1 00:00:02,087 --> 00:00:04,917 (Multicom jingle) 2 00:00:13,194 --> 00:00:14,504 (swooshing) 3 00:00:14,499 --> 00:00:17,699 - [Astronaut] We are go for Mars entry. 4 00:00:17,702 --> 00:00:19,052 Stand by. 5 00:00:19,051 --> 00:00:22,621 In three, two, one. 6 00:00:22,616 --> 00:00:25,956 (engines blasting) (beeping) 7 00:00:25,964 --> 00:00:27,324 (swooshing) 8 00:00:27,315 --> 00:00:28,725 Chute deployment. 9 00:00:30,014 --> 00:00:31,764 Aeroshell jettisoned. 10 00:00:33,137 --> 00:00:34,207 Main engine. 11 00:00:34,212 --> 00:00:35,442 (main engine blasting) 12 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,510 - [Mission Control] 103%. 13 00:00:37,510 --> 00:00:39,200 - [Astronaut] 8,000 meters. 14 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,180 - [Narrator] This is not science fiction. 15 00:00:41,180 --> 00:00:43,400 Within this century, human beings 16 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,410 will embark on a journey to Mars. 17 00:00:45,411 --> 00:00:46,491 (electronic chirping) 18 00:00:46,490 --> 00:00:48,700 - [Mission Control] Z minus 10 meters. 19 00:00:48,698 --> 00:00:50,088 Gear check. 20 00:00:50,092 --> 00:00:52,442 (rockets blasting) 21 00:00:52,438 --> 00:00:53,788 - [Astronaut] Four down and locked. 22 00:00:53,786 --> 00:00:58,786 - [Mission Control] Four meters, three meters, contact. 23 00:00:59,197 --> 00:01:02,457 Life support telemetry is green. 24 00:01:02,462 --> 00:01:04,802 (swooshing) 25 00:01:06,527 --> 00:01:09,207 (helicopter blades thumping) 26 00:01:09,210 --> 00:01:11,160 - [Narrator] Today, on Earth the countdown 27 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,940 has begun of the 21st century's most heroic, 28 00:01:13,940 --> 00:01:15,520 but deadliest expedition, 29 00:01:16,670 --> 00:01:18,850 the first manned mission to Mars. 30 00:01:19,828 --> 00:01:20,678 (dramatic music) (air hissing) 31 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:21,980 (metal creaking) 32 00:01:21,980 --> 00:01:24,900 (rockets blasting) 33 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,150 The journey will take a new class of spaceship 34 00:01:29,150 --> 00:01:34,150 unparalleled in ingenuity and a new breed of astronaut. 35 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,650 It is almost certain that people will die 36 00:01:36,650 --> 00:01:39,110 in the attempt to fulfill a burning dream 37 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,700 to explore worlds beyond Earth. 38 00:01:43,700 --> 00:01:47,660 - It is an amazingly complex undertaking. 39 00:01:47,660 --> 00:01:49,580 - [Narrator] It will be a two-and-half-year odyssey 40 00:01:49,580 --> 00:01:53,040 across hundreds of millions of kilometers of space, 41 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,730 one that will take sacrifice, daring, 42 00:01:55,730 --> 00:01:59,690 and innovation on a scale never before imagined. 43 00:01:59,690 --> 00:02:02,090 - These people are going to spending an awful lot of time 44 00:02:02,090 --> 00:02:04,420 out there without any hope of resupply, 45 00:02:04,420 --> 00:02:06,690 without any hope of rescue. 46 00:02:06,690 --> 00:02:08,350 - [Narrator] The mission may answer one 47 00:02:08,350 --> 00:02:12,540 of the universe's greatest mysteries, are we alone? 48 00:02:12,540 --> 00:02:15,190 - The thought that you could overturn a rock on Mars 49 00:02:15,190 --> 00:02:19,250 and see that, maybe, could be pretty exciting. 50 00:02:19,250 --> 00:02:21,900 - [Narrator] This is the story of a daring voyage 51 00:02:21,900 --> 00:02:23,800 that will change us forever. 52 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:28,800 It is the story of humanity's first steps on another planet. 53 00:02:29,140 --> 00:02:32,680 The quest to explore the universe begins on Mars. 54 00:02:34,121 --> 00:02:39,121 (swooshing) (inspirational music) 55 00:03:00,110 --> 00:03:02,460 (dramatic music) 56 00:03:02,460 --> 00:03:04,510 The future of human occupation of Mars 57 00:03:04,510 --> 00:03:06,610 is now within our reach. 58 00:03:06,610 --> 00:03:08,390 If we are to ever live there, 59 00:03:08,390 --> 00:03:10,970 we must make the deadly red planet, blue. 60 00:03:12,490 --> 00:03:15,880 Plans to make this science fiction fantasy come true 61 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,000 have already begun on Earth. 62 00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:24,020 - Today, I announce a new plan to explore space and expand-- 63 00:03:24,020 --> 00:03:26,240 - [Narrator] In January 2004, 64 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,890 George W. Bush made a bold announcement. 65 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:31,170 - We will then be ready to take 66 00:03:31,170 --> 00:03:33,560 the next steps of space exploration, 67 00:03:34,690 --> 00:03:38,780 human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond. 68 00:03:38,783 --> 00:03:40,343 (audience applauding) 69 00:03:40,340 --> 00:03:42,130 - President Bush stood up and said, 70 00:03:42,127 --> 00:03:43,927 "We're doin' this, guys. 71 00:03:43,927 --> 00:03:46,637 "I'm using my power, my presidential power, 72 00:03:46,637 --> 00:03:48,127 "to say we're doing this." 73 00:03:48,130 --> 00:03:50,670 And it has a powerful effect on NASA. 74 00:03:50,670 --> 00:03:52,050 - [Narrator] It will be the greatest 75 00:03:52,050 --> 00:03:54,320 scientific undertaking in history. 76 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:55,200 - [Engineer] You ready? 77 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,310 - [Narrator] Engineers all over the world 78 00:03:57,310 --> 00:04:00,310 are already at work to get humanity to Mars. 79 00:04:00,313 --> 00:04:01,153 (thumping) 80 00:04:01,146 --> 00:04:05,906 It will also be the most deadly expedition ever attempted. 81 00:04:07,660 --> 00:04:11,350 No spaceship in existence can make it to Mars. 82 00:04:11,350 --> 00:04:14,250 And the voyage home is even more risky. 83 00:04:14,250 --> 00:04:17,030 No one has designed a vessel that can escape 84 00:04:17,030 --> 00:04:19,150 the red planet's gravitational pull. 85 00:04:21,780 --> 00:04:24,100 The roundtrip journey will take a year 86 00:04:24,100 --> 00:04:26,010 and as long as another year and half 87 00:04:26,010 --> 00:04:27,930 on the red planet's surface. 88 00:04:27,930 --> 00:04:31,680 No human being has ever survived that long in space. 89 00:04:33,980 --> 00:04:37,120 Cosmic radiation or equipment failure 90 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,640 could kill the astronauts on the voyage 91 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,570 or violence after six months of stress. 92 00:04:45,870 --> 00:04:47,650 If they do make it to Mars, 93 00:04:47,650 --> 00:04:50,930 the poisonous atmosphere and cosmic radiation 94 00:04:50,930 --> 00:04:54,740 make chances of survival slim. 95 00:04:54,740 --> 00:04:57,920 And if anything goes wrong, there will be no rescue mission. 96 00:04:59,070 --> 00:05:02,900 Doctor James Garvin is NASA's chief scientist. 97 00:05:02,900 --> 00:05:04,690 - Getting people to Mars will be bigger 98 00:05:04,690 --> 00:05:06,550 than any single leap in exploration 99 00:05:06,550 --> 00:05:08,350 people on this planet have ever taken. 100 00:05:08,350 --> 00:05:09,490 - [Narrator] At its closest, 101 00:05:09,490 --> 00:05:13,220 Mars is 56 million kilometers away from Earth. 102 00:05:13,220 --> 00:05:16,600 Traveling to Mars with enough supplies to stay alive 103 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,390 will be the greatest engineering feat in history. 104 00:05:20,390 --> 00:05:25,390 - Mars is 1,500 to 2,000 times farther than the moon. 105 00:05:26,070 --> 00:05:28,860 The amount of stuff you need to go and come back to Mars 106 00:05:28,860 --> 00:05:32,070 is heavier than the International Space Station. 107 00:05:32,070 --> 00:05:34,470 We have yet to move anything that big. 108 00:05:35,940 --> 00:05:37,870 - [Narrator] 11,000 liters of water, 109 00:05:37,870 --> 00:05:41,670 20 metric tons of dehydrated and packaged food. 110 00:05:41,670 --> 00:05:45,400 In all, 520,000 kilos of supplies. 111 00:05:46,330 --> 00:05:49,720 No single rocket can handle so much mass. 112 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,850 NASA now has a new, revolutionary plan. 113 00:05:52,848 --> 00:05:53,898 (rocket blasting) 114 00:05:53,900 --> 00:05:56,300 Step one is to launch as many as 115 00:05:56,300 --> 00:05:58,390 10 rockets into Earth orbit. 116 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,170 NASA has dubbed the rockets Aries. 117 00:06:02,170 --> 00:06:05,210 - The launch vehicle is the key to being able 118 00:06:05,210 --> 00:06:08,300 to go do a Mars mission because we need 119 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:10,350 much more mass if we're gonna go to Mars. 120 00:06:11,250 --> 00:06:13,220 - [Narrator] Aries Five is NASA's version 121 00:06:13,220 --> 00:06:15,970 of an 18-wheeler, each designed to carry 122 00:06:15,970 --> 00:06:19,890 130 metric tons from Earth into space. 123 00:06:19,890 --> 00:06:23,470 1,200,000 kilos of solid fuel gets 124 00:06:23,470 --> 00:06:26,660 this monster rocket off the launchpad. 125 00:06:26,664 --> 00:06:29,504 (rocket rumbling) 126 00:06:30,830 --> 00:06:33,430 Paul Delaney is a professor of physics 127 00:06:33,430 --> 00:06:35,650 and astronomy in Canada. 