Destination: Mars

for in just 24 hours Humanity will begin its greatest Adventure the establishment of an outpost on the red planet Mars now humans will finally journey to another planet a planet where life once may have existed the planet our ancestors named for the God of War it's taken us a long time to get to this historic day but we won't be the planet's first visitors robots originally explored the red planet during the Mariner program in the 1960s Mariner 9 of that series discovered four Majestic volcanoes the tallest Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the entire solar system Mariner 9 also found an enormous canyon system now called valis marinaras these canyons are more than three times as deep as the Grand Canyon and as long as the United States is wide the Mariners spacecraft also photographed giant dust storms polar IED C and River channels channels which once were cut by running water robotic Landers followed during the next decade and led to a spectacular first look at the Martian surface on July 20th 1976 that's when the Viking one Lander separated from its companion Orbiter and began its descent to the western edge of chy plena the Plaine of gold near the edge of an ancient Channel where water once flowed millions of people shared the first images with excited scientists at the jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena California catalyzing thin sliver picture yep yep that's it that's it new [Applause] rocks that's beautiful may not look like much but it's oh oh oh say something to yeah I'm supposed to say something at this point I'm just I just I just don't feel like talking uh well there are rocks there are rocks yes there's rocks and uh there's St but it's just oh it's just incredible to to see that the Mars you know is really there over 20 years would pass before we'd make our Return To Mars but when we did we did so with a Vengeance starting in the late 1990s orbiters Landers and Sample return missions have studied the planet intensively we've sent one or two spacecraft C every 26 months to investigate how the planet's geology and climate have changed over time we've also searched for evidence of present or past life on Mars a prospect that has captured the imagination of humankind for ages as the Landers were studying the surface of Mars scientists began analyzing a group of unusual meteorites discovered on Earth and what a surprise they found they discovered that trapped gas within these rocks has the same chemistry as the Martian atmosphere as measured by the Viking Landers the scientists then concluded that these meteorites must have come from Mars so how did they get to earth well millions of years ago giant impacts blasted these rocks from Mars and into the inner solar system eventually a few reached Earth's surface as meteorites inside some of these Martian meteorites scientists found fascinating evidence of possible ancient life forms visible only with the most powerful microscopes this ongoing search for past or even present Martian life is the major research focus of the crew who will lift off tomorrow the crew of Antares the antar mission actually began 2 years ago with the launch of three support spacecraft antar one is a fully fueled Earth return vehicle currently an orbit around Mars antes onean is ready to bring our astronauts home in 2 years Antares 2 is the ascent vehicle which will Ferry the astronauts from Mars to the return vehicle it is already in place at the cruise Landing site its power plant is in good working order and has been producing fuel for the crew's liftoff from Mars it's also producing extra oxygen for the astronauts to breathe Antares 3 includes the laboratory where the crew will live and work and the Rover which will transport the scientists as they explore the planet the lab and Rover are ready and waiting for the arrival of our astronauts to prepare for their Journey to the red planet the antes crew has trained together on the International Space Station practicing every maneuver and rehearsing every emergency as a well-coordinated team an Earth to Mars communication delay of up to 20 minutes increases the need for self-sufficiency training for long duration space flight was a major focus of the Russian space station Mir and pioneering astronauts like Shannon Lucid Dr lucid's six months on Mir equals the same time period our astronauts will spend in transit each way to and from Mars we are proud to introduce the men and women who will walk on Mars our commander has primary responsibility for all space spacecraft systems in transit and on Mars our pilot is in charge of vehicle Dynamics in space and Rover operations on the Martian surface our geologist is a veteran astronaut who has been analyzing rocks and soils from Mars for over a decade for the last 10 years our mechanical engineer has maintained life support systems and has controled robots in Antarctica and on Mars our flight surgeon is responsible for crew health and is an expert in performing surgical procedures in microgravity our life scientist will focus on the collection of samples that could provide evidence of past or present Life on Mars these astronauts will be on their own more than any astronauts in history as they leave the Cradle of planet Earth to step out onto a new world lunchpad a May 11th 2018 T-minus 30 seconds in counting for the launch of anari's 4 the first human mission to another planet weather downrange is calm and clear fuel pressure nominal the Gantry has been retracted we are go for launch T minus 10 and Counting 8 7 main stage ignition Four 3 2 1 Zer lift off we have liftoff for an's 4 on its 2-year mission to the planet Mars This is Mission Control