male narrator: IN THE
BEGINNING, THERE WAS DARKNESS. AND THEN--BANG--GIVING BIRTH TO
AN ENDLESS EXPANDING EXISTENCE
OF TIME, SPACE, AND MATTER. EVERY DAY, NEW DISCOVERIES ARE
UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIOUS, THE
MIND-BLOWING, THE DEADLY SECRETS OF A PLACE WE CALL THE UNIVERSE. YOU'RE LOST ON AN ALIEN
PLANET. FOOD IS RUNNING LOW. OXYGEN IS RUNNING OUT. HELP IS 100 MILLION MILES AWAY. MARS, IT'S A LETHAL PLACE. narrator: WHERE CAN YOU HIDE
FROM BLASTS OF SPACE RADIATION? CHARGED PARTICLES WOULD BE
HITTING ANY ASTRONAUTS THAT WE
HAD ON THE SURFACE. THEY WOULD NOT BE PROTECTED. narrator: HOW CAN YOU STAND
UP TO A DEADLY DUST STORM? THE DUST ON MARS COULD EAT
AWAY AT THE FABRIC OF A
SPACE SUIT. THAT WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC. narrator: WHAT WILL YOU DO
WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF AIR? YOU WILL DIE A HORRIBLE
DEATH. narrator: HOW CAN YOU SURVIVE
CRASH-LANDING ON MARS? narrator: HOW CAN YOU SURVIVE
CRASH-LANDING ON MARS? HUMANS CRASH-LANDING ON MARS. STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE ON A
HOSTILE WORLD. IT'S BEEN A FAVORITE THEME OF
SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIES. THEY GOT A LOT OF THINGS WRONG. BUT NASA AND OTHER SPACE
AGENCIES ARE PLANNING TO SEND
PEOPLE TO THE RED PLANET IN THE NEXT FEW DECADES. SO THE QUESTIONS OF
CRASH-LANDING AND SURVIVAL HAVE
TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. WELL, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE
TRYING TO DO. YOU'RE SENDING A MISSION TO
MARS. YOU'RE SENDING IT TO AN UNKNOWN
LOCATION WITH AN UNKNOWN
ENVIRONMENT. ALL IT TAKES IS ONE THING TO GO
WRONG... THEN YOU'VE LOST THE WHOLE
MISSION. narrator: THIS PROGRAM, BASED
ON RECENT SCIENTIFIC
INFORMATION, PRESENTS ONE POSSIBLE SCENARIO OF WHAT MIGHT
HAPPEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IMAGINE AN INTERNATIONAL CREW
HAS BEEN SELECTED TO EXPLORE
MARS AND SET THE STAGE FOR A PERMANENT BASE. IN OLD MOVIES, SUCH CREWS
WERE BRAVE, SKILLED, AND
RESOURCEFUL. WELL, THE MOVIES GOT THAT PART
RIGHT. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WHEN
YOU'RE DEALING WITH A SMALL
GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS FORMING THE CREW--NOT A LARGE COMMUNITY, BUT
A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE--THE
SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU END UP SELECTING IS REALLY VERY
IMPORTANT. WHO WOULD YOU SEND TO MARS? NOT JACKS OF ALL TRADES, UH, WHO
ARE ACES AT NONE. YOU WANT, UH, ACES AT MANY
TRADES ON YOUR CREW. THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL
AMONG THE CREW IS THAT OF
MECHANIC. I WOULD HAVE TWO OF THE FOUR
MEMBERS OF THE CREW SELECTED
PRIMARILY FOR THEIR ABILITY TO FIX THINGS. AFTER MECHANIC, THE MOST
IMPORTANT SKILL AMONG THE CREW
IS THAT OF FIELD SCIENTIST, PEOPLE THAT ARE QUALIFIED TO
FOLLOW HINTS IN THE GEOLOGY TO
FIND FOSSILS OR TO FIND PLACES WHERE WE CAN DRILL FOR WATER,
OKAY, IN<i> STAR TREK</i> TERMINOLOGY,
TWO SCOTTYS AND TWO SPOCKS. narrator: BUT HERE'S
SOMETHING OLD MOVIES GOT WRONG:
THE IDEA THAT HUMANS WILL FLY TO MARS IN A SINGLE NEEDLE-NOSED
SPACESHIP. UNLIKE THE CASE IN MANY OLD
SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIES, IT'S
ACTUALLY CHEAPER AND MORE EFFICIENT TO SEND A BUNCH OF
MATERIAL TO MARS ON DIFFERENT
ROCKET SHIPS. IF YOU TRY TO PUT THEM ON ONE
ROCKET SHIP, IT TURNS OUT THAT
THAT SHIP HAS TO BE ENORMOUS AND PROBABLY NUCLEAR-POWERED, AND
THERE'S ALL SORTS OF DANGERS AND
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. narrator: IN MOST REAL-LIFE
SCENARIOS, THE MARS ASTRONAUTS
WILL LAND AND LEAVE IN SEPARATE CRAFTS. THE HABITAT MODULE, OR HAB, WILL
BE THEIR HOME DURING THEIR
18-MONTH MISSION ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE. THEY'LL TAKE LONG-RANGE TRIPS IN
A PRESSURIZED ROVER PACKED ALONG
WITH THEM ON THE HAB. A SMALLER ROVER, FOR SHORTER
TRIPS, HAS BEEN PRE-POSITIONED
AT THE LANDING SITE ALONG WITH THE ASTRONAUTS' RIDE HOME: THE
EARTH RETURN VEHICLE, OR E.R.V. THE E.R.V. ISN'T JUST WAITING
FOR THE ASTRONAUTS--IT'S
TRANSFORMING MARTIAN RESOURCES INTO ROCKET FUEL AND BREATHABLE
AIR. THE EARTH RETURN VEHICLE
RUNS A PUMP WHICH SUCKS IN THE
MARTIAN AIR, WHICH IS 95% CARBON DIOXIDE GAS, AND WE CAN REACT
THAT CARBON DIOXIDE GAS WITH A
SMALL AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN THAT WE BROUGHT FROM EARTH TO PRODUCE A
LARGE SUPPLY OF METHANE FUEL AND
OXYGEN. YOUR CREW OF FOUR ASTRONAUTS
LAND ON MARS NEAR THE EARTH
RETURN VEHICLE, THEY USE THEIR HABITAT AS THEIR LABORATORY, AS
THEIR EXPLORATION BASE, BUT WHEN
THEY'RE DONE, THEY GET IN THE EARTH RETURN VEHICLE AND THEY
FLY BACK TO EARTH. THEY LEAVE THE HAB BEHIND ON