128 00:06:35,650 --> 00:06:38,270 - Aries is going to be the pivotal element 129 00:06:38,270 --> 00:06:40,890 to get all the components into space 130 00:06:40,890 --> 00:06:42,490 in preparation for going to Mars. 131 00:06:42,490 --> 00:06:44,090 See, if Aries doesn't work well, 132 00:06:44,090 --> 00:06:46,220 then we're just not going to Mars. 133 00:06:47,470 --> 00:06:48,730 - [Narrator] Step two is getting 134 00:06:48,730 --> 00:06:51,150 astronauts into Earth orbit. 135 00:06:52,660 --> 00:06:54,580 This is Aries One. 136 00:06:54,580 --> 00:06:56,520 It is the booster for the astronaut's 137 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,920 teardrop-shaped capsule called Orion. 138 00:06:59,924 --> 00:07:00,984 (air hissing) 139 00:07:00,979 --> 00:07:01,809 (metal creaking) 140 00:07:01,812 --> 00:07:02,842 (rocket blasting) 141 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:05,540 Orion takes the astronauts to space 142 00:07:05,540 --> 00:07:08,160 to coordinate the construction of the Mars craft. 143 00:07:09,660 --> 00:07:11,390 The length of a football field, 144 00:07:11,390 --> 00:07:15,290 it will take months for robots and humans to assemble it, 145 00:07:15,290 --> 00:07:19,010 with a target date to be completed before 2030. 146 00:07:19,010 --> 00:07:22,550 This will be the largest space vessel ever constructed. 147 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:25,450 Once completed, Orion will dock 148 00:07:25,450 --> 00:07:27,920 to this huge interplanetary mothership, 149 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,710 transferring the astronauts for their journey to Mars. 150 00:07:31,706 --> 00:07:34,866 (intense music) 151 00:07:34,870 --> 00:07:37,530 Russia has its own competing design 152 00:07:37,530 --> 00:07:39,410 to counter NASA's Mars plan. 153 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,260 Energia is Russia's version of Boeing 154 00:07:44,220 --> 00:07:45,940 and they're about to unveil their own, 155 00:07:45,940 --> 00:07:48,180 new manned space vehicle. 156 00:07:52,502 --> 00:07:54,652 (clicking) They call it The Clipper. 157 00:07:54,650 --> 00:07:57,740 The Russians hope to launch in 2018. 158 00:07:57,740 --> 00:07:59,210 And this prototype looks like 159 00:07:59,210 --> 00:08:01,820 a baby space shuttle, complete with wings. 160 00:08:03,213 --> 00:08:04,273 (Sergey speaking Russian) 161 00:08:04,270 --> 00:08:06,610 - [Interpreter] Clipper has basic flight characteristics. 162 00:08:06,610 --> 00:08:08,510 It's just like a glider. 163 00:08:08,510 --> 00:08:11,490 Because it has wings the landing will be 164 00:08:11,491 --> 00:08:12,821 similar to that of an ultra-light. 165 00:08:15,940 --> 00:08:18,700 - [Narrator] Like Orion, Clipper will carry cosmonauts 166 00:08:18,700 --> 00:08:20,810 into Earth orbit and dock with 167 00:08:20,810 --> 00:08:23,330 a Russian-built interplanetary spacecraft. 168 00:08:24,730 --> 00:08:27,230 - [Narrator] Russia is designing a flight-worthy shuttle 169 00:08:27,230 --> 00:08:28,820 and the United States is working 170 00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:30,620 on a teardrop-shaped capsule. 171 00:08:32,130 --> 00:08:36,420 Has a new space race begun, this time, the race to Mars? 172 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:44,010 (dramatic music) 173 00:08:44,010 --> 00:08:46,680 They call it the Mars curse. 174 00:08:47,740 --> 00:08:51,380 Of all the probes ever sent to Mars, 2/3 have failed. 175 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,190 Failure on a manned mission 176 00:08:55,190 --> 00:08:57,890 would cost six people their lives. 177 00:08:57,890 --> 00:08:59,590 No one wants to take that risk. 178 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:03,880 (rockets rumbling) 179 00:09:05,510 --> 00:09:07,850 - [Astronaut] Lookin' nice out the window (speech fading). 180 00:09:07,850 --> 00:09:10,340 - [Narrator] Today, the United States and Russia 181 00:09:10,340 --> 00:09:11,700 will call upon their allies, 182 00:09:11,700 --> 00:09:14,340 such as Canada, Japan, and Europe, 183 00:09:14,340 --> 00:09:18,220 to make sure no one dies on the quest for Mars. 184 00:09:20,190 --> 00:09:22,440 - I think you'll see that is a very, very 185 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,120 integrated international effort. 186 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,610 And I do not think any one country 187 00:09:26,610 --> 00:09:30,570 has the resources, either fiscal or technical, 188 00:09:30,570 --> 00:09:31,560 to do it by themselves. 189 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:34,530 And I think it'd be faulty for them to try. 190 00:09:34,530 --> 00:09:37,320 - [Narrator] Not all Russian scientists agree. 191 00:09:37,318 --> 00:09:39,598 (Leonid speaking Russian) 192 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:40,760 - [Interpreter] It is a very good thing 193 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:43,170 that the race between the two space superpowers, 194 00:09:43,170 --> 00:09:45,100 Russia and the U.S., continues. 195 00:09:45,100 --> 00:09:48,680 It is the natural aspiration of people to be the first. 196 00:09:49,850 --> 00:09:51,390 - [Neil Armstrong] Roger, the EDA is progressing. 197 00:09:51,390 --> 00:09:53,660 - [Narrator] After winning the space race to the moon, 198 00:09:53,660 --> 00:09:55,660 NASA soon lost interest. 199 00:09:55,660 --> 00:09:58,680 The last manned mission was in 1972. 200 00:09:58,682 --> 00:10:01,092 - [Astronaut] Great, guys! 201 00:10:01,090 --> 00:10:03,250 Now, that's about to change. 202 00:10:03,250 --> 00:10:05,640 NASA's new manned vehicle Orion 203 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:07,520 can be docked to a lunar module 204 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,110 that will take astronauts to the moon. 205 00:10:10,110 --> 00:10:13,190 The astronauts will build a permanent moon habitat 206 00:10:13,190 --> 00:10:17,800 by 2025, a boot camp for the voyage to Mars. 207 00:10:19,290 --> 00:10:20,990 - [Astronaut] There you go. 208 00:10:20,991 --> 00:10:21,821 Beautiful, baby. 209 00:10:21,824 --> 00:10:24,154 - [Narrator] But lunar training means nothing 210 00:10:24,150 --> 00:10:27,750 until scientists on Earth figure out he best time to go. 211 00:10:29,321 --> 00:10:30,691 (swooshing) 212 00:10:30,690 --> 00:10:32,610 - It's unimaginably precise. 213 00:10:32,610 --> 00:10:34,860 It's probably, the best analogy would be like 214 00:10:34,860 --> 00:10:38,960 threading a needle in the West Coast from the East Coast. 215 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,170 - [Narrator] Earth and Mars are circling the sun 216 00:10:42,170 --> 00:10:44,840 at different speeds and different orbits. 217 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,970 The Mars craft will set course for a moving target 218 00:10:47,970 --> 00:10:50,040 traveling millions of kilometers. 219 00:10:51,116 --> 00:10:53,446 (swooshing) 220 00:10:55,780 --> 00:10:58,630 This critical task is being studied 221 00:10:58,630 --> 00:11:00,930 by the European Space Agency. 222 00:11:00,930 --> 00:11:04,340 Their job is to help decide the spaceship's trajectory. 223 00:11:05,870 --> 00:11:08,910 ESA aerospace engineer, Loredana Bessone, 224 00:11:08,910 --> 00:11:11,870 leads a team that's tackling this critical question. 225 00:11:13,090 --> 00:11:16,120 Simply put, it's either gonna be a short hop 226 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:19,370 or a very, very long stay. 227 00:11:20,260 --> 00:11:23,150 - As we all know, trajectories are gonna 228 00:11:23,150 --> 00:11:25,760 drive our whole mission because it's gonna tell us 229 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,480 how much time we're gonna spend in space and... 230 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,120 - [Narrator] There are two choices. 231 00:11:32,730 --> 00:11:34,650 Choice one is to leave from Mars 232 00:11:34,650 --> 00:11:36,840 when the red planet is closest to Earth, 233 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,040 56 million kilometers away. 234 00:11:40,010 --> 00:11:42,520 This option requires the least fuel 235 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,250 and fuel is weight. 236 00:11:44,250 --> 00:11:45,890 That's the plus side. 237 00:11:45,890 --> 00:11:47,930 The minus side is that the astronauts 238 00:11:47,930 --> 00:11:50,490 can only come home when Earth and Mars 239 00:11:50,490 --> 00:11:52,160 are once again close together. 240 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,760 In other words, they must live for 18 months 241 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,170 on the desolate and deadly red planet. 242 00:11:59,170 --> 00:12:01,480 - They have to wait for the celestial mechanics 243 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,180 to "come back into alignment." 244 00:12:03,180 --> 00:12:04,880 You're talking about Earth and Mars 245 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:06,620 being in the right places at the right time 246 00:12:06,620 --> 00:12:10,410 to allow the vehicle coming back safely to Earth. 