Houston confirming Earth orbit anaris 4 you are clear for Trans Mars injection and a Rendevous with Destiny on the red planet see you back here in 2 and 1/2 Earth years fwell and best wishes from your home planet Earth Commander Briefing May 2018 in our last realtime broadcast from the flight deck of 's 4 we'd like to explain where we're going for the next 30 months for now Mars is just a tiny spec over 100 million kilm away but in 6 months we must land in an area just 2 km wide this is navigation at its finest and most dangerous we have already left Earth orbit on a gradual curving path as shown here and in 6 months we will ease into a martian orbit once we reach Mars it will be almost 18 full months until Mars and Earth come into alignment again so we can start home and then we will ease out of Mars orbit allow the faster orbiting Earth to catch up with us our trip will be 200 days each way with 550 days spent on the surface of Mars this fast Transit minimizes the health risk during the flight and maximizes our research time on Mars surgeons briefing June 2018 welcome to the flight deck of an's 4 nothing compares to this feeling of weightlessness our clumsiest astronaut turns into a graceful gymnast every motion is play even the frustrations of flying food and floating hair add to the fun of microgravity yet these effortless Feats do little to exercise our lazy muscles as the months of weightlessness pass our bones will gradually lose calcium a deterioration that should stop under the gravitational influence of Mars right now motion is so effortless that our muscles will weaken from disuse the heart and circulatory system relax since they no longer have to pump blood Up Against Gravity from our legs to ease our adaptation to marshan gravity we must exercise over 2 hours each day 1 hour walking on the treadmill and 30 minutes of treadmill jogging plus 30 minutes on the exercise bicycle it's my job to cheerlead this daily drudgery geologist log November 2018 for the last two months we've watched Mars grow larger and strain to see each new feature recently the planet's white polar caps and two small moons have come into view as we get closer I can almost make out the equatorial Canyons of the valis marinaras and the four Great volcanoes of tharsus plateau after 6 months in a krampon can it's wonderful to see a planet surface again we're all suffering Cabin Fever humans definitely need their space even in space soon we're going to land in the oldest region of the planet we are aiming for Dao valis the Valley of the star Northeast of the helis plena floods of water carved this Valley over a billion years ago a nearby volcano had raka Patera probably created the canyon by melting underground ice the combination of water and heat have made Dal valis a place of great interest to both geologist and biologists this is one of the best locations on Mars to search for signs of ancient life Commander report November 2018 we're on our way down and ready to receive Telemetry from the robot Rover below us on a valley floor and robot should be focused on that point in the sky where we're soon going to be the robots pictures are coming through and golly we're right on target that homing beacon on a valley floor is sending us its signals our goal is to touch down just 1 kilometer from the antario Stree Lander already on a grounded D everything everywhere we look the varying shades of red from dark oranges to Rusty Brown and those Canyon walls that we saw in the photography are now Rising above us in the distance D valis is waiting and we're on our way it's a homecoming to a place that we have never [Music] been touchdown Houston this is D valis and Terry's four has landed in another 8 minutes traveling at the speed of light that news will reach Mission Control in Houston Light scientist log December 2018 gug readout complete suits clear go for Eva my feet touched the Bottom Rung of the short ladder and the Martian soil below the words of Neil Armstrong echo in my mind as I repeat the words we have all agreed to say this is the second giant leap for all Humanity another small step toward our destiny in space I am standing in the dust of Da valis millions of kilometers from my home on Earth I try to imagine Mars as a world where life once flourished with a warmer climate and more abundant water this Valley was carved by running water like valleys back on Earth but this is like no place on Earth no plants fill the spaces between the Rocks no insects crawl on the dusty stand beneath my feet none of our machines have been able to answer the question we have come here to resolve did life once exist here we will collect samples and search for fossil evidence of ancient life we may even find living microbes that have endured for millions of years a remote possibility but one that excites me most of all [Music] I grew up fascinated by the possibility of life in the universe so I'll never forget the day in elementary school when I saw a planetarium show simulating a trip to Mars our teacher told us that the first astronauts on Mars would be our age I was determined to be on board I wanted to be there and now I am I wonder if my teacher is watching for now I am simply amazed to be here here in astronomy you learn about nebula stars and planets too distant to touch but now here I am touching another world engineer meteorologist report January 2019 my job as engineer is to make sure the mechanics of the mission work properly Our Lives will depend on it our first priority on Mars is to link the anaris for Lander to the lab already on the surface both modules have wheels we will simply drive them into place and connect the air Lots over there is our