MARS, SO EACH TIME WE DO THIS WE
ADD ANOTHER HAB TO THE BASE, AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT WE'VE GOT THE
BEGINNING OF THE FIRST HUMAN
SETTLEMENT ON A NEW WORLD. SO WHERE SHOULD WE LAND ON
MARS? WELL, MARS IS A FASCINATING
PLANET--THERE'S A LOT OF
INTERESTING AREAS. IT MIGHT BE BETTER, INITIALLY,
TO CHOOSE A REGION NEAR THE
EQUATOR, ESPECIALLY A FLAT AREA, BUT ALSO NEAR GEOLOGICALLY
INTERESTING FEATURES. narrator: ONE THING THAT
MUSTN'T GO WRONG IS THE HAB'S
LANDING TECHNIQUE, CALLED AEROBRAKING. AEROBRAKING IS THE ART OF
USING THE FRICTION OF THE
MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE TO SLOW DOWN THE SPACECRAFT. IMAGINE THIS BALL IS THE
HABITAT MODULE ENTERING THE
MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE. THE POLE IS MARS, A VERY SKINNY
MARS. NOW, I COULD USE ROCKETS TO
GENTLY SLOW THIS THING DOWN AND
LAND AT THE DESIRED SPOT, WHERE THIS DUCT TAPE IS, BUT THAT
WOULD REQUIRE A LOT OF ENERGY,
WHICH REQUIRES FUEL, AND THAT'S HEAVY AND EXPENSIVE. INSTEAD, WE COULD LET THE
MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE SLOW THE HAB
DOWN. SEE THAT, IT'S GENTLY SLOWING
DOWN. AND ONLY NEAR THE VERY END, WHEN
IT'S GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE
SURFACE, WOULD WE TURN ON SOME RETROROCKETS AND USE A BALLOON
PARACHUTE CALLED A BALLUTE TO
BRING IT TO THE DESIRED LOCATION. LIKE THAT. NOW, THE DANGER IS THAT IF THE
ANGLE OF ENTRY IS WRONG OR THE
SPEED IS TOO FAST, THEN, IN FACT, FRICTION CAN OVERWHELM THE
HEAT SHIELD, THE AEROSHELL, AND
THE HAB CAN BURN UP LIKE A METEOR IN THE MARTIAN
ATMOSPHERE. AND EVEN A SLIGHT MISCALCULATION
CAN LEAD TO A LANDING THAT'S TOO
ROUGH OR IN THE WRONG PLACE. THERE'S ABOUT A THOUSAND
THINGS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN. COME IN ON A HEAT SHIELD, GOING
QUITE FAST, USE THE FRICTION OF
THE ATMOSPHERE TO HELP SLOW YOU DOWN. THE HEAT SHIELD, THE HEAT SHIELD
NEEDS TO BE JETTISONED. YOU NEED TO AEROBRAKE THROUGH
THE ATMOSPHERE AS MUCH AS YOU
CAN, YOU NEED TO POP OUT A PARACHUTE TO SLOW YOURSELF DOWN. YOU PROBABLY THEN NEED
RETROROCKETS AT THE BOTTOM. YOU NEED TO CUT THE PARACHUTE TO
GET IT AWAY FROM YOU. THIS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT,
AMONG THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS
THERE IS TO DO. narrator: THEN, A FEW MILES
ABOVE THE SURFACE, SOMETHING
GOES VERY WRONG. THE HAB HURTLES INTO A MARTIAN
DUST DEVIL OF TERRIFYING
PROPORTIONS. DUST DEVILS ON MARS ARE
VORTICES IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SO
RAPIDLY SPINNING COLUMNS OF AIR, THAT LIFT DUST OFF OF THE
SURFACE, UH, AND LOFT THEM INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE. NOW, ON EARTH, DUST DEVILS MAY
ONLY BE A FEW HUNDRED FEET HIGH,
BUT ON MARS, THEY CAN BE 3 TO 4 MILES HIGH. SO THEY'RE SIMPLY IMMENSE
STRUCTURES. narrator: THE DUST DEVIL
ENGULFS THE HAB, THROWING IT
DANGEROUSLY OFF COURSE. TRACKING STATIONS FROM TEXAS TO
KAZAKHSTAN ARE FOLLOWING THE
DESCENT, BUT MARS IS SO FAR AWAY, IT TAKES 18 MINUTES FOR
THE HAB'S TRANSMISSIONS TO REACH
EARTH. WHEN THE SIGNAL COMES THROUGH
THAT THE HAB IS HEADED FOR A
CRASH-LANDING, THE ASTRONAUTS HAVE ALREADY CRASHED. BUT WHERE? AND ARE THEY ALIVE OR DEAD? THERE'S ONLY ONE THING YOU
CAN DO AT LAUNCH, AND THERE'S
ONLY ONE THING YOU CAN DO AT LANDING, AND THAT'S PRAY. narrator: SOMEWHERE ON MARS,
THE ASTRONAUTS ARE ALIVE, BUT
COMMUNICATIONS ARE OUT. THEY CAN'T TALK TO EARTH. WORSE, THE DUST DEVIL HAS TAKEN
THEM FAR OFF COURSE. WHEN HUMANS FIRST LAND ON
MARS, IT'LL BE A TRULY
MAGNIFICENT EVENT. ONE OF THE MOST HISTORIC EVENTS
EVER. BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR ASTRONAUTS
CRASH-LANDED. SO THEY'RE GONNA STEP OUT NOT
KNOWING WHERE THEY ARE, WHAT'S
GOING ON. THE SUN WOULD BE ABOUT HALF
AS BRIGHT AS IT IS HERE. THE INTENSITY OF SUNLIGHT AT THE
MARTIAN EQUATOR IS ABOUT THE
SAME AS THAT IN NORWAY ON EARTH, OR ALASKA. IN SHADOW, EVERYTHING ON MARS
WOULD HAVE THIS KIND OF
YELLOWISH-BROWN-REDDISH HUE, AND ONLY THINGS IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT
WOULD SHOW THEIR MORE TRUE
COLOR, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE LIGHT IS BEING BOUNCED AROUND
AMONGST ALL THESE REDDISH DUST
PARTICLES. IT'LL BE A WONDROUS SCENE,
BUT THEY WON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO
ENJOY IT 'CAUSE THEY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY ARE, HOW
TO GET THEMSELVES TO SAFETY,
AND WHAT TO DO. narrator: HOW DO YOU FIND OUT
WHERE YOU ARE ON MARS WITHOUT
INSTRUMENTS? THESE 21st-CENTURY ASTRONAUTS
FALL BACK ON AN ANCIENT
TECHNIQUE: CELESTIAL NAVIGATION. THE MARTIAN MOONS, PHOBOS AND
DEIMOS, THEY'RE BOTH IN