247 00:12:11,270 --> 00:12:14,190 (rockets rumbling) 248 00:12:16,330 --> 00:12:17,900 (metal rattling) 249 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:19,490 - [Narrator] Then there's choice two, 250 00:12:19,490 --> 00:12:21,580 a short stay mission that's riskier. 251 00:12:21,580 --> 00:12:23,520 The spacecraft swings by Venus 252 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,500 and uses the planet's gravity as a slingshot. 253 00:12:26,500 --> 00:12:27,780 This saves on fuel, 254 00:12:28,660 --> 00:12:32,340 but the window to reach Venus is short. 255 00:12:32,340 --> 00:12:36,090 If they miss it, the astronauts will not come home. 256 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,330 - There's no tide to carry you back to Earth. 257 00:12:40,330 --> 00:12:41,410 The planets move too quickly. 258 00:12:41,410 --> 00:12:43,780 We don't have rockets big enough. 259 00:12:43,783 --> 00:12:44,623 - [Engineer] What it looks like. 260 00:12:44,616 --> 00:12:45,586 - [Narrator] The ESA working group believes 261 00:12:45,590 --> 00:12:47,840 the short stay mission is too risky. 262 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:50,520 Astronauts will therefore spend 18 months 263 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,490 on the surface of Mars, 264 00:12:52,490 --> 00:12:54,340 with no chance of leaving early 265 00:12:54,340 --> 00:12:57,550 and no chance of rescue if something goes wrong. 266 00:12:59,681 --> 00:13:02,001 (mumbling in foreign language) 267 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,490 Meanwhile, the Russians are blazing 268 00:13:03,490 --> 00:13:05,760 their own trail to the red planet. 269 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,830 Shrouded by scaffolding, 270 00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:10,280 engineers lead by designer Leonid Gorschkov, 271 00:13:11,230 --> 00:13:13,270 have built a mock up of the world's first 272 00:13:13,270 --> 00:13:15,590 manned interplanetary spacecraft. 273 00:13:17,189 --> 00:13:19,389 (Leonid speaking Russian) 274 00:13:19,390 --> 00:13:21,630 - [Interpreter] We've made it a long way towards the goal 275 00:13:21,630 --> 00:13:24,120 and we are practically ready to start the production 276 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,260 of the ships for the Martian expedition. 277 00:13:27,950 --> 00:13:30,400 - [Narrator] After 40 years of trial and error, 278 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:32,550 building the Mir Space Station, 279 00:13:32,550 --> 00:13:34,880 the Russians have hands-on experience. 280 00:13:37,370 --> 00:13:38,420 - [Interpreter] The orbital stations 281 00:13:38,420 --> 00:13:40,510 are the predecessors of the Mars ship. 282 00:13:40,510 --> 00:13:42,440 The real spacecraft will be bigger. 283 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:43,970 It's supporting structure, shafts, 284 00:13:43,970 --> 00:13:45,520 and the shape will be the same. 285 00:13:50,050 --> 00:13:52,790 - [Narrator] Like NASA, Russian will launch rockets 286 00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:56,190 carrying huge pieces of the Martian craft into orbit 287 00:13:56,190 --> 00:13:58,360 and assemble the craft in space. 288 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:02,100 Massive amounts of food, equipment, 289 00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:05,880 and supplies will follow, on other rocket launches. 290 00:14:05,875 --> 00:14:07,675 (radio transmission in Russian) 291 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:09,440 Then there's a new problem, 292 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,110 building the technology to fire 293 00:14:12,110 --> 00:14:13,990 the vessel's rockets in space. 294 00:14:15,542 --> 00:14:17,292 - [Launch Commentator] Two, one, 295 00:14:17,290 --> 00:14:19,970 and liftoff as Space Shuttle Discovery. 296 00:14:19,970 --> 00:14:21,610 - [Narrator] The Space Shuttle is hurled out 297 00:14:21,610 --> 00:14:23,600 of the atmosphere and into orbit, 298 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,070 all from the thrust of the initial launch. 299 00:14:26,070 --> 00:14:30,010 It doesn't fire its main engines once in space. 300 00:14:30,010 --> 00:14:34,400 It's been over 30 years since NASA last fired manned rockets 301 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:36,360 outside of the Earth's atmosphere. 302 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:39,490 - That is something that, for a long time, 303 00:14:39,490 --> 00:14:40,320 we've forgotten about. 304 00:14:40,323 --> 00:14:41,613 We have not done human class, 305 00:14:41,610 --> 00:14:44,640 in space propulsion since 1972. 306 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,930 - [Narrator] Rockets are chemical-powered. 307 00:14:46,930 --> 00:14:49,580 They require millions of pounds of fuel 308 00:14:49,580 --> 00:14:52,360 and in space travel, weight is the enemy. 309 00:14:53,610 --> 00:14:55,770 (rocket rumbling) 310 00:14:55,770 --> 00:14:57,910 NASA engineer Stan Borowski has one 311 00:14:57,910 --> 00:14:59,590 possible answer for the future, 312 00:15:00,570 --> 00:15:04,030 a fuel-efficient nuclear propulsion system. 313 00:15:04,030 --> 00:15:06,550 - The benefits of nuclear are its higher gas mileage, 314 00:15:06,550 --> 00:15:09,120 which is twice that of the best chemical rockets. 315 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,210 That means we need less propellant, 316 00:15:11,210 --> 00:15:14,310 and fewer numbers of heavy-lift launch vehicles. 317 00:15:14,308 --> 00:15:15,138 (swooshing) 318 00:15:15,141 --> 00:15:17,961 - [Narrator] Fewer Aries launches equals lower costs, 319 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,110 as much as $2 billion per mission. 320 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,870 That's a lot for the cash-strapped NASA. 321 00:15:24,970 --> 00:15:27,000 - But if we wanna go for good 322 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,390 for sustainable exploration storage, 323 00:15:30,630 --> 00:15:33,360 the engineering solution that gives us nuclear propulsion 324 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,540 will be a more efficient solution in the long run 325 00:15:35,540 --> 00:15:38,640 to opening up the solar system for people. 326 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:40,620 - [Narrator] The technology for a nuclear rocket 327 00:15:40,620 --> 00:15:42,300 is already within our reach. 328 00:15:42,300 --> 00:15:45,560 But it will still take at least 12 months of travel 329 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:47,660 from Earth to Mars and home again. 330 00:15:47,660 --> 00:15:50,340 And that poses a new problem. 331 00:15:50,340 --> 00:15:53,410 How do you keep six astronauts 332 00:15:53,410 --> 00:15:55,180 from driving each other crazy? 333 00:16:00,185 --> 00:16:01,015 - [Mission Control] Mars One, 334 00:16:01,018 --> 00:16:03,018 you are go for the trans-Mars injection. 335 00:16:04,950 --> 00:16:06,230 - [Astronaut] Roger. 336 00:16:06,230 --> 00:16:08,310 We are go of the DLI burn. 337 00:16:08,310 --> 00:16:10,430 - [Narrator] A few weeks after leaving Earth's orbit, 338 00:16:10,430 --> 00:16:13,320 the first crew to Mars crosses the threshold 339 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:14,970 where humans have never ventured. 340 00:16:16,410 --> 00:16:18,630 It's the point of no return. 341 00:16:21,950 --> 00:16:25,250 - When you go beyond that single bound with Earth, 342 00:16:25,250 --> 00:16:27,410 and you're on a positive trans-Mars 343 00:16:27,410 --> 00:16:30,170 injection path to Mars, you're not comin' home. 344 00:16:30,170 --> 00:16:31,220 You're goin' to Mars. 345 00:16:32,580 --> 00:16:34,470 - [Narrator] If there's an engine failure, 346 00:16:34,470 --> 00:16:37,940 the crew would disappear into the depths of space. 347 00:16:40,188 --> 00:16:42,488 - [Launch Commentator] And liftoff of the 25th 348 00:16:42,487 --> 00:16:44,047 Space Shuttle mission and it is-- 349 00:16:44,050 --> 00:16:45,010 - [Narrator] Death is nothing new 350 00:16:45,010 --> 00:16:47,750 in the human endeavor to explore space. 351 00:16:47,750 --> 00:16:50,060 The world watched it unfold 352 00:16:50,060 --> 00:16:53,200 with the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. 353 00:16:53,201 --> 00:16:54,851 - [Mission Control] Roger, go to drop off. 354 00:16:54,850 --> 00:16:57,990 (deep rumbling) 355 00:16:57,992 --> 00:16:59,442 Go to 15 seconds. 356 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,690 - The future doesn't belong to faint-hearted. 357 00:17:02,663 --> 00:17:03,863 It belongs to the brave. 358 00:17:04,930 --> 00:17:06,320 Nothing ends here. 359 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,190 Our hopes and our journeys continue. 360 00:17:10,090 --> 00:17:13,380 - [Narrator] NASA has lost 17 astronauts. 361 00:17:13,380 --> 00:17:15,990 Russia admits to four, but some observers 362 00:17:15,990 --> 00:17:18,880 believe the number may be much higher. 363 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,320 NASA chief scientist believes a mission to Mars 364 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:24,880 would take more lives than those lost 365 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,050 in the early days of the Space Program. 