propellant plant it's been in operation for over 2 years now combining carbon dioxide from the air with hydrogen to produce water water and methane we can then extract oxygen from the water and we will use both methane and oxygen to fuel our asent stage when we leave Mars that new Surface lab contains a large storage area with waste management and air recycling on one level and a second level for science and research Labs as we use up supplies the extra storage area will also be used as a greenhouse eventually we hope this greenhouse will produce about 10% of our food real fresh vegetables after months of prepackaged meals surgeon's log February 2019 the crew has dealt well with the transition to Mars gravity our inflight exercise seems to have paid off my main concern right now is radiation beyond Earth's protective magnetic field atmosphere ozone layer and Van Allen belts we can be exposed to Dangerously High radiation levels from the Sun and from Galactic cosmic rays neither our spaceship nor the Martian atmosphere can fully compensate radiation RIS monitors must be worn at all times during the mission engineer meteorologist log March [Music] 2019 we have begun to Noti differences in our Valley with the coming of winter each winter day we wake up to temperatures hovering around 100° below and begin our work thankful that we are not outside the sun heats the thin Martian atmosphere quickly so temperatures climb rapidly once the sun comes up by the early afternoon it may reach 50° below zero out there every winter is long and cold at TH Wallace Pilot's log May 2019 after almost three really cold months the temperature is slowly Rising this is my first night outside in several weeks with frost on the ground the dust levels are low and the sky above is Crystal Clear look overhead there's our namesake and terries just to the south of the Zenith and marking the heart of the starry scorp the faint outline of the constellation Scorpius looks upside down to me because I grew up in Earth's Northern Hemisphere even more unusual than an upside down scorpion is a night sky with two moons deos is smaller and more distant Phobos is a closer larger and more fascinating Moon it shines 40 times more brightly than deos and is close enough for us to see its oval shape Phobos is so close to Mars that it completes an orbit in under 8 hours so the Speedy Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east as it races through the Starfield perhaps the most unusual object in the Martian night sky is Earth its appearance always Catches Us by surprise it's almost as bright as Venus from Earth and blue I have always always enjoyed earth watching a habit I picked up on the space station but I never thought our planet would look so beautiful from Mars Commander briefing July 20th 2019 the crew of anaris 4 has been asked to make a statement on this a very memorable day the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing at the Sea of Tranquility it was 50 years ago today that Neil Armstrong became the first person to stand on the moon and sooner after he returned to Earth the United States committed itself to human exploration of Mars and now our International crew has landed on the red planet da valis is our first foothold on a planet that can support human life we are learning while we are here we're learning to live off the land and we're learning what it will take to make Mars Humanity's next home world this is Mission Control Houston as part of the celebration we have a message recorded on a CD ROM by the planetary Society in 1994 the noted planetary scientist the late Carl Sean looked forward to your Landing these are his thoughts taken directly from the old recording I don't know why you're on Mars maybe we're on Mars is because of the Magnificent science that could be done there the the gates of the Wonder World are opening in our time or maybe we're on Mars because we have to be because there is a deep nomadic impulse built into us by The evolutionary process we come after all from hunter gatherers and for 99.9% of our tenure on Earth we've been Wanderers and uh the next place to wander to is Mars but whatever the reason you're on Mars is I'm glad you're there and I wish I was with you surgeon's log September 2019 we ate homegrown Tomatoes today and The Taste was out of this world as spring thaws our Rocky red home we congregate more and more in our Greenhouse the plants help help us forget that temperatures still hover well below zero just outside our Windows the use of local resources also makes us feel as if we're really living off the Land There is genuine excitement and pride associated with finding water extracting oxygen from the air and making these tomatoes grow on Mars the food we grow and water we find will also increase the food supply for future missions geologist log October 2019 each day we set out with our geological tools to collect rocks and soils bit by bit we are piecing together the history of our part of Mars the robot explorers that came to this Valley before us even returned a few kilograms of rock and soil but we humans can spot the unique rocks the rare but important samples the Rocks we were looking for were formed by heat and water and are reminiscent of a very special place on distant Earth Yellowstone in that beautiful Park heat from deep underground makes the water boil into geysers bacteria with unique adaptations thrive in these hot mineral Rich Waters where the water overflows and cools crystals form trapping and fossilizing the living creatures preserving evidence of ancient life this is one of the reasons we came to Dow Alis where volcanic heat and underground water came together early in in