EQUATORIAL ORBITS. THE POINT AT WHICH THEY RISE,
THAT WOULD BE DUE EAST. THE POINT AT WHICH THEY SET
WOULD BE DUE WEST. AT THEIR ZENITH, TO THE EXTENT
THEY DEVIATED FROM BEING
DIRECTLY OVERHEAD, THAT WOULD TELL YOU HOW FAR YOU WERE FROM
THE EQUATOR. THE TIME OF RISE AND SET, IF YOU
COMPARED THAT TO AN ALMANAC,
WHICH YOU MIGHT HAVE IN YOUR COMPUTER, WOULD TELL YOU YOUR
LONGITUDE. narrator: THE RESULTS ARE
SHOCKING. THEY HAVE CRASHED IN THE EASTERN
HALF OF THE LARGEST CANYON IN
THE SOLAR SYSTEM. DISCOVERED IN 1971 BY THE
MARINER 9 PROBE, AND NAMED FOR
IT, THE<i> VALLES MARINERIS</i> IS JUST SOUTH OF THE MARTIAN EQUATOR,
SEVERAL TIMES AS DEEP AS THE
GRAND CANYON AND AS LONG AS THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES. THE ASTRONAUTS ARE HUNDREDS OF
MILES FROM THE EARTH RETURN
VEHICLE, AND THERE'S WORSE NEWS. THE DAMAGED HAB IS LEAKING
OXYGEN AT A CRITICAL RATE. IT CAN'T BE REPAIRED. THE CREW COULD BE DEAD WITHIN
DAYS. THE CREW COULD BE DEAD WITHIN
DAYS. narrator: IT'S A NEAR-FUTURE
SCENARIO THAT MIGHT HAPPEN:
THE FIRST HUMANS ON MARS ARE HUNDREDS OF MILES OFF COURSE,
STRANDED DEEP IN THE GIGANTIC<i>
VALLES MARINERIS.</i> THEY CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH
EARTH AND THEIR DAMAGED HABITAT
MODULE IS LEAKING AIR. ALMOST EVERY MARS MOVIE IMAGINES
A BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE IN AT
LEAST ONE SECTION OF MARS SO THE ACTORS CAN TAKE OFF THEIR
HELMETS. BUT, IN FACT, MARS' ATMOSPHERE
IS 95% CARBON DIOXIDE AND AS
THIN AS EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AT 100,000 FEET. I'M OFTEN SURPRISED BY HOW
CAUGHT UP WE CAN BE BY SORT OF
THIS ROMANTIC VISION OF MARS-- IT LOOKS LIKE UTAH OR CALIFORNIA
HERE. BUT THE TRUTH IS IT'S A LETHAL
PLACE. narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS HAVE
ONE CHANCE, AND THEY TAKE IT. THEY ASSEMBLE THE ROVER, WHICH
HAS A THREE-WEEK AIR SUPPLY. A PRESSURIZED ROVER IS SORT
OF YOUR R.V. UH, YOU ARE LIVING INSIDE THE
ROVER, IT'S PRESSURIZED, YOU'RE
IN SHIRT-SLEEVES. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE WEARING A
SPACE SUIT WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING
IT, OR LIVING, OR WORKING INSIDE. narrator: THE ROVER IS
FUNCTIONAL, AND SO IS ITS
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. THE ASTRONAUTS RADIO HOME THAT
THEY'RE ALIVE. IF SOME COMPONENT OR
SOMETHING GOES WRONG ON IT,
THERE'S A BACKUP THAT WOULDN'T LOSE THE MISSION. SO REDUNDANCY CAN BE A VERY GOOD
THING, OR AT LEAST THE ABILITY
TO DESIGN FOR A FAILURE, IF YOU WILL. narrator: BUT THE
CONVERSATIONS ARE NOT LIKE THE
CONSTANT BACK AND FORTH OF THE APOLLO MOON MISSIONS. IMAGINE THIS BALL REPRESENTS
A MESSAGE, A CONVERSATION
BETWEEN AN ASTRONAUT ON THE MOON, ME, AND MISSION CONTROL IN
HOUSTON, TEXAS. NOW I'M STANDING A FEW INCHES
AWAY FROM HOUSTON, BUT, IN
REALITY, THE MOON IS 240,000 MILES AWAY. NOW, RADIO WAVES TRAVEL AT THE
SPEED OF LIGHT, 186,000 MILES
PER SECOND, SO IT'S ONLY ABOUT THREE SECONDS BETWEEN "HOW ARE
YOU?" AND "I'M FINE." PRETTY EASY TO HOLD A
CONVERSATION. BUT MARS IS, AT MINIMUM, ABOUT
150 TIMES FARTHER AWAY THAN THE
MOON, SO I HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY OVER TO HERE. WE CAN STILL COMMUNICATE, BUT
THERE'S A LONGER DELAY. IN REALITY, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
EARTH AND MARS IS BETWEEN 35
MILLION AND 240 MILLION MILES. SO THE TIME LAG BETWEEN "HOW ARE
YOU?" AND "I'M FINE." CAN BE
BETWEEN ABOUT 6 AND 44 MINUTES. THAT'S FOR A COMPLETE EXCHANGE. SO IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, IT
CAN'T BE DEALT WITH IN REAL
TIME. BUT THERE'S A BIGGER PROBLEM. LIKE VISIBLE LIGHT, RADIO WAVES
TRAVEL ONLY IN A STRAIGHT LINE,
AND BOTH EARTH AND MARS ROTATE ON THEIR AXES, SO THERE ARE
TIMES WHEN PEOPLE ON THE TWO
PLANETS CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. WE CAN SOLVE THIS WITH TWO
PROPERLY POSITIONED SATELLITES. IF THERE'S A SATELLITE ORBITING
MARS, A MESSAGE CAN BE SENT FROM
MARS TO MISSION CONTROL IN HOUSTON. IT GETS SENT TO THAT SATELLITE
ORBITING MARS, THEN TO THE EARTH
ORBITING SATELLITE, THEN TO MISSION CONTROL, AND BACK AGAIN. NOW, THERE'S STILL A TIME DELAY
OF UP TO 44 MINUTES BETWEEN
QUESTION AND ANSWER, BUT AT LEAST THE MARS ASTRONAUT AND
MISSION CONTROL CAN FORMULATE A
SURVIVAL PLAN. narrator: WORKING THROUGH THE
COMMUNICATION LAG, THE PLAN
TAKES SHAPE. LOAD THE FUEL-CELL POWERED ROVER
WITH FOOD AND EQUIPMENT, AND
DRIVE IT EAST TO WHERE THE <i> VALLES MARINERIS</i> EMPTIES INTO
AN OUTFLOW VALLEY, PROBABLY
CARVED OUT BILLION OF YEARS AGO, WHEN MARS HAD A THICKER
ATMOSPHERE AND LIQUID WATER
STILL FLOWED ON ITS SURFACE. FROM THIS EXIT POINT, IT'S LESS
THAN A DAY'S DRIVE TO THE EARTH