366 00:17:27,050 --> 00:17:29,460 - So, what was the probability of success for Apollo, 367 00:17:29,460 --> 00:17:30,560 looking back in time? 368 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:31,720 Was it one in 10? 369 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,230 A mission to Mars is more likely to be 370 00:17:34,230 --> 00:17:36,360 in a failure probability of one in 10 371 00:17:36,357 --> 00:17:38,057 and one in five. 372 00:17:38,060 --> 00:17:39,660 - [Narrator] Garvin has no illusions. 373 00:17:39,660 --> 00:17:42,610 Untested technology, the sheer distance, 374 00:17:42,610 --> 00:17:45,090 and the hostility of the Martian environment 375 00:17:45,090 --> 00:17:46,980 make casualties probable. 376 00:17:49,230 --> 00:17:51,250 Then, there's the human factor. 377 00:17:53,020 --> 00:17:54,240 One of the greatest risks 378 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,230 of the Mars voyage is cabin fever. 379 00:17:57,230 --> 00:18:00,260 Extended missions on the International Space Station 380 00:18:00,260 --> 00:18:02,670 are nothing compared with the Mars voyage. 381 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,800 Can any six people live together for a year 382 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,480 in a space the size of a small apartment 383 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,620 without someone cracking up? 384 00:18:13,430 --> 00:18:15,350 Jerry Linenger spent five months 385 00:18:15,350 --> 00:18:17,600 aboard the Russian Space Station Mir. 386 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:18,590 He can't imagine the impact of 387 00:18:18,585 --> 00:18:23,395 a two-and-half-year mission to Mars. 388 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,630 - I was actually shocked of my time on Mir, 389 00:18:26,630 --> 00:18:31,290 of how isolated and how cut off and stuck with myself 390 00:18:31,290 --> 00:18:33,360 that I felt during that time. 391 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:35,560 And also, of how vulnerable I was. 392 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,820 You have to perform at a pretty high level, 393 00:18:37,820 --> 00:18:40,970 but those psychological things keep eating at you. 394 00:18:40,970 --> 00:18:44,420 And I saw some pretty serious psychological problems 395 00:18:44,420 --> 00:18:47,920 developing, people kind of going off the cliff. 396 00:18:47,919 --> 00:18:50,669 - We are loading, software first. 397 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,030 - [Narrator] The journey to Mars is an exercise in boredom. 398 00:18:55,030 --> 00:18:58,890 Days slip away in a numbing ritual of science experiments, 399 00:18:58,890 --> 00:19:03,310 aerobic exercise, dehydrated meals, and sleep. 400 00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:06,050 Email communications with loved ones back home 401 00:19:06,050 --> 00:19:08,830 come with a time delay of up to 23 minutes, 402 00:19:08,830 --> 00:19:10,930 given the spaceship's distance from Earth. 403 00:19:13,830 --> 00:19:16,940 There's very little to do and nowhere to escape. 404 00:19:18,510 --> 00:19:20,550 (swooshing) 405 00:19:20,550 --> 00:19:22,820 Russia has conducted intense experiments 406 00:19:22,820 --> 00:19:25,600 to push its cosmonauts to the outer limits. 407 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,800 Deprived of sleep for three days, 408 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,290 this cosmonaut is put through the paces 409 00:19:30,290 --> 00:19:35,250 of mundane tasks around the clock to see if he'll snap. 410 00:19:35,250 --> 00:19:37,980 But nothing on Earth can prepare a crew 411 00:19:37,980 --> 00:19:42,150 for the psychological hardships on a mission to Mars. 412 00:19:42,150 --> 00:19:43,140 (Rotislav speaking Russian) 413 00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:44,460 - [Interpreter] If we can solve the problem 414 00:19:44,460 --> 00:19:46,010 of finding an ideal crew, 415 00:19:46,010 --> 00:19:48,690 then the Mars mission will be a success. 416 00:19:48,690 --> 00:19:52,180 If we make a mistake, these conflicts will kill the crew, 417 00:19:52,180 --> 00:19:54,300 just like a disease. 418 00:19:54,300 --> 00:19:56,730 - [Narrator] The psychological anguish is only one problem. 419 00:19:56,730 --> 00:19:59,580 The physical affects are much more serious. 420 00:19:59,580 --> 00:20:03,280 Bones and muscles weaken radically in zero Gs 421 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,880 and NASA still doesn't have solutions. 422 00:20:08,650 --> 00:20:12,120 Jerry Linenger spent 132 consecutive days 423 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:13,760 in space aboard Mir. 424 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:18,670 That's less than 1//3 of the travel time to Mars and back. 425 00:20:18,670 --> 00:20:22,070 - I was almost shocked that I had lost 65% 426 00:20:22,070 --> 00:20:24,940 of my strength level and lost about 13%, 427 00:20:24,940 --> 00:20:28,130 14% of my bone mass in those weight bearing areas. 428 00:20:29,300 --> 00:20:30,670 - [Narrator] One solution is to 429 00:20:30,670 --> 00:20:33,800 create gravity within the spacecraft. 430 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,930 NASA engineer Stan Borowski has a plan 431 00:20:36,930 --> 00:20:38,530 still in its infancy. 432 00:20:38,530 --> 00:20:42,250 The spaceship with rotate through space like a propeller. 433 00:20:43,180 --> 00:20:46,510 - After the primary departure burn from Earth occurs, 434 00:20:46,510 --> 00:20:48,580 we jettison the propellant tank 435 00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:51,180 and now we position the vehicle 436 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:54,810 and can use small RCS thruster located 437 00:20:54,810 --> 00:20:56,520 on the front and back of the vehicle 438 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,120 to spin it like the propeller on an airplane. 439 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:00,890 By doing that, we're able to generate 440 00:21:00,890 --> 00:21:02,670 artificial gravity for the crew. 441 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,190 - [Narrator] The effect of zero Gs inside the spacecraft 442 00:21:07,190 --> 00:21:09,880 are minor compared with the threats outside, 443 00:21:11,740 --> 00:21:15,010 space swarms with massive solar storms 444 00:21:15,010 --> 00:21:17,170 and streams of cosmic radiation. 445 00:21:20,450 --> 00:21:24,400 The radiation on a voyage to Mars is the equivalent 446 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,970 of 3,000 chest x-rays, unless there's protection. 447 00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:34,800 Engineer and veteran astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman 448 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,520 has an idea straight from science fiction, 449 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,430 a force field protecting the Mars craft 450 00:21:41,430 --> 00:21:43,540 from cosmic radiation. 451 00:21:43,540 --> 00:21:44,770 - The radiation is there. 452 00:21:44,767 --> 00:21:47,207 The human body doesn't like radiation. 453 00:21:47,210 --> 00:21:49,430 If we're going to ever really become 454 00:21:49,430 --> 00:21:51,360 a space-faring civilization, 455 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:54,270 radiation protection has got to be a part of the equation. 456 00:21:55,304 --> 00:21:58,544 (intense music) (air swooshing) 457 00:21:58,540 --> 00:22:01,040 - [Narrator] What kind of crew has the courage 458 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:05,130 and the stamina to handle these deep space challenges? 459 00:22:05,130 --> 00:22:08,850 In the earliest days, NASA recruited fighter pilots. 460 00:22:08,850 --> 00:22:12,070 A danger junkie is the last person wanted 461 00:22:12,070 --> 00:22:14,620 on a two-and-half-year mission to Mars. 462 00:22:14,620 --> 00:22:16,500 - But you also want them to be highly skilled 463 00:22:16,500 --> 00:22:18,200 and highly reliable in the skills 464 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:19,500 that they bring to the mission. 465 00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:22,670 And those skills, they'll be a set of generic skills, 466 00:22:22,670 --> 00:22:27,000 the ability to work with technology, repair technology, 467 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,750 understand how to make computers 468 00:22:28,750 --> 00:22:31,360 and networks work and habitability systems 469 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:33,550 and repair spacesuits and space rover. 470 00:22:33,550 --> 00:22:34,930 All those will be critical. 471 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:37,900 - [Narrator] NASA has already decided on 472 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:41,500 a mixed crew of men and women for its Mars mission. 473 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:44,310 Sex in space is a real possibility 474 00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:47,200 on the long, lonely haul to Mars. 475 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,040 But NASA's official policy is sex is okay, 476 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:52,910 as long as personal relationships 477 00:22:52,910 --> 00:22:54,490 don't jeopardize the mission. 