An alien engineer from the 40 Eridani system

Project Hail Mary Quiz: Ryland Grace and Rocky's Science

Andy Weir followed The Martian with a story about saving the Sun from a star-eating microbe, and this Project Hail Mary quiz explores its science and its friendship. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Ryland Grace, Astrophage, Tau Ceti, Rocky from 40 Eridani, chord-based language, xenonite, Eva Stratt and the 2026 film starring Ryan Gosling.

Start Project Hail Mary Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Author
Who wrote Project Hail Mary?
Hero
What was Ryland Grace's job before the mission?
Wake
What problem does Grace have when he wakes on the ship?
Microbe
What is Astrophage?
Star
Which star is the Hail Mary sent to study?
Rocky
Who is Rocky?
Language
How does Rocky's species communicate?
Material
What super-strong material do Rocky's people build with?
Leader
Who leads the Earth project that sends Grace?
Film
Who stars as Ryland Grace in the 2026 film?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who wrote Project Hail Mary?
Answer: Andy Weir
Weir also wrote The Martian.
Q2: What was Ryland Grace's job before the mission?
Answer: Middle school science teacher
He once published a controversial paper on life.
Q3: What problem does Grace have when he wakes on the ship?
Answer: He has lost his memory
Memories return in flashbacks.
Q4: What is Astrophage?
Answer: A microbe that feeds on stars' energy
It is dimming the Sun.
Q5: Which star is the Hail Mary sent to study?
Answer: Tau Ceti
It seems unaffected by Astrophage.
Q6: Who is Rocky?
Answer: An alien engineer from the 40 Eridani system
He becomes Grace's close friend.
Q7: How does Rocky's species communicate?
Answer: With musical chords
Grace builds a translation system.
Q8: What super-strong material do Rocky's people build with?
Answer: Xenonite
It impresses Grace as an engineer.
Q9: Who leads the Earth project that sends Grace?
Answer: Eva Stratt
She has broad international powers.
Q10: Who stars as Ryland Grace in the 2026 film?
Answer: Ryan Gosling
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed it.

Project Hail Mary Quiz – Science and Friendship in Space

Project Hail Mary, published in 2021, is a novel by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. Ryland Grace, a former middle school science teacher, wakes alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there.

He learns that Astrophage, a microbe that feeds on stars' energy, is dimming the Sun. The Hail Mary was sent to Tau Ceti, a star that seems immune. There he meets Rocky, an engineer from 40 Eridani who speaks in musical chords and builds with xenonite.

Their friendship and problem-solving drive the story, while flashbacks reveal Eva Stratt's role in the project. A film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling was released in 2026.

What This Quiz Teaches

Science-fiction readers will enjoy these questions.

Who wrote the novel
Who Ryland Grace is
What Astrophage does
Who Rocky is
How it was adapted

Did You Know?

Rocky's people cannot see; they sense with sound.
Grace uses real physics to solve problems.
The Petrova line reveals Astrophage in space.
The book became a bestseller quickly.
Fist my bump is a line from the story.