RETURN VEHICLE AT THE ORIGINAL LANDING SITE. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HAVING A
DESPERATE TRIP ACROSS THE
MARTIAN LANDSCAPE TO GET BACK TO THE RETURN VEHICLE AND, PERHAPS,
DO A LITTLE BIT OF SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, SAVE YOURSELF AND GET BACK TO
EARTH. narrator: EVERYTHING DEPENDS
ON SOME VERY COLD EQUATIONS. EACH ASTRONAUT HAS A DAILY NEED
FOR 3 GALLONS OF WATER, 2,000
CALORIES OF FOOD, AND 2 POUNDS OF OXYGEN. SURVIVAL TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP. THEY CAN EXTRACT WATER FROM MARS
ITSELF USING EQUIPMENT ONBOARD
THE ROVER. THE MARS ODYSSEY SPACECRAFT
HAS SHOWN THAT AVERAGE MARTIAN
DIRT IN THE EQUATORIAL REGIONS IS 6% WATER BY WEIGHT. SO IF YOU WANT TO GET WATER OUT
OF THAT, YOU CAN JUST TAKE SOME
OF IT AND THROW IT INTO A POT LIKE A PRESSURE COOKER WITH A
LID AND HEAT IT TO, YOU KNOW,
150 CENTIGRADE, AND YOU'D GET OUT THE WATER. AND IF YOU PUT IN ABOUT 2
GALLONS OF DIRT, YOU'LL GET OUT
ABOUT A PINT OF WATER. narrator: BUT OTHER HUMAN
NEEDS ARE NOT SO EASILY SUPPLIED
ON MARS. CERTAINLY ON A TWO-WEEK
JOURNEY, IF YOU HAD TO MAKE IT
ACROSS A DESOLATE MARTIAN LANDSCAPE, YOU COULD CUT DOWN ON
FOOD. YOU COULD HAVE STARVATION
RATIONS. YOU CAN EVEN CUT DOWN ON WATER. BUT THE ONE THING THAT YOU
ABSOLUTELY NEED, MINUTE BY
MINUTE, IS AIR. YOU HAVE NO FLEXIBILITY IN THE
AMOUNT OF AIR THAT YOU NEED TO
MAKE IT FOR A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME. narrator: DESPITE THE NEED TO
GET TO THE E.R.V., THERE IS
ENOUGH AIR FOR SEVERAL BRIEF E.V.A.s, OR EXTRAVEHICULAR
ACTIVITIES. PART OF THE REASON FOR
SENDING PEOPLE TO MARS WOULD BE
TO DO SOME COMPELLING SCIENCE, SO WE WOULD IMAGINE THEM TAKING
SAMPLES, ANALYZING THEM, TRYING
TO UNDERSTAND THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN THOSE ROCKS FORMED. THINGS LIKE THAT. ASTRONAUTS COULD USE A WHOLE
VARIETY OF TOOLS: HAMMERS, HAND
LENSES, SPECTROMETERS OF VARIOUS SORTS, CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
MACHINES. THERE'D BE PROBABLY SOME MOBILE
LABORATORY ON THE ROVER THAT
WOULD USE THE MATERIALS THAT THEY GATHERED TO LOOK AT THE
COMPOSITION, AND SO ON. THERE'S A NUMBER OF THEORIES
AS TO HOW THE, UH,<i> VALLES
MARINERIS</i> WAS CREATED. IT'S STILL NOT FULLY CLEAR HOW
THE STRUCTURE CAME TO BE, BUT,
IN MOST LIKELIHOOD, QUITE A FEW PROCESSES WERE INVOLVED. I THINK THAT BEING ON THE GROUND
AND DOING FIELD GEOLOGY IS
ESSENTIAL TO REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESSES
THAT HAD SCULPT A COMPLEX
LANDFORM LIKE THE<i> VALLES</i> <i> MARINERIS.</i> IT'S NOT A SIMPLE STORY. IT WASN'T JUST A CRACK IN THE
EARTH, IT WASN'T JUST FLUID
FLOWED IN AND FORMED THAT. THERE WERE DIFFERENT PROCESSES,
ACTING AT DIFFERENT TIMES,
LAYERING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, FORMING A COMPLEX BOOK. AND IN ORDER TO READ THAT BOOK,
YOU REALLY NEED TO BE THERE TO
TURN THE PAGES. <i>VALLES MARINERIS</i> HAS A WHOLE
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SEGMENTS. THERE'S PLACES IN THE MIDDLE
THAT THERE'S ONE, TWO, THREE, OR
EVEN FOUR PARALLEL CANYONS WHERE YOU GO DOWN AND UP AND DOWN AND
UP AND DOWN AND UP. AND THEN, AT THE VERY EASTERN
END, IT LOOKS LIKE WATER CAME
FLUSHING OUT THROUGH WHAT WOULD BE A CHAOS ZONE, CATASTROPHIC
FLOODS OF WATER THAT MIGHT HAVE
COME OUT. narrator: WAS THERE LIFE IN
THAT WATER? COULD SOME OF THE ROCK SAMPLES
THEY DIG UP HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE
OF FOSSILIZED BACTERIA? MARS WAS ONCE A WARM AND WET
PLANET, AND WE KNOW THAT FOR A
FACT BECAUSE THERE ARE WATER EROSION FEATURES ALL OVER THE
SURFACE OF MARS. TO LOOK FOR FOSSILS OF LIFE, YOU
WANT TO LOOK FOR PLACES WHERE
WATER HAS FLOWN OR ACCUMULATED, AND THE<i> VALLES MARINERIS</i> MIGHT
BE ONE OF THOSE PLACES. narrator: IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE
THAT THEY WILL FIND EVIDENCE OF
LIQUID WATER UNDER THE SURFACE? AND IN THAT WATER... LIVING ORGANISMS? WILL LIFE FORM ANYWHERE THAT
LIQUID WATER IS STABLE? OR IS THERE A ONE-IN-A-TRILLION
CHANCE OCCURRENCE THAT LEADS TO
LIFE? WAS THERE A SECOND GENESIS ON
MARS? I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY
POSSIBLE THAT THERE'S BACTERIAL
ACTIVITY ON MARS NOW, BUT THAT'S BY NO MEANS CERTAIN. IT'S--IT'S A VERY INTERESTING
CURRENT SCIENTIFIC QUESTION. I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE SORT OF
MOST INTRIGUING QUESTIONS IN
SOLAR SYSTEM SCIENCE. narrator: SUDDENLY, THE
SEARCH FOR LIFE PAUSES AS THE
FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL RESUMES. MISSION CONTROL SIGNALS THAT A
HIGH-RISK SOLAR FLARE IS HEADED
FOR MARS. A SOLAR FLARE IS A TREMENDOUS
OUTBURST FROM A RELATIVELY SMALL
