In her report back to Earth, Bowman (Carrie-Anne Moss) refers to the state of HAB as being "tango uniform". This is phonetic military slang for "tits up", meaning dead or destroyed.
Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore began feuding during production. According to reports, it all began when Kilmer got annoyed about a fancy exercise machine that Sizemore wanted shipped from England to the set in Australia. Eventually the two hated each other so much, Kilmer would not come out of his trailer if Sizemore was on the set. Many of their scenes together were filmed over the shoulders of photo doubles. Kilmer reportedly refused to say Sizemore's character's name, saying instead "Hey, you!" Eventually their enmity only grew until they engaged in a physical altercation in which Sizemore gained the upper hand. After filming, Sizemore filed a restraining order against Kilmer.
Unlike many other science fiction films, the behavior of fire in zero gravity is depicted quite realistically.
Mars canyon scenes were filmed in Wadi Rum, Jordan, a desert valley several miles long.
The movie's director Antony Hoffman spent many months of research at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas "hanging out with astronauts and learning as much as I could about them," he explained. Hoffman was allowed time inside the shuttle and observed the process called the 'Mars Habitat', in which six astronauts are confined to a small room for six months to simulate the effects of space on a crew. "It was very important that the film be as realistic as possible," he noted. "I enjoyed my time at NASA and felt very privileged to be given such an insight into their work."