1 00:00:01,498 --> 00:00:04,328 (Multicom jingle) 2 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,150 - [Announcer] Ares V is go for launch. 3 00:00:16,150 --> 00:00:18,850 - [Man] Ares V is go for launch. 4 00:00:18,845 --> 00:00:20,905 - [Narrator] The quest for Mars. 5 00:00:20,910 --> 00:00:22,240 An odyssey like no other. 6 00:00:23,990 --> 00:00:26,140 Six lives depend on the most advanced 7 00:00:26,140 --> 00:00:28,390 engineering ever imagined. 8 00:00:28,393 --> 00:00:31,423 - Copy, AP, safety, mission assurance. 9 00:00:31,415 --> 00:00:32,785 - [Man] AFC estimate is go. 10 00:00:32,788 --> 00:00:34,448 (dramatic music) 11 00:00:34,446 --> 00:00:35,356 - [Narrator] Two and a half years 12 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:36,980 and hundreds of millions of kilometers 13 00:00:36,980 --> 00:00:40,190 across the last and most hostile frontier. 14 00:00:40,190 --> 00:00:41,250 - Range weather. - Rover has no-- 15 00:00:41,253 --> 00:00:43,283 - There's no forgiveness in space. 16 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,620 You get it wrong, you kill people, brave explorers, 17 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:49,420 and sometimes they don't give you a second chance. 18 00:00:49,420 --> 00:00:50,660 - [Announcer] Standing by for retraction 19 00:00:50,660 --> 00:00:52,650 of the crew access arm. 20 00:00:56,090 --> 00:00:58,950 - [Announcer] Main engine is now in start position. 21 00:00:58,950 --> 00:01:01,550 T-minus 10 seconds, go for main engine start. 22 00:01:01,553 --> 00:01:04,643 (engine chugging) 23 00:01:04,642 --> 00:01:06,072 We have main engine start. 24 00:01:06,074 --> 00:01:07,774 (rocket booming) Three, two, one, 25 00:01:08,994 --> 00:01:11,174 and liftoff, liftoff. 26 00:01:11,173 --> 00:01:14,483 Mankind's first journey to Mars is on the way. 27 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,830 - [Announcer] Vehicle has cleared the tower. 28 00:01:18,207 --> 00:01:20,217 - [Narrator] It may sound like science fiction, 29 00:01:20,220 --> 00:01:21,920 but it's not fantasy. 30 00:01:24,060 --> 00:01:26,570 The multi-nation expedition is going to Mars. 31 00:01:27,894 --> 00:01:29,494 It could happen in our lifetime. 32 00:01:31,276 --> 00:01:33,616 (speaks in foreign language) 33 00:01:33,620 --> 00:01:34,850 - [Interpreter] We are practically ready 34 00:01:34,850 --> 00:01:36,530 to start the production of the ships 35 00:01:36,530 --> 00:01:38,020 for the Martian expedition. 36 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,700 - [Narrator] Mars is at least 1,500 times farther 37 00:01:43,700 --> 00:01:44,530 than the moon. 38 00:01:44,533 --> 00:01:45,923 It would take more than two years 39 00:01:45,924 --> 00:01:47,314 to make the round trip. 40 00:01:48,587 --> 00:01:50,647 A perilous voyage into deep space 41 00:01:50,650 --> 00:01:53,180 past a threshold we have never crossed, 42 00:01:54,431 --> 00:01:56,401 the point of no return. 43 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:57,340 - [Announcer] Mars 1 you are go 44 00:01:57,337 --> 00:01:59,327 for the trans-Mars injection. 45 00:02:00,750 --> 00:02:03,890 - [Man] Roger, we are go for the dealign burn. 46 00:02:03,888 --> 00:02:05,858 (rocket booming) 47 00:02:05,860 --> 00:02:07,610 - We're talking about a dangerous undertaking 48 00:02:07,608 --> 00:02:11,028 that really is going to require a lot of skill 49 00:02:11,030 --> 00:02:13,870 and a lot of effort to get back safely. 50 00:02:13,870 --> 00:02:16,070 - Their reliance on their hardware will go 51 00:02:16,070 --> 00:02:18,710 to an order of magnitude beyond anything 52 00:02:18,710 --> 00:02:20,630 that's been done previously. 53 00:02:20,627 --> 00:02:22,627 (speaks in foreign language) 54 00:02:22,630 --> 00:02:24,270 - [Narrator] To make the voyage, 55 00:02:24,270 --> 00:02:27,770 we'll need to design a whole new fleet of spacecraft. 56 00:02:27,770 --> 00:02:31,400 Starting with bigger, more powerful launcher vehicles. 57 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,930 They must lift hundreds of tons of equipment 58 00:02:33,930 --> 00:02:36,480 and accelerate to 11 kilometers a second 59 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,360 just to escape the pull of Earth's gravity. 60 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,460 Then the ship that takes us to Mars 61 00:02:41,458 --> 00:02:44,518 will be assembled in space. 62 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,280 But even with new powerful rockets and new spaceships, 63 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:50,290 to cover millions of kilometers, 64 00:02:50,290 --> 00:02:53,150 new methods of propulsion will have to be used. 65 00:02:54,370 --> 00:02:56,830 Once engines are fired, a crew of six 66 00:02:56,832 --> 00:03:00,842 will be hurtled into the black of deep space. 67 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:01,690 - Everyone ready? 68 00:03:02,890 --> 00:03:05,080 - [Narrator] Conquest of Mars is the ultimate 69 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:06,870 engineering challenge. 70 00:03:06,870 --> 00:03:09,630 To get there now will we resurrect 71 00:03:09,630 --> 00:03:11,880 radical technology from the past? 72 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,050 Or will scientists have to push the laws of physics 73 00:03:15,047 --> 00:03:16,497 to their breaking point? 74 00:03:17,570 --> 00:03:20,460 - It's a very, very daunting engineering challenge, 75 00:03:20,460 --> 00:03:22,890 but that's what makes it exciting. 76 00:03:22,890 --> 00:03:25,640 (dramatic music) 77 00:03:48,940 --> 00:03:51,260 - [Announcer] Engines start, and liftoff 78 00:03:51,255 --> 00:03:53,915 of the Delta II rocket carrying the Spirit 79 00:03:53,923 --> 00:03:56,703 from Earth to planet Mars. 80 00:03:56,700 --> 00:03:58,550 - [Narrator] Spirit and Opportunity, 81 00:03:58,550 --> 00:04:01,240 those heroic little rovers almost managed 82 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,830 to make Mars look like an easy reach. 83 00:04:03,830 --> 00:04:06,380 Nothing could be further from the truth. 84 00:04:06,380 --> 00:04:08,620 Between them, the US and Russia 85 00:04:08,620 --> 00:04:12,740 have sent 38 probes and satellites to the red planet. 86 00:04:12,740 --> 00:04:14,800 22 of those failed. 87 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,150 Now, putting humans in the mix 88 00:04:17,154 --> 00:04:19,804 adds both complexity and danger. 89 00:04:20,820 --> 00:04:23,150 - Yeah, Mars is really a bit of a cursed target. 90 00:04:23,150 --> 00:04:25,250 As a consequence, you begin to worry about 91 00:04:25,250 --> 00:04:28,890 what is the real chances of success first time round? 92 00:04:28,890 --> 00:04:31,640 - It would be like asking an ant to build a skyscraper. 93 00:04:32,750 --> 00:04:33,830 And ants are very