: A routine procedure in the service module has gone wrong.

Oxygen tank 2 immediately reads zero, and over the next 130 excruciating minutes, oxygen tank 1 drops to zero.

That entire supply of oxygen is gone.

Forget landing on the moon-- the astronauts must now figure out how they will survive, working with Mission Control at NASA every step of the way.

When the oxygen tank exploded, astronaut Jim Lovell's heart rate jumped to 130 beats per minute, which is completely understandable.

He knew this would be broadcast back to everyone on Earth, so he peeled off the electrodes and stuffed his biomonitor into his pocket.

That's another way to do it.

SPEAKER 1: The astronauts must first move out of the command module, which is running out of power, as quickly as possible to save its vital resources for Earth re-entry.

They move to the lunar module, where they encounter problem after problem.

This module, which was meant to last two people for 1 and 1/2 days on the trip to the moon's surface, must now house three people for four days.

They use as little water as possible.

The heat is turned down so low that water starts to condense on the walls.

Then, the astronauts must figure out how to change course by repurposing the lunar module descent system, meant for bringing them to the moon's surface, to very precisely push them in a trajectory back to Earth.

Is all of this problem-solving sounding a bit like "The Martian"?

As time goes on, CO2 might build up to toxic levels in the lunar module.

Canisters from the command module can be used to remove CO2.

But they must be jury-rigged, using plastic bags, cardboard, part of a lunar suit, and lots of tape to fit in the lunar module.

When the astronauts finally make it back to Earth, the danger is not over yet.

One final problem requires a team from the University of Toronto to calculate the precise pressure to blow the lunar module and command module apart during reentry.

They have just six hours to do the calculation.

But they succeed, and the astronauts splash safely into the sea.

That was probably the most nerve-wracking space rescue of all time.

But it proved just how calm and collected astronauts must act.

Astronaut selection programs have always made sure that applicants are made of the right stuff, and part of this is their personality and how they deal with stress.

NASA psychiatrist Nick Kanas said he asked astronaut applicants to give him examples of how they dealt with a stressful situation.

One applicant, a test pilot, recalled a time he was flying an experimental aircraft and it spun out of control.

As the plane spiraled down, he took out his manual, calmly went through it, and figured out how to get the plane to safety.

The pilot could very rationally control his emotions.

And emotions were surely tense in this next rescue.

The date is 1985.

Cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov and his crew are tasked with a very unusual mission-- to enter a dead space station.

Earlier in the year, the Russians lost contact with the Soyuz 7 space station following an electrical failure.

The Russians are attempting to revive it.

As the cosmonauts approach the station, they note the solar arrays are pointing randomly and the station is rolling slowly.

With no automation, the cosmonauts must dock manually, the first time this has ever been achieved with a dead station.

Next, they go inside.

They carefully sample the air and find it to be freezing, but breathable.

The cosmonauts wear winter clothing.

The walls are covered with frost, and it will take two months until the atmosphere gets back to normal.

After equalizing pressure, restoring power, and general maintenance, they bring the station back to life and working order.

Space missions put a human face on some of the biggest technological undertakings in history.

And behind those faces, there's a lot to consider.

Technology is one side of it.

The biomedical and psychological fitness of the crew plays a big role too.

Follow me over to Braincraft, where Vanessa takes a look at some of the things that happen to your brain and body in space.

VANESSA: Like, things that happen to your body when you're inside a pressurized spacecraft-- not like your lungs exploding when you're just in the void of space.

But that sounds interesting too.

Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next week.

VANESSA: These light flashes perceived by astronauts are called cosmic ray visual phenomena.

The thing is, the light flashes aren't real.

You can't see cosmic rays.

The cosmic rays pass through the astronauts' eyes, mess with their optic nerve, and make them think they're seeing flashes of light.