REGION OF THE SUN. A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY GOES
POURING OUT EXPLOSIVELY, AND A
BUNCH OF ENERGETIC CHARGED PARTICLES GO ZOOMING THROUGH THE
SOLAR SYSTEM. THEY CAN INTERACT WITH CELLS AND
HARM THEM. ALSO, HIGH-ENERGY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION LIKE
X-RAYS GETS PRODUCED, AND THOSE CAN HARM US AS WELL. SO IT'S WHAM! AND THEN WHAM! AGAIN SOMETIME LATER. narrator: EARTH'S MAGNETIC
FIELD SHIELDS US FROM THE WORST
EFFECTS OF SOLAR FLARES. BUT MARS LOST ITS MAGNETIC FIELD
4 BILLION YEARS AGO. AFTER A SOLAR FLARE IS SEEN
BY PEOPLE ON EARTH, WE WANT TO
WARN THE ASTRONAUTS ON MARS. NOW WE CAN'T WARN THEM ABOUT THE
ELECTROMAGNETIC FLASH BECAUSE
OUR WARNING SIGNAL WOULD TRAVEL AT THE SAME SPEED AS THAT
FLASH FROM THE SUN, BUT WE CAN
WARN THEM ABOUT THE ONSLAUGHT OF CHARGED PARTICLES. THE HIGH-ENERGY CHARGED
PARTICLES CAN TRAVEL, PERHAPS,
AT HALF THE SPEED OF LIGHT. narrator: THE HAB HAS A
RADIATION-PROOF CHAMBER, BUT
IT'S NOW TOO FAR AWAY. WHILE THE ASTRONAUTS' SPACE
SUITS SHIELDED THEM FROM THE
SOLAR FLARE'S X-RAYS, THEY HAVE ONLY MINUTES TO SEEK SHELTER
BEFORE THE FLARE'S HIGH-ENERGY
SECOND WAVE SLAMS INTO MARS. narrator: IF A FUTURE HUMAN
MISSION TO MARS CRASH-LANDS, THE
ASTRONAUTS WILL HAVE TO CONTEND WITH EVEN MORE THAN THE HARSH
MARTIAN LANDSCAPE. A SOLAR FLARE OF CHARGED PROTONS
WOULD BE FAR MORE DANGEROUS HERE
THAN ON EARTH. WELL, MARS DOESN'T HAVE A
MAGNETIC FIELD LIKE THE EARTH
DOES, SO ALL OF THESE HIGH-ENERGETIC PARTICLES AND
THESE CHARGED PARTICLES WOULD BE
HITTING THE SURFACE DIRECTLY AND HITTING ANY ASTRONAUTS THAT WE
HAD ON THE SURFACE. THEY WOULD NOT BE PROTECTED FROM
ALL OF THESE DANGEROUS RAYS AND
THESE DANGEROUS PARTICLES, WHEREAS ON EARTH, WE'RE
COMFORTABLY PROTECTED BY OUR
MAGNETIC FIELD. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BAD
EFFECTS THAT WOULD COME ABOUT
FROM THE ENERGETIC PARTICLES HITTING AN ASTRONAUT ON THE
SURFACE. INCREASED RATES OF CANCER, FOR
EXAMPLE, OR OTHER DISEASES, UH,
RADIATION SICKNESS, AND RADIATION POISONING. IN FACT, ASTRONAUTS ABOARD
THE SPACE STATION HAVE
OCCASIONALLY BEEN TOLD TO HIDE IN SPECIAL CHAMBERS THAT PROTECT
THEM AGAINST THE CHARGED
PARTICLES AND RADIATION COMING FROM A SOLAR FLARE. narrator: FOR THE ASTRONAUTS
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE<i> VALLES
MARINERIS,</i> THE ONLY SHELTER IS THEIR PRESSURIZED ROVER. THE ROVER'S PRIMARY RADIATION
SHIELDING ISN'T LEAD. IT'S THE FOOD PACKETS LINING THE
WALLS, ALONG WITH THE
ASTRONAUTS' OWN WASTE MATERIAL. FECES CONTAIN HYDROCARBONS,
AND HYDROCARBONS CONTAIN
HYDROGEN, AND HYDROGEN IS A VERY GOOD ABSORBER OF RADIATION. HYDROGEN THAT YOU HAVE IN THE
FORM OF FOOD BEFORE IT'S
CONSUMED, UH, WILL HELP SHIELD YOU FROM, UH, SOME PORTION OF
THIS RADIATION. AND CERTAINLY, ONCE YOU'VE
CONSUMED THE FOOD, YOU WANT TO
PUT YOUR FECES IN THESE LITTLE SEALABLE ZIPLOCS AND BACK ON THE
WALL OF YOUR VEHICLE TO SHIELD
YOU FROM RADIATION. narrator: IF YOU'RE GOING TO
SURVIVE IN SPACE, ALMOST NOTHING
CAN GO TO WASTE. NOT EVEN WASTE. WITH THE IMMEDIATE CRISIS OVER,
THE JOURNEY TO THE EARTH RETURN
VEHICLE CONTINUES. THEN, SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
HAPPENS. THE ASTRONAUTS TAKE A VOTE AND
CHANGE THE PLAN. RATHER THAN USING THE E.R.V. TO
FLY HOME 500 DAYS AHEAD OF
SCHEDULE, THEY WILL STAY AND COMPLETE THE MISSION. THE TEAM BACK AT JOHNSON
SPACE CENTER IS GONNA HAVE MUCH
LESS KNOWLEDGE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THE CREW AND THE
REAL OPTIONS OPEN TO THEM THAN
THE CREW THEMSELVES HAVE. SO I THINK THAT A MARS MISSION
IS GONNA HAVE TO BE COMMANDED
FROM THE FRONT, AND THAT, RATHER THAN HAVING A MISSION CONTROL,
WE NEED TO HAVE A MISSION
SUPPORT. narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS' NEW
PLAN IS TO MAKE IT TO THE EARTH
RETURN VEHICLE AND USE IT, IN PLACE OF THE HAB, AS THEIR BASE
OF OPERATIONS. IT'S MUCH SMALLER THAN THE
HAB, BUT IT HAS A POWER SUPPLY
AND IT HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE EXTRA OXYGEN. SO THE CREW COULD, IN FACT, GO
TO THE EARTH RETURN VEHICLE AND
LIVE IN IT AND WORK OUT OF IT. narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS'
CONFIDENCE IN THEIR SURVIVAL
SHOOTS UP AS THEY REACH THE OUTFLOW CHANNEL AT THE EASTERN
EDGE OF<i> VALLES MARINERIS.</i> THERE'S ENOUGH FOOD, WATER, AND
AIR TO MAKE AN EASY DRIVE TO THE
E.R.V. THEN, AN ASTRONAUT SEES
SOMETHING UNUSUAL: AN EXPOSED
LAYER OF ROCK THAT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT CONTAIN SOMETHING CALLED
STROMATOLITES. ON EARTH, WE HAD BACTERIA,
AND NOT JUST INDIVIDUAL BACTERIA
BUT BACTERIA THAT FORMED COLONIES, WHICH CREATED ROCKS