the history of Mars we've scoured this area searching for evidence of ancient thermal springs on the valley floor but those rocks are scarce here we are much more likely to find ancient Hot Springs higher up in that distinct light layer near the top of this Cliff before we leave this place we must find a way to get up there maybe just maybe we can reach it from above [Music] live scientist log December 2019 the more we learn about this planet the more we realize how much it has changed it's mostly dry and quiet now but I can imagine a much more Dynamic place where the valleys flowed with sudden gigantic floods of water as volcanic heat melted vast areas of ice was the atmosphere thicker back then making the climate hotter I wonder if it rained I bet it did all that water most of it gone now lost to space water that sustains life on Earth I'm frustrated that we have yet to find the samples that will tell us of life here on Mars I'm not giving [Music] up geologist log January 2020 to explore Mars thoroughly we must take trips lasting several days our pressurized Rover provides a range up to 500 km on this trip we're going to hadria Patera the volcano just north of our Outpost our Rover makes good progress on the gentle slopes at every stop we collect samples of Ash a product of some of the oldest explosive volcanism on Mars I'm glad we were here to identify and collect these samples it's good to have humans in the loop to make decisions we are honored to be here I just survived a silly accident at the last stop an outcrop that looked solid broke away and I took a long fall thanks to the low Martian gravity I only suffered a bad Sprain and some minor damage to my spacit the accident creates a serious problem though on our way back from hyria I wanted to try sampling that intriguing light deposit high on The Cliff face our time on Mars is growing short and this may be our only chance so we can't wait I really wanted to do the rock sampling myself but I trust my fellow crewmate to do the job this could be it the sample we came so far to find I'm not the geologist here but I know I'm looking at some really old rock is this layer one of those thermal Springs where life could have existed on Mars look at this Rock Houston what are all these tiny round things pay attention Earth I could be holding the proof that we haven't always been alone engineer meteorologist law March 2020 these are the warmest days of the year each day we have a temperature swing of over 100° and that's murder on equipment and even bigger problem for equipment is the wind Rising temperatures in the southern hemisphere can produce Winds of hurricane speeds from 150 to 200 km per hour such strong winds raised dust easily and can make swe the storms Commander log April 2020 all around us the dust clouds are continuing to grow at first the sky darkened just a little each day but now I can see and even feel the motion of the Winds growing ever stronger from the south and as a pilot I have some [Music] concern unfortunately I feel that we must leave now one month early or risk missing the launch window for our return to Earth all together and if we missed that window we would literally be trapped here on Mars for two more years my crew is frustrated by the growing storm it is with sadness that we have to hurry and close out an Terry's 4 we trust that the automated systems for the greenhouse will last at least until the Aldean crew arrives the asent vehicle is fueled and it's ready to go the computer instructions have been transferred to the onboard systems it's now time time to take one final reflective look out to Windows and we can see the dust storm as it increases in intensity we're ready for liftoff engine ignition we have liftoff from D Val Pilot's lock 2020 because the dust storm has cut our stay at daala Short we must spend an extra month in Martian orbit an orbit we share with Mars two tiny moons Phobos and deos earth scientists have puzzled over the origins of these two moons they may be left over from the formation of mars or perhaps they were captured from the nearby asteroid belt bobos and deos have surfaces covered with debris from their there many collisions with meteors this loose material called regolith may be meters deep meteorological exploration of both moons seems promising oxygen and other components might be synthesized from the regali and turned into Fuel and supplies for human exploration of Mars and [Music] Beyond surgeon log June 2020 after our Phobos flyby we docked with the anies one the spacecraft that will take us home it has orbited Mars for 4 years waiting to carry us back to Earth I'm looking forward to the trip home but as I stare out the ship's window I can't help but think about the future I wonder who will write the first Martian poetry design the first Martian buildings start the first Martian family how long will we take to make this planet a real home not for a few years but for a Millenia Mission Control Houston on July 30th 2020 the aldebran crew left for the dalv valis Outpost on Mars by September the Mars dust storm had Abad and the Skies over Dow valis cleared in time for the arrival of the aldebran mission in February of 2020 21 meanwhile the antaris crew landed at Cape Canaveral and soon returned to active duty research and teaching several of the anari's astronauts have requested assignment as primary instructors for the arc tourist mission that leaves Earth for Dow Bas in September 2022 as a new crew departs for Mars every 2 years taking the place of the crew before it we can proudly proclaim the human habitation of Mars has begun [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh w [Music] oh [Music] [Music]