478 00:22:55,625 --> 00:22:56,605 - It happens everywhere on Earth. 479 00:22:56,610 --> 00:22:57,910 It'll happen on the way to Mars 480 00:22:57,910 --> 00:22:59,820 and just stop worrying about it. 481 00:22:59,820 --> 00:23:02,340 Just let people who have the right skill set 482 00:23:02,340 --> 00:23:04,170 right across the board go 483 00:23:04,170 --> 00:23:07,070 and the other problems will take care of themselves. 484 00:23:07,072 --> 00:23:10,182 (swooshing) 485 00:23:10,180 --> 00:23:11,640 - [Narrator] The final obstacle facing 486 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,920 the Mars astronauts is time. 487 00:23:13,922 --> 00:23:16,942 A lot can change on Earth over two years, 488 00:23:16,940 --> 00:23:19,630 things that can be too much to bear, 489 00:23:19,630 --> 00:23:22,620 helpless, in the loneliness of space. 490 00:23:23,490 --> 00:23:26,940 - My son was a little over a year and half years old. 491 00:23:26,940 --> 00:23:28,350 My wife was pregnant. 492 00:23:28,350 --> 00:23:29,820 An issue that comes up is, you know, 493 00:23:29,820 --> 00:23:31,840 what if something bad happens to your family on Earth? 494 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:33,330 Should they send you that message 495 00:23:33,330 --> 00:23:35,140 and tell you that you lost your son? 496 00:23:36,150 --> 00:23:36,980 You know? 497 00:23:38,050 --> 00:23:39,040 It would be a tough time. 498 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,490 I get choked up just thinking about it, you know? 499 00:23:42,660 --> 00:23:44,410 - [Narrator] The challenges facing astronauts 500 00:23:44,410 --> 00:23:46,080 on their journey from Earth to Mars 501 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,890 are devastating and deadly, 502 00:23:48,890 --> 00:23:50,420 but nothing can prepare them 503 00:23:50,420 --> 00:23:51,900 for the dangers that await 504 00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:54,310 as they ready to land on the red planet 505 00:23:54,310 --> 00:23:57,430 and face its merciless climate. 506 00:24:01,974 --> 00:24:04,814 (dramatic music) 507 00:24:04,810 --> 00:24:07,410 Mars is a planet of hostile extremes, 508 00:24:07,410 --> 00:24:10,210 unspeakably desolate, unbearably cold, 509 00:24:10,210 --> 00:24:12,760 swept by massive dust storms, 510 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:15,410 ridden with craters and canyons, 511 00:24:15,410 --> 00:24:18,510 it is Earth's arch enemy, 512 00:24:18,506 --> 00:24:19,596 a planet of death. 513 00:24:23,380 --> 00:24:25,410 December, 1976. 514 00:24:25,410 --> 00:24:29,760 NASA's ring of global space antennae are fixed on Mars. 515 00:24:31,630 --> 00:24:35,360 In the dead of night, pictures from the red planet 516 00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:38,100 taken by the Viking lander. 517 00:24:38,096 --> 00:24:41,426 (garbled radio chatter) 518 00:24:42,970 --> 00:24:45,800 (people cheering) 519 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:51,960 Dr. James Garvin was an intern on the Mars Viking program. 520 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,040 Now, he's NASA's chief scientist. 521 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:57,050 - Viking went with experiments designed 522 00:24:57,050 --> 00:25:01,080 to ask about modern, extant life, microbial life. 523 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:02,590 It looked, at the end of Viking, 524 00:25:02,590 --> 00:25:06,680 Mars looked like apolar, sterile desert. 525 00:25:06,681 --> 00:25:09,011 (swooshing) 526 00:25:10,290 --> 00:25:12,380 - [Narrator] Despite its merciless environment, 527 00:25:12,380 --> 00:25:15,890 Mars and Earth share some similarities. 528 00:25:15,890 --> 00:25:18,350 The sun rises in the East and a Mars day 529 00:25:18,350 --> 00:25:20,960 is just 40 minutes longer than that on Earth. 530 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,720 But the planet has just over 1/3 of the gravity 531 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:26,970 and an extremely thin atmosphere. 532 00:25:26,970 --> 00:25:28,890 The atmosphere on Mars is mostly 533 00:25:28,890 --> 00:25:31,450 carbon dioxide and is deadly. 534 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:36,240 Near the equator is Valles Marineris, 535 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:39,190 the largest canyon in our solar system. 536 00:25:39,190 --> 00:25:41,880 With walls 10 kilometers high, 537 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,700 it's large enough to hold 100 Grand Canyons. 538 00:25:46,310 --> 00:25:51,290 To the north, is an ancient volcano called Olympus Mons. 539 00:25:51,290 --> 00:25:54,530 Towering 35,000 meters, the summit is about 540 00:25:54,530 --> 00:25:56,660 three times higher than Mount Everest. 541 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:03,070 The average temperature on Mars is about -60 degrees Celsius 542 00:26:03,070 --> 00:26:06,310 and at night can plummet to -100 degrees. 543 00:26:07,540 --> 00:26:09,650 Relentless winds blow up dust clouds 544 00:26:09,650 --> 00:26:11,800 that create huge electrical fields. 545 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:13,570 And the clouds themselves can engulf 546 00:26:13,570 --> 00:26:16,400 the entire planet for months on end. 547 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:18,260 Monster-sized dust devils spiral 548 00:26:18,260 --> 00:26:20,820 80 kilometers into the atmosphere. 549 00:26:20,820 --> 00:26:23,410 A manned space vehicle could never land 550 00:26:23,410 --> 00:26:26,390 in one of Mars's vicious dust storms. 551 00:26:26,390 --> 00:26:30,160 So, on Earth, a couple of unconventional storm chasers 552 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:32,100 help NASA learn about what 553 00:26:32,100 --> 00:26:34,760 it might be like on the red planet. 554 00:26:34,764 --> 00:26:37,754 (truck engine sputtering) 555 00:26:37,750 --> 00:26:40,570 - [Brett] Do you see the big red barn to the left? 556 00:26:41,868 --> 00:26:43,448 - [Steve] Yes, I do. 557 00:26:43,452 --> 00:26:46,042 That's the monster I was hopin' to catch. 558 00:26:46,044 --> 00:26:46,884 Oh, yeah. 559 00:26:49,250 --> 00:26:52,330 - [Narrator] In Arizona, scientists Stephen Metzger 560 00:26:52,330 --> 00:26:55,290 and Brett Foss are racing headlong 561 00:26:55,290 --> 00:26:57,120 into terrestrial dust devils. 562 00:26:58,470 --> 00:27:01,090 - Oh, yeah, this is worth the trip, right? 563 00:27:03,020 --> 00:27:06,050 On Earth, a good 20 meter-wide dust devil 564 00:27:06,050 --> 00:27:08,270 that lasts for 20 minutes can fling 565 00:27:08,270 --> 00:27:11,210 several metric tons of dirt into the air. 566 00:27:11,210 --> 00:27:14,730 On Mars, it's the same dry land as Earth. 567 00:27:14,730 --> 00:27:16,790 But Mars is one big desert, 568 00:27:16,790 --> 00:27:20,880 springing up dust devils all over the place all the time. 569 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:22,770 - Mars is renowned for dust storms. 570 00:27:22,770 --> 00:27:25,710 So, you could have huge sandblasting activity 571 00:27:25,710 --> 00:27:27,600 flying around you. 572 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,570 Whichever way you wanna cut it, 573 00:27:29,570 --> 00:27:32,630 landing is going to be a challenge. 574 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:35,160 - [Narrator] The Mars astronauts may have to 575 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:37,770 wait in orbit until the dust storms settle. 576 00:27:38,660 --> 00:27:41,700 Planetary cartographer Ruslan Kuzmin 577 00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:44,090 helped NASA find landing spots 578 00:27:44,090 --> 00:27:46,770 for its robotic missions to Mars. 579 00:27:46,768 --> 00:27:48,758 (Ruslan speaking Russian) 580 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:50,060 - [Interpreter] We have to be specific 581 00:27:50,060 --> 00:27:52,570 when choosing a landing site for humans. 582 00:27:52,570 --> 00:27:54,580 We must choose a site which is safe 583 00:27:54,580 --> 00:27:58,100 and is potentially suitable for future sites and landings. 584 00:27:58,100 --> 00:28:01,000 Our main tasks are to examine the water history 585 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,900 and the possibility of life now and in the past. 586 00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:06,430 These criteria will determine 587 00:28:06,430 --> 00:28:08,020 the choice of the landing site. 588 00:28:10,390 --> 00:28:13,880 - [Narrator] In 1976, the Viking mission found no evidence 589 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,880 of life on Mars, but it's possible that Viking landed 590 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:22,160 in the wrong place, like looking for a jungle in Arizona. 591 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:23,770 The manned mission to Mars will land 592 00:28:23,770 --> 00:28:27,220 in an area where it appears that water once flowed. 