KNOWN AS STROMATOLITES. THESE ARE, YOU MIGHT CALL, THE
BACTERIAL EQUIVALENT OF CORAL
REEFS, WHERE TINY ORGANISMS BUILD UP SOMETHING BIG. THIS WOULD BE A LOGICAL THING TO
LOOK FOR ON MARS. STROMATOLITES ON EARTH
PROVIDE THE KIND OF EVIDENCE
THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE ON MARS--NOT IN THAT EXACT FORM,
BUT IT'S THE BASIC IDEA. STROMATOLITES WERE SORT OF MATS
OF ALGAE AND THEN SILICATE-LIKE
MATERIAL THAT BUILT UP AND FORMED MACROSCOPIC STRUCTURES,
WHICH WERE THEN PRESERVED. IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT WAS GOING
ON ON MARS, THAT WOULD PROVIDE
AN EASY WAY OF DETERMINING THAT LIFE DID INDEED EXIST THERE. narrator: MANY
SCIENCE-FICTION FILMS ARE BASED
ON THE IDEA THAT WE'LL FIND EVIDENCE OF ADVANCED
CIVILIZATIONS ON MARS. MARS HAS NO CITIES OR GRAND
STRUCTURES. BUT ASTRONAUTS MAY YET FIND
EVIDENCE OF LIFE ON MARS... EVEN IF IT'S ONLY FOSSILS OF
BACTERIA. WITH THE ROCK SAMPLES LOADED IN,
THE ROVER TRIES TO HEAD OFF... BUT GOES NOWHERE. ONE WHEEL IS STUCK. THE ASTRONAUTS CANNOT FREE IT. SAND IS SORT OF THE DEATH
TRAP OF MARS, AND I WOULDN'T BE
SURPRISED IF, YOU KNOW, IN FUTURE EXPEDITIONS, WE END UP
LOSING SOME CREWS THAT ARE ON
THESE LONG PRESSURIZED ROVER TRAVERSES TO SAND TRAPS. narrator: THEY CALCULATE THE
REMAINING DISTANCE TO THE E.R.V. COULD THEY WALK TO SAFETY? A SPACE SUIT'S FULL TANK OF AIR
WILL ONLY LAST 12 HOURS. IT WOULD TAKE 30 HOURS OF
CONTINUOUS WALKING. ON THE EARTH, YOU CAN GET
STUCK WHEN YOU ARE DOING
ALL-TERRAINING IN SANDY AREAS, BUT, OF COURSE, ON THE EARTH,
YOU CAN JUST STEP OUTSIDE THE
VEHICLE AND BREATHE. ON MARS, YOU WON'T HAVE THAT
OPTION, SO IF YOUR VEHICLE IS
STUCK, AND THERE'S NO WAY TO GET IT OUT OF ITS PREDICAMENT,
YOU'RE GONNA WATCH YOURSELF DIE. narrator: IN OUR SCENARIO OF
WHAT MIGHT GO WRONG FOR THE
FIRST HUMAN MISSION TO MARS, THE ASTRONAUTS' ROVER IS TRAPPED IN
THE MARTIAN SAND. THE EARTH RETURN VEHICLE IS 100
MILES AWAY. ARE THE ASTRONAUTS FACING
CERTAIN DEATH, OR CAN THEY SAVE
THEMSELVES ONCE AGAIN WITH PRE-INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY? SO LET'S SAY THE CREW WAS
STRANDED, AND THEY NEED TO GET
AT LEAST ONE PERSON A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE TO SECURE
ANOTHER VEHICLE AND COME BACK
AND RESCUE THE REST. COULD THEY DO THIS WITH
BALLOONS? IT'S JUST POSSIBLE. narrator: ENGINEERS ON EARTH
RUN TESTS TO SEE IF A BALLOON
COULD CARRY AT LEAST ONE ASTRONAUT OVER THE DESERT TO THE
E.R.V. YOU COULD DO THIS BY
STRETCHING A SYNTHETIC MEMBRANE
OF SOME SORT AROUND A POCKET OF THE SURROUNDING AIR, JUST CARBON
DIOXIDE. AND THEN YOU'D HAVE TO HEAT THE
AIR INSIDE IN ORDER TO GIVE IT
SOME BUOYANCY. NOW, ONE WAY OF DOING THAT IS
HAVING SOLAR HEAT--EFFECTIVELY
HAVE THE MEMBRANE ABSORB SOLAR ENERGY, HEAT THE CARBON DIOXIDE
INSIDE. IT THEN EXPANDS, BECOMES
BUOYANT, AND LIFTS THE BALLOON
UP. ANY BALLOON THAT YOU WOULD
CONSTRUCT OR FABRICATE ON MARS
WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY LARGE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE VERY
LOW-DENSITY ATMOSPHERE. THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE IS
VERY THIN. IT'S LESS THAN 1% OF EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AT SEA
LEVEL. THAT MEANS THAT TO GET
SUBSTANTIAL LIFT, YOU NEED AN
ENORMOUS BALLOON. A BALLOON THAT IS 10 METERS
IN RADIUS IS PROBABLY ENOUGH FOR
ONE ASTRONAUT IN A SPACE SUIT. WHY WOULD A CREW ON MARS HAVE A
BALLOON THAT BIG? THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T, BUT THEY
MIGHT HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF
BALLOONS USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES THAT WERE SMALLER THAN
THAT. narrator: THE RISKY PLAN IS
PUT INTO ACTION. IN A MAKESHIFT HARNESS, ONE
ASTRONAUT RISES INTO THE MARTIAN
SKY. A MILE UP, WINDS BLOW HER
TOWARDS THE E.R.V. AT 60 MILES
AN HOUR. ON MARS, THE PREVAILING WINDS
NEAR THE SURFACE BLOW FROM WEST
TO EAST, AND WE WANT TO GO FROM WEST TO EAST. SO THAT'S GOOD FOR US. ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS WITH
THIS SCENARIO IS THE PRECISION
AT WHICH YOU COULD HOPE TO, UH, REACH YOUR DESTINATION. BUT IF YOU COULD THEN COME
DOWN WITHIN HIKING DISTANCE OF
YOUR DESTINATION... IT'D TAKE SOME LUCK, BUT IT'S
POSSIBLE. narrator: MARS HAS ONLY 38%
OF EARTH'S GRAVITY. SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIES USUALLY
FORGET THAT FACT, AND HAVE
ASTRONAUTS OPERATE IN NORMAL HOLLYWOOD GRAVITY. THE TRUTH IS, EVEN WITH THE
HEAVY SPACE SUITS WORN DURING
EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITY, HIKING ON MARS WILL BE EASIER THAN ON
EARTH. LET'S SAY YOU'RE A 150-POUND
PERSON AND YOU PUT ON A 200
POUND SUIT--THAT'S 350 POUNDS. BUT THEN, IF YOU ONLY WEIGH 38%
