I'm reading that book right now for the second time. It's even better than The Martian. It's kind of in the same spirit as Delta-V or Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez. Sci-fi with some of the details worked out.
I created an account just to say how much I love your comment. I just finished this book, and it was an incredible journey.
I can't recall this being the premise of any book I've read, please let us know the name of the book.