593 00:28:27,220 --> 00:28:30,370 Water means potential life and scientists 594 00:28:30,370 --> 00:28:33,650 already know just where to look. 595 00:28:33,650 --> 00:28:36,420 - Mars also has presented us, recently, 596 00:28:36,420 --> 00:28:38,390 with evidence that liquid water 597 00:28:38,390 --> 00:28:40,580 has flowed not just in the distant past 598 00:28:40,580 --> 00:28:42,350 or in the middle history of Mars, 599 00:28:42,350 --> 00:28:44,390 but also in very recent times. 600 00:28:44,390 --> 00:28:46,540 The Martian surface has, in many places, 601 00:28:46,540 --> 00:28:51,280 very discreet, finely incised gully system. 602 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:52,810 - [Narrator] For the human mission to Mars, 603 00:28:52,810 --> 00:28:54,900 where to land is critical, 604 00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:58,390 but, not as critical as the landing itself. 605 00:29:01,220 --> 00:29:03,320 After a six-month voyage, 606 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:07,230 the spacecraft is finally orbiting Mars. 607 00:29:07,230 --> 00:29:08,620 Now, the crew must snap out 608 00:29:08,620 --> 00:29:10,630 of intense boredom and into action. 609 00:29:10,626 --> 00:29:11,456 (electronic chirping) 610 00:29:11,459 --> 00:29:13,409 Psychologists fear that they will be suffering 611 00:29:13,410 --> 00:29:16,450 from a syndrome known as attention tunneling. 612 00:29:17,460 --> 00:29:19,150 - Often in heavily automated systems, 613 00:29:19,150 --> 00:29:21,630 you can go from prolonged periods of boredom 614 00:29:21,630 --> 00:29:26,170 to moments of intense performance demand, very rapidly. 615 00:29:26,170 --> 00:29:27,080 And you want to train people 616 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:28,390 to deal with those transitions, 617 00:29:28,390 --> 00:29:29,860 those rapid transitions. 618 00:29:32,010 --> 00:29:33,660 - [Narrator] The Mars landing module 619 00:29:33,660 --> 00:29:35,330 separates from the main vehicle, 620 00:29:35,330 --> 00:29:37,340 which will stay in orbit. 621 00:29:37,340 --> 00:29:39,570 The exhausted astronauts now face 622 00:29:39,570 --> 00:29:42,450 the most dangerous part of the entire mission, 623 00:29:42,450 --> 00:29:44,300 entering the atmosphere 624 00:29:44,300 --> 00:29:47,420 and getting the lander safely to the surface. 625 00:29:48,350 --> 00:29:50,350 - Landing on Mars is hard because of many things. 626 00:29:50,350 --> 00:29:53,530 Number one, we have a large atmosphere, rarefied, 627 00:29:53,530 --> 00:29:56,610 relative to home, to go through, with its own dynamics. 628 00:29:56,610 --> 00:29:59,520 When people and even machines today go to Mars, 629 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,440 the last 50 to 100 kilometers are the most perilous. 630 00:30:02,444 --> 00:30:04,544 (rattling) 631 00:30:04,540 --> 00:30:05,730 - [Narrator] Once the descent begins, 632 00:30:05,730 --> 00:30:07,480 there's no turning back. 633 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:08,730 In less than six minutes, 634 00:30:08,730 --> 00:30:11,450 the crew will either be safely on the surface 635 00:30:11,450 --> 00:30:13,020 or they will be dead. 636 00:30:13,022 --> 00:30:15,632 (rockets rumbling) 637 00:30:15,630 --> 00:30:18,460 The landing module is protected by a heat shield 638 00:30:18,460 --> 00:30:21,470 that will help slow the lander to keep it from burning up. 639 00:30:23,830 --> 00:30:26,270 Adam Steltzner is an engineer with NASA's 640 00:30:26,270 --> 00:30:29,800 Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. 641 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:34,800 - You're basically burning a hole through the sky on Mars, 642 00:30:34,870 --> 00:30:36,790 ionizing the atmosphere as you move through it 643 00:30:36,790 --> 00:30:40,550 and punching a hole of burnt ionized gas. 644 00:30:40,550 --> 00:30:43,400 And that hot gas is looking constantly 645 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,940 for methods of getting into cracks 646 00:30:45,940 --> 00:30:48,310 and burning the rest of the spacecraft up. 647 00:30:48,307 --> 00:30:49,137 (thumping) 648 00:30:49,140 --> 00:30:49,970 - [Narrator] After entry, 649 00:30:49,973 --> 00:30:51,663 the lander sheds its protective shell. 650 00:30:52,710 --> 00:30:54,460 Weighing up to 60 tons, 651 00:30:54,460 --> 00:30:57,700 the lander hurdles through the Martian atmosphere. 652 00:30:57,700 --> 00:30:59,370 - [Astronaut] 8,000 meters. 653 00:30:59,370 --> 00:31:00,620 - [Narrator] NASA is experimenting 654 00:31:00,620 --> 00:31:03,700 with an inflatable heat shield to slow it down 655 00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:05,680 so the astronauts don't burn up 656 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,040 in the 3,000 degree heat of re-entry. 657 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,070 - We decelerate at higher altitudes 658 00:31:11,070 --> 00:31:14,340 where there's less density but less air to be hitting. 659 00:31:14,340 --> 00:31:17,470 And so, the heat generated is much less. 660 00:31:17,470 --> 00:31:18,680 And what this does for us, 661 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,420 it allows us to land larger masses on the surface 662 00:31:22,420 --> 00:31:26,240 than we could ever put into a rigid aeroshell construction. 663 00:31:26,236 --> 00:31:27,236 (swooshing) 664 00:31:27,236 --> 00:31:28,946 - We're picking up wind. 665 00:31:28,945 --> 00:31:31,695 - Copy that, switching to backup. 666 00:31:34,726 --> 00:31:37,286 - [Mission Control] Standing by for transmission. 667 00:31:37,294 --> 00:31:39,964 (intense music) 668 00:31:41,910 --> 00:31:44,020 - [Narrator] Millions of kilometers away, 669 00:31:44,020 --> 00:31:47,180 the world must wait more than 11 minutes 670 00:31:47,180 --> 00:31:50,230 to find out whether the crew is alive or dead. 671 00:31:51,175 --> 00:31:54,175 (suspenseful music) 672 00:31:55,063 --> 00:31:57,483 (soft music) 673 00:31:58,350 --> 00:32:00,550 Six months through space and six minutes 674 00:32:00,550 --> 00:32:02,610 burning through the Martian atmosphere, 675 00:32:02,610 --> 00:32:05,400 the lander touches down safely on the red planet. 676 00:32:07,997 --> 00:32:09,957 (swooshing) 677 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,970 - Going to Mars is really a huge step for human beings. 678 00:32:13,970 --> 00:32:15,740 It'll be a big step for engineers. 679 00:32:15,740 --> 00:32:17,340 It'll be a big step for scientists, 680 00:32:17,340 --> 00:32:18,860 but I would tend to argue 681 00:32:18,860 --> 00:32:19,690 that it's gonna be (people cheering) 682 00:32:19,693 --> 00:32:22,873 an even bigger step for humanity as a species. 683 00:32:23,750 --> 00:32:28,210 - After 11 1/2 minutes, word reaches planet Earth. 684 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,820 But then reality sets in. 685 00:32:35,820 --> 00:32:40,280 For the next 18 months, this hostile planet is their home. 686 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,360 If anything goes wrong, there is no hope of rescue. 687 00:32:47,020 --> 00:32:50,410 - We will be operating, basically, out of the loop 688 00:32:50,410 --> 00:32:51,760 of handshaking with Earth, 689 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,120 of calling Houston or Europe 690 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:55,870 or wherever we run the missions. 691 00:32:55,870 --> 00:32:57,600 We will be doing it on our own. 692 00:32:57,595 --> 00:32:59,555 - [Mission Control] You are go for EVA. 693 00:32:59,558 --> 00:33:01,898 - [Astronaut] Roger, handle coming down. 694 00:33:01,903 --> 00:33:04,153 (thumping) 695 00:33:07,054 --> 00:33:09,334 (air hissing) 696 00:33:09,325 --> 00:33:12,205 (metal cranking) 697 00:33:12,212 --> 00:33:14,802 (serene music) 698 00:33:16,617 --> 00:33:20,687 - The first time humans set foot on the planet Mars, 699 00:33:20,690 --> 00:33:23,150 we will be living on two planets. 700 00:33:23,150 --> 00:33:26,250 It will be a significant moment in history. 701 00:33:30,102 --> 00:33:31,382 (swooshing) 702 00:33:31,380 --> 00:33:32,380 - [Narrator] Months earlier, 703 00:33:32,380 --> 00:33:34,970 a series of cargo ships deployed food, 704 00:33:34,970 --> 00:33:38,650 water, supplies, Mars rovers, and living quarters. 705 00:33:41,350 --> 00:33:43,760 The astronaut's lives depend on landing 706 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,350 within a few hundred meters of the supply depot. 707 00:33:47,930 --> 00:33:50,300 - If you don't land near that stuff, you're not coming home. 708 00:33:50,300 --> 00:33:51,130 You know? 709 00:33:51,133 --> 00:33:52,533 If you're 200 miles off course, 710 00:33:52,530 --> 00:33:53,800 and you have no vehicle with you 711 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,560 that could travel 200 miles over the surface of Mars, 712 00:33:56,560 --> 00:33:57,870 you're gonna die. 713 00:33:57,870 --> 00:33:58,700 - [Narrator] Their only hope of 714 00:33:58,703 --> 00:34:01,483 long-term survival is the Mars habitat, 715 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,240 an interplanetary version of the motor home, 716 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:08,530 only this camper protects against deadly solar radiation. 