OF THAT, OKAY, THEN YOUR
WEIGHT IS MAYBE 120 POUNDS WITH THE SUIT. SO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE LESS OF A
BURDEN WALKING WITH THAT SUIT ON
MARS THEN YOU HAVE WALKING IN YOUR STOCKINGS ON EARTH. narrator: THE ASTRONAUT
LANDS SUCCESSFULLY AND MANAGES
TO HIKE TO THE E.R.V. AND THE TWO-PERSON ROVER. EVERYTHING'S IN WORKING ORDER. SO ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS GETS
INTO A DUNE BUGGY ROVER, COMES
BACK TO THE PRESSURIZED ROVER, TAKES ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS,
BRINGS THAT ASTRONAUT TO THE
EARTH RETURN VEHICLE, THEN GOES BACK AND FORTH A COUPLE MORE
TIMES TO GET ALL THE ASTRONAUTS
OVER TO SAFETY. narrator: THAT'S THE PLAN. BUT THEN A NEW DANGER ARISES:
A STORM OF RED DUST. THE SUN WOULD GET DIMMER IN
THE SKY, AND IT WOULD CONTINUE
TO BUILD AND BUILD, AND YOU'D SEE, FROM HORIZON TO HORIZON,
THIS VERY THICK DUSTY SWIRLY
MASS IN THE ATMOSPHERE. narrator: BUT WHAT CAUSES
DUST STORMS ON MARS? THAT'S WHAT LISA ABDELFATAH OF
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, EMAILED
ASK THE UNIVERSE. LISA, YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED
TO LEARN THAT DUST STORMS ON
MARS ARE ACTUALLY CAUSED BY ENERGY FROM THE SUN. THE SUN HEATS THE DUST IN THE
SURFACE OF MARS AND ALSO THE
ATMOSPHERE, CAUSING IT TO EXPAND AND CAUSING CONVECTION CURRENTS
TO OCCUR, AND THERE ARE
DIFFERENCES IN PRESSURE BETWEEN ONE POCKET OF AIR AND ANOTHER. THAT LEADS TO WINDS. THEN MORE DUST GETS KICKED UP
AND MORE HEATING AND MORE OF
THESE PRESSURE DIFFERENCES, SO YOU GET THESE VIOLENT DUST
STORMS. THE DUST ON MARS COULD BE
VERY HAZARDOUS TO ASTRONAUTS
FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. BECAUSE THERE'S NO WATER ON
MARS, THE INDIVIDUAL GRAINS ARE
NOT SMOOTH AND ROUNDED LIKE-- LIKE YOU WOULD SEE ON A BEACH
HERE ON EARTH. THEY'RE ACTUALLY VERY SHARP AND
JAGGED. AS THAT DUST GETS KICKED UP AS
THE ASTRONAUT'S WALKING OR
MOVING, UH, IT GETS CAUGHT ON THE SPACE SUIT. AND, OVER TIME, DUE TO
FRICTION--LET'S SAY THE
ASTRONAUT'S MOVING ARMS OR HIS LEGS--UH, IT BEGINS TO EAT AWAY
AT THE FABRIC OF THE SPACE SUIT. SO YOU COULD EASILY GET A TEAR
OR A RIP IN THE SPACE SUIT, AND
THAT WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC. narrator: DESPITE THE
DANGERS, THE ASTRONAUT TAKES THE
SMALL ROVER, LOADED WITH EXTRA OXYGEN, OUT INTO THE STORM. AND ONE BY ONE, SHE BRINGS HER
CREW MATES BACK TO THE EARTH
RETURN VEHICLE. BUT JUST A FEW FEET FROM
SAFETY... THE ABRASIVE DUST TEARS A
SECTION OF THE COMMANDER'S SUIT,
EXPOSING HIM TO THE NEAR-VACUUM OF THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE. IF--IF YOUR SPACE SUIT
SPRINGS A LEAK, OR IF IT'S A
VIOLENT DECOMPRESSION, WHERE YOUR SUIT IS RIPPED OPEN, YOU
MIGHT NOT HAVE MORE THAN A FEW
SECONDS TO REMAIN CONSCIOUS AND SEE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO
YOU. YOU WOULD BE IN A VERY
BAD WAY. IT WOULD BE NOT DISSIMILAR TO
COMING UP FROM A VERY DEEP DIVE
ON THE EARTH. IT WOULD BE A VERY PAINFUL
EXPERIENCE. IF YOU HAVE A DECOMPRESSION
PROBLEM, THEN--THEN IT CAN BE
VERY SERIOUS AND LETHAL. YOU WILL DIE A...A HORRIBLE
DEATH, AND VERY QUICKLY AS WELL. narrator: UNLESS HIS CREW
MATES CAN DO SOMETHING
IMMEDIATELY, THE COMMANDER WILL BE THE FIRST HUMAN CORPSE ON
MARS. narrator: IN OUR SCENARIO OF
THE NEAR FUTURE, THE FIRST
EXPLORERS ON MARS HAVE SURVIVED A NEAR-FATAL CRASH AND A
DANGEROUS TREK ACROSS A HOSTILE
PLANET. BUT NOW, A STORM OF ABRASIVE
DUST HAS TORN A HOLE IN THE
MISSION COMMANDER'S SPACE SUIT. IT'S THE ONE THING THE
ASTRONAUTS FEAR ABOVE EVERYTHING
ELSE. YOU'VE GOT 10 OR 12 SECONDS
BEFORE YOU LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS. YOU'D BETTER EXHALE RIGHT AWAY,
EMPTY YOUR LUNGS, 'CAUSE
OTHERWISE THEY'LL QUICKLY EXPAND AND RUPTURE. narrator: 12 SECONDS AFTER
HIS SUIT TORE, THE COMMANDER IS
UNCONSCIOUS. HIS SKIN IS TURNING BLUE. HIS CREW MATES HAVE LESS THAN 90
SECONDS TO GET HIM THROUGH THE
E.R.V.'s AIRLOCK AND ADMINISTER EMERGENCY OXYGEN BEFORE HIS
BLOOD CIRCULATION CEASES AND HIS
ORGANS SHUT DOWN FOREVER. AFTER YOU'VE LOST
CONSCIOUSNESS, YOU HOPE THAT
SOMEONE WILL HOOK YOU UP TO PRESSURIZED OXYGEN WITHIN THE
NEXT MINUTE AND A HALF. IF YOU DON'T GET HOOKED UP,
YOU'LL DIE FOR SURE. IF YOU DO GET HOOKED UP, AND YOU
START BREATHING OXYGEN AGAIN, IT
TURNS OUT THAT, WHEN YOU COME TO, THERE'S USUALLY NOT MUCH
PERMANENT DAMAGE. narrator: THE COMMANDER
SURVIVES WITH SECONDS TO SPARE. DESPITE HIS INJURIES, HE WILL
MAKE A FULL RECOVERY. SOON, THE CREW IS BACK TO FULL
STRENGTH, WORKING AND PERFORMING
EXPERIMENTS. THE EXPLORATION OF MARS HAS
BEGUN IN EARNEST. MARS, TO ME, WILL CHALLENGE,
UH, ALL THE EXPEDITIONARY
EXPERIENCES THAT WE'VE HAD THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY. IT WILL TAKE ALL THE BEST
LESSONS LEARNED FROM ALL PAST
EXPEDITIONS. THE POLAR ONES, THE ONES THROUGH
THE JUNGLES, THE ONES THROUGH
NORTH AMERICA. MARS IS A SUPER-CHALLENGING
PLACE, IT'S VERY UNFORGIVING. HERE ON EARTH, IF THINGS GO
WRONG, WE CAN RELY ON THERE
BEING AIR TO BREATHE AND, UH, WATER TO DRINK. ON MARS, IF SOMETHING GOES
WRONG, THEN THE SITUATION IS
AUTOMATICALLY MUCH MORE SERIOUS. narrator: BUT THE ASTRONAUTS
HAVE PROVEN THAT THEY CAN ADAPT
TO THE MARTIAN ENVIRONMENT. LIKE POLAR EXPLORERS, THEY
PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE
FRIGID TEMPERATURES. LIKE DESERT EXPLORERS, THEY
LEARN TO LIVE WITH THE
EVER-PRESENT DUST. IN OUR OWN DESERT STATION
THAT THE MARS SOCIETY RUNS, WE
BROUGHT OUT A REALLY SUPERB, UH, MICROSCOPE, BUT IT WAS DISABLED
BY DUST WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF
ITS ARRIVAL. ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME MUCH
CRUDER KIND OF MICROSCOPES,
SIMILAR TO THE KIND THAT COLLEGE STUDENTS USE ROUTINELY,
HAVE PROVED VERY ROBUST. IN A FRONTIER ENVIRONMENT, YOU
DON'T WANT TO BRING A RACEHORSE. YOU WANT TO BRING A MULE. narrator: NOT EVERYTHING ON
MARS IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN ON
EARTH. THE SURFACE WINDS, FOR INSTANCE,
ARE MILD, TOO WEAK TO THREATEN
THE ASTRONAUTS OR THEIR INSTRUMENTS. THE, UH, MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE
IS ONLY 1% AS THICK AS EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERE, AND SO IF YOU'RE ON THE GROUND AND A 60 MILE AN HOUR
WIND KICKED UP, YOU WOULD ONLY
FEEL THE FORCE OF A 6 MILE AN HOUR WIND. WE HAVE HERE AN ANEMOMETER,
OR WIND GAUGE, WHICH HELPS US
MEASURE THE WIND SPEED. IT'S A VERY SIMPLE DESIGN,
REALLY. UH, YOU'VE GOT THESE CUPS ON TOP
THAT CAPTURE THE WIND AS IT
BLOWS BY AND CAUSES THE CUPS TO SPIN. YOU SIMPLY COUNT THE NUMBER OF
ROTATIONS OF THE CUPS, AND IT
GIVES YOU THE WIND SPEED. IT'S A VERY SIMPLE DESIGN, VERY
MUCH THE SAME AS THE ONE THAT
WAS INVENTED BACK IN THE 1800s, EXCEPT, OF COURSE, WITH THIS
DIGITAL READOUT. WELL, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET
SOME WIND HERE. OH, THERE WE GOT SOME. OH, HERE COMES A GUST. BECAUSE THE ATMOSPHERE IS SO
MUCH LESS DENSE, AND YOU HAVE
FAR FEWER MOLECULES OF AIR SORT OF BLOWING ON THE ANEMOMETER,
UH, YOU WOULD NEED A 20 MILE AN
HOUR WIND ON MARS TO FEEL WHAT A 2 MILE AN HOUR WIND WOULD FEEL
LIKE ON EARTH. SO YOU CAN SEE THE WIND THAT'S
BLOWING AT THAT SPEED IS SORT OF
LIGHTLY MUSSING YOUR HAIR. UH, IF YOU WERE TO HAVE THIS ON
MARS, A SIMILAR WIND SPEED THAT
WOULD GIVE YOU THE SAME SORT OF EFFECT WOULD BE ABOUT A 70 MILE
AN HOUR WIND. SO THAT'S HURRICANE SPEED. narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS DO
MORE THAN ADAPT TO MARS. THEY EXTRACT WATER FROM THE
SURFACE, AND USE MARTIAN SOIL TO
GROW FOOD. NOW, IN TERMS OF GROWING
FOOD, THE THINGS THAT CAN BE
GROWN MOST EASILY, UH, ARE, UH, LEAFY THINGS LIKE LETTUCE. AT A CERTAIN POINT YOU'RE GONNA
WANT TO GROW POTATOES, WHICH CAN
CREATE A GREAT DEAL OF STARCH PER SQUARE METER OF FARMLAND. narrator: A YEAR AGO ON MARS,
FOUR HUMANS STRUGGLED TO
SURVIVE. NOW, THEY ARE BEGINNING TO MAKE
A PLANET BLOOM. BUT IT'S ONLY A BEGINNING. FOR OVER A CENTURY, MOVIES HAVE
PERPETUATED THE IDEA, AND THE
HOPE, THAT THERE IS INTELLIGENT LIFE ON MARS. THERE ISN'T--YET. BUT SOMETIME LATE IN THIS
CENTURY, TWO PEOPLE FROM EARTH
MIGHT GIVE BIRTH TO THE FIRST MARTIAN... WHO MAY BE THE FIRST OF MANY
MORE. WE WILL BE THE MARTIANS. BUT THAT'S THE FUTURE. FOR THIS FIRST MISSION, TIME IS
RUNNING SHORT. EARTH AND MARS ARE AT THE RIGHT
ALIGNMENT FOR THE JOURNEY HOME. THE ASTRONAUTS LOOK FORWARD TO
SPLASHING DOWN IN THE WARM
WATERS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. AS THEY HEAD BACK TO THAT
BRIGHT, BLUE BALL IN THE STAR-
SPRINKLED BLACKNESS, ANOTHER STREAK OF LIGHT HEADS THE OTHER
WAY. IT'S THE SECOND MANNED MISSION,
HEADING FOR A RENDEZVOUS WITH
ANOTHER PRE-POSITIONED E.R.V. THERE'S PLENTY OF RISKS
ASSOCIATED WITH A HUMAN MARS
MISSION. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT HUMAN
HISTORY, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE
THING IS CLEAR: NOTHING GREAT HAS EVER BEEN
ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT RISK, AND
NOTHING GREAT HAS EVER BEEN ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT COURAGE. IF WE SENT HUMANS TO MARS IN OUR
TIME, IF WE ESTABLISH THAT
LITTLE PLYMOUTH ROCK SETTLEMENT ON MARS IN OUR TIME, WHICH IS
WHAT IS WITHIN OUR CAPABILITY,
THEN 500 YEARS FROM NOW THERE WILL BE NEW BRANCHES OF THE
HUMAN CIVILIZATION ON MARS AND
ON MANY WORLDS BEYOND. IT'S THE BIRTH OF THE FUTURE.