717 00:34:08,527 --> 00:34:09,577 (metallic chiming) 718 00:34:09,580 --> 00:34:11,800 - It does amazing damage to the 719 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,200 top surface layers of your skin. 720 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,810 And if you get subjected to it often enough, 721 00:34:16,810 --> 00:34:20,190 of course, the penetration to more sensitive organs 722 00:34:20,190 --> 00:34:22,600 in your body, the chance increases. 723 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:26,550 - [Narrator] Outside the protection of the Mars habitat, 724 00:34:26,550 --> 00:34:29,790 the astronauts will face a world of deadly extremes. 725 00:34:29,785 --> 00:34:31,675 (ominous music) 726 00:34:31,681 --> 00:34:33,661 (swooshing) 727 00:34:33,660 --> 00:34:38,030 To work in a freezing, wind-blasted, poisonous atmosphere 728 00:34:38,030 --> 00:34:43,030 would require a space super suit of unparalleled design. 729 00:34:43,308 --> 00:34:46,018 - [Astronaut] To adjust your trap racer. 730 00:34:46,020 --> 00:34:48,540 - [Narrator] NASA has already begun field testing 731 00:34:48,540 --> 00:34:52,460 a prototype Martian suit in Arizona's Meteor Crater. 732 00:34:53,853 --> 00:34:54,693 - [Test Engineer] 86. 733 00:34:54,686 --> 00:34:58,306 - One of our big challenges is mobility, flexibility. 734 00:34:58,310 --> 00:35:00,640 And what I would also group with that is weight 735 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:03,040 because there's a big trade off between the two. 736 00:35:03,980 --> 00:35:07,180 - [Narrator] This new suit currently weighs 95 kilograms. 737 00:35:07,180 --> 00:35:09,300 NASA hopes to cut that weight in half 738 00:35:09,300 --> 00:35:10,620 before the Mars mission. 739 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,090 - The spacesuit itself has its own life support system, 740 00:35:15,090 --> 00:35:18,080 its own thermal control unit, and enough mobility 741 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,020 to get you around on the surface of Mars 742 00:35:20,020 --> 00:35:22,920 and protect you in this very hostile environment. 743 00:35:22,917 --> 00:35:25,507 (dramatic music) 744 00:35:25,508 --> 00:35:27,338 - [Narrator] One of the astronaut's first tasks 745 00:35:27,340 --> 00:35:30,060 is to seek answers to the burning question, 746 00:35:30,060 --> 00:35:34,730 was there life on Mars or is there life there still? 747 00:35:36,950 --> 00:35:41,050 Scientists seek answers in a remote desert on Earth. 748 00:35:41,050 --> 00:35:43,870 Like Mars, the center of Chile's 749 00:35:43,870 --> 00:35:46,790 Atacama Desert is a dead zone. 750 00:35:46,790 --> 00:35:48,850 - On Earth, we find little oases of death 751 00:35:48,850 --> 00:35:50,290 on a planet that's alive. 752 00:35:50,290 --> 00:35:53,290 On Mars, we'd be searching for little oases of life 753 00:35:53,290 --> 00:35:55,210 on a planet that's dead. 754 00:35:55,210 --> 00:35:56,770 - [Narrator] Astrobiologist Chris McKay 755 00:35:56,770 --> 00:35:59,550 is searching for life that could survive 756 00:35:59,550 --> 00:36:02,040 the hostile Martian environment. 757 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:05,800 McKay has discovered microbial life in this waterless world 758 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:09,410 and he hopes his work will give astronauts a clue 759 00:36:09,410 --> 00:36:12,360 to where to begin their search on Mars. 760 00:36:14,607 --> 00:36:16,067 (electronic chirping) 761 00:36:16,070 --> 00:36:19,770 Life-seeking robots will assist in the search on the surface 762 00:36:19,770 --> 00:36:23,080 and in caverns where organisms might be protected 763 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:25,430 from the deadly environment above ground. 764 00:36:26,670 --> 00:36:29,860 One such mechanical helper is NASA's robonaut. 765 00:36:29,860 --> 00:36:33,360 Controlled remotely, its human shape and five-digit hands 766 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:37,720 help an astronaut drive it via a virtual reality link. 767 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:40,530 The robot can perform complex tasks 768 00:36:40,530 --> 00:36:43,220 dozens of kilometers away from the Mars habitat, 769 00:36:43,220 --> 00:36:46,720 saving the astronaut forma slow death from cosmic radiation 770 00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:48,910 or a swift death from suit failure. 771 00:36:51,020 --> 00:36:54,130 If life is found on Mars, it poses a new problem. 772 00:36:54,130 --> 00:36:54,960 (swooshing) 773 00:36:54,963 --> 00:36:56,833 Could one of these microbes be harmful, 774 00:36:56,830 --> 00:36:58,530 even deadly to humans? 775 00:36:58,530 --> 00:37:01,830 And what might happen if a Martian microbe 776 00:37:01,830 --> 00:37:03,110 was unleashed on Earth? 777 00:37:04,220 --> 00:37:07,210 John Rummel is NASA's biocop, 778 00:37:07,210 --> 00:37:09,900 protecting us from just such a catastrophe. 779 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,010 - Well, if there is life on Mars, 780 00:37:13,970 --> 00:37:15,850 we would, of course, like to learn about it 781 00:37:15,850 --> 00:37:17,510 before we brought it back. 782 00:37:17,510 --> 00:37:20,730 Life on Mars is very unlikely to present a risk to humans 783 00:37:20,730 --> 00:37:24,670 as a pathogen, but it may be that it's a microbe 784 00:37:24,670 --> 00:37:27,260 that our immune systems wouldn't recognize. 785 00:37:27,260 --> 00:37:28,670 It may be something that causes 786 00:37:28,670 --> 00:37:30,160 a problem with the environment. 787 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:31,220 So, we wanna make sure that 788 00:37:31,220 --> 00:37:33,620 things are brought back contained. 789 00:37:33,619 --> 00:37:34,449 (beeping) 790 00:37:34,452 --> 00:37:35,362 - [Narrator] This means the Mars 791 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:36,930 astronaut could be quarantined. 792 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:41,260 After two and a half years away from friends and family, 793 00:37:41,260 --> 00:37:43,420 they might have to tough it out a little longer 794 00:37:43,420 --> 00:37:45,430 in a bioscrubbing tank. 795 00:37:45,430 --> 00:37:47,450 Back in the days of the moon landings, 796 00:37:47,450 --> 00:37:49,480 NASA used an Airstream trailer. 797 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:51,250 The Mars mission would take 798 00:37:51,250 --> 00:37:53,360 something much more sophisticated. 799 00:37:54,370 --> 00:37:56,500 - I think a Mars return mission 800 00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:58,490 would be very, very different than 801 00:37:58,490 --> 00:38:01,210 the way we did the lunar return missions. 802 00:38:01,210 --> 00:38:04,200 Being aware of the situation 803 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:07,820 of returning from another planet, 804 00:38:07,820 --> 00:38:08,880 a planet where there 805 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,450 is a chance that life could be present. 806 00:38:12,449 --> 00:38:14,419 (soft music) 807 00:38:14,420 --> 00:38:17,410 - [Narrator] Meanwhile, high in the Canadian Arctic, 808 00:38:17,410 --> 00:38:20,360 NASA scientist Pascal Lee believes that 809 00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:23,180 if the Mars explorers seek life, 810 00:38:23,178 --> 00:38:24,878 they must follow the water. 811 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:27,620 - Everywhere there is liquid water on Earth, 812 00:38:27,620 --> 00:38:28,610 there is life. 813 00:38:28,610 --> 00:38:31,060 Might there even be still life on Mars today 814 00:38:31,060 --> 00:38:33,240 wherever liquid water might be present. 815 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:35,450 - [Narrator] Recent NASA photos of Mars 816 00:38:35,450 --> 00:38:37,690 show extraordinary evidence of running water 817 00:38:37,690 --> 00:38:39,220 within the last decade. 818 00:38:39,220 --> 00:38:41,500 NASA believes that there may be a water supply 819 00:38:41,500 --> 00:38:46,060 as close as 100 to 400 meters below the planet's surface. 820 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,830 Back on Earth, on the bleak rim of a crater, 821 00:38:51,830 --> 00:38:55,270 a team, under the direction of Dr. Brian Glass, 822 00:38:55,270 --> 00:38:58,150 is testing a drill for future astronauts 823 00:38:58,150 --> 00:38:59,440 who will be seeking water 824 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,850 during their 18-month stay on Mars. 825 00:39:02,910 --> 00:39:05,190 - Say, Gill, how deep are we at the moment? 826 00:39:05,190 --> 00:39:07,970 - We're about 206.1 centimeters. 827 00:39:07,970 --> 00:39:11,160 - [Brian] My drill took three days to go two meters 828 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:13,090 into frozen, broken rock. 829 00:39:13,940 --> 00:39:15,430 - [Narrator] Drilling on Mars will be 830 00:39:15,430 --> 00:39:18,460 even slower and more dangerous. 831 00:39:18,460 --> 00:39:20,560 Again, technology will replace 832 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:23,630 human beings to avoid catastrophe. 833 00:39:25,210 --> 00:39:27,410 - [Brian] What my project does is in some sense, 834 00:39:27,410 --> 00:39:30,310 it replicates a human drilling team. 835 00:39:30,310 --> 00:39:32,210 So, we have software that does that, 836 00:39:32,210 --> 00:39:35,170 listens to the drill, what noise is it making, 837 00:39:35,170 --> 00:39:36,820 how the shaft wiggles as it goes down, 838 00:39:36,820 --> 00:39:38,020 just like a human would. 839 00:39:39,580 --> 00:39:41,350 - [Narrator] Will we find life on Mars? 840 00:39:41,350 --> 00:39:44,310 The evidence so far is promising. 841 00:39:45,519 --> 00:39:48,269 (dramatic music) 842 00:39:49,656 --> 00:39:51,816 (booming) 843 00:39:53,310 --> 00:39:56,850 23 million years ago, a giant asteroid 844 00:39:56,850 --> 00:40:00,070 slammed into Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. 845 00:40:00,070 --> 00:40:03,230 It created Haughton Crater with enough force 846 00:40:03,230 --> 00:40:05,560 to hurl rock into space, 847 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:07,710 leaving scientists to theorize 848 00:40:07,710 --> 00:40:09,900 that debris of other planets 849 00:40:09,900 --> 00:40:11,880 might have likewise fallen to Earth. 850 00:40:13,130 --> 00:40:16,500 The breakthrough came in 1996. 851 00:40:16,500 --> 00:40:19,550 Scientists on an Antarctic expedition 852 00:40:19,550 --> 00:40:22,600 discovered a small meteor from Mars. 853 00:40:24,130 --> 00:40:26,510 Inside the rock were faint traces 854 00:40:26,510 --> 00:40:28,940 of what many believed was life. 855 00:40:28,940 --> 00:40:32,830 The debate continues over the microscopic evidence, 856 00:40:32,830 --> 00:40:35,980 but the discover gave scientists a tantalizing 857 00:40:35,980 --> 00:40:39,190 clue to an extra-terrestrial mystery. 858 00:40:39,189 --> 00:40:41,519 (swooshing) 859 00:40:44,860 --> 00:40:48,210 650 million years ago, ours was not 860 00:40:48,210 --> 00:40:51,120 the only blue planet in the solar system. 861 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,020 Mars was also a water world. 862 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:56,540 - Mars was a water planet. 863 00:40:56,540 --> 00:40:59,160 Some colleagues believe that in that first billion years 864 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:01,700 of planetary history, when the planets cooled down 865 00:41:01,700 --> 00:41:04,150 and Mars and Earth were the two best habitable 866 00:41:04,150 --> 00:41:07,360 zone planets that we can possibly imagine. 867 00:41:07,355 --> 00:41:08,545 (booming) 868 00:41:08,550 --> 00:41:11,940 - [Narrator] But, in a mysterious cosmic cataclysm, 869 00:41:11,940 --> 00:41:13,680 Mars was transformed. 870 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:17,090 Its oceans dried up, its atmosphere dissipated, 871 00:41:17,090 --> 00:41:19,370 debris from the Martian surface 872 00:41:19,370 --> 00:41:22,640 was scattered throughout the solar system. 873 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,090 The discovery of the rock in the Antarctic 874 00:41:25,090 --> 00:41:26,800 left a burning question. 875 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,840 Did life on Earth originate on Mars? 876 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:33,430 And are human beings, then, really Martians? 877 00:41:36,909 --> 00:41:38,329 (soft music) 878 00:41:38,330 --> 00:41:42,370 The challenge of sending humans to Mars is staggering. 879 00:41:42,370 --> 00:41:44,960 Countless billions of dollars of hardware, 880 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:47,720 millions of kilometers across deep space, 881 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:50,090 lethal cosmic hazards en route, 882 00:41:50,090 --> 00:41:52,870 and even more on Mars. 883 00:41:52,870 --> 00:41:54,960 Fatalities are almost certain. 884 00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:58,050 Is it worth the risk? 885 00:41:58,050 --> 00:41:59,600 What's the return benefit? 886 00:42:00,530 --> 00:42:02,900 - To push technology, to learn new things, 887 00:42:02,900 --> 00:42:04,740 to open our eyes to another world 888 00:42:04,740 --> 00:42:07,690 that may tell us about future courses of events on our own, 889 00:42:07,690 --> 00:42:10,120 to give ourself a new perspective on our own. 890 00:42:10,122 --> 00:42:11,292 (inspirational music) 891 00:42:11,290 --> 00:42:12,370 - We need to be challenged, 892 00:42:12,370 --> 00:42:14,900 as a civilization, as a people. 893 00:42:14,900 --> 00:42:18,310 And without challenge, we lack direction, 894 00:42:18,310 --> 00:42:19,770 we lack purpose. 895 00:42:19,770 --> 00:42:23,990 And I think that Mars is the kind of challenge that we need, 896 00:42:23,990 --> 00:42:25,710 we desperately need. 897 00:42:25,710 --> 00:42:27,880 - [Narrator] If the quest to Mars discovers evidence 898 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:29,830 of life different than our own, 899 00:42:29,830 --> 00:42:33,430 it will open up a real scientific possibility 900 00:42:33,430 --> 00:42:37,130 of other intelligent beings in the universe. 901 00:42:37,130 --> 00:42:39,470 It's a revolutionary concept, 902 00:42:39,470 --> 00:42:43,350 multiple, intergalactic genesis. 903 00:42:43,350 --> 00:42:45,220 - What we hope to find on Mars 904 00:42:45,220 --> 00:42:48,280 is an evidence of life that represents a separate origin 905 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,460 so that we know that in our own solar system, 906 00:42:51,460 --> 00:42:53,060 life started twice. 907 00:42:53,057 --> 00:42:55,587 And if it started twice in our own backyard, 908 00:42:55,586 --> 00:42:59,116 then we know that the galaxy is full of life. 909 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:01,770 - The thought that you could overturn a rock on Mars, 910 00:43:01,770 --> 00:43:05,590 and see that, maybe, would be pretty exciting. 911 00:43:05,592 --> 00:43:07,302 (rocket rumbling) 912 00:43:07,300 --> 00:43:09,870 - [Narrator] After about 18 months of research, 913 00:43:09,870 --> 00:43:13,650 the Mars pioneers will begin the long journey home. 914 00:43:14,627 --> 00:43:16,957 (swooshing) 915 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:19,410 The first expedition will leave behind 916 00:43:19,410 --> 00:43:21,680 a base camp for future explorers. 917 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:24,280 They will bring more advanced spacecraft, 918 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:25,690 rovers, and habitats. 919 00:43:27,410 --> 00:43:31,470 The 21st century Mars base will grow into a small colony, 920 00:43:31,470 --> 00:43:33,220 fulfilling the human quest 921 00:43:33,220 --> 00:43:36,040 to inhabit a once forbidden frontier. 922 00:43:38,690 --> 00:43:43,250 Our journey to the red planet will begin with baby steps. 923 00:43:43,250 --> 00:43:45,770 It may end with human occupation. 924 00:43:47,980 --> 00:43:50,380 Modern science already has the know-how 925 00:43:50,380 --> 00:43:53,000 to make the red planet blue once more. 926 00:43:56,240 --> 00:43:57,910 This is a serious challenge. 927 00:43:57,910 --> 00:44:01,490 The time may come when we need to escape from Earth. 928 00:44:02,710 --> 00:44:04,320 - Because if we've got a comet or asteroid 929 00:44:04,320 --> 00:44:05,450 heading our way right now, 930 00:44:05,450 --> 00:44:07,440 we're basically no better off than the dinosaurs. 931 00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:10,370 There's nothing we can do except look up 932 00:44:10,370 --> 00:44:12,200 with a stupid expression on our face 933 00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:14,390 and watch it all come crashing down. 934 00:44:14,393 --> 00:44:16,193 (rocket rumbling) 935 00:44:16,190 --> 00:44:18,620 - [Narrator] In 2005, the quest for Mars began 936 00:44:18,620 --> 00:44:22,290 with NASA's launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 937 00:44:22,290 --> 00:44:24,000 now circling the red planet, 938 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:28,290 the MRO seeks a site for the first manned landing craft. 939 00:44:28,290 --> 00:44:31,840 It is the communications link from Earth to Mars, 940 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:36,560 blazing the trail for the greatest expedition in history. 941 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:40,000 - MRO will lay the groundwork for where the people must go. 942 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:42,830 MRO is the big step that will bridge the gap 943 00:44:42,830 --> 00:44:44,970 from the all science Mars program 944 00:44:44,970 --> 00:44:47,180 to the science and people Mars program. 945 00:44:48,860 --> 00:44:50,250 - [Narrator] Exploration, knowledge, 946 00:44:50,250 --> 00:44:53,050 a search for life in the universe. 947 00:44:53,050 --> 00:44:56,350 These goals unite people from around the world 948 00:44:56,350 --> 00:44:58,680 in the greatest quest of all time. 949 00:45:00,190 --> 00:45:02,590 There will be conflicts, controversies, 950 00:45:02,590 --> 00:45:04,600 and almost certainly casualties, 951 00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:06,280 but the course is set. 952 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:09,170 The impossible dream is within our reach. 953 00:45:10,110 --> 00:45:11,360 There's not turning back. 954 00:45:12,810 --> 00:45:15,590 We're on our way to Mars. 955 00:45:18,530 --> 00:45:21,700 (inspirational music) 956 00:46:05,070 --> 00:46:07,900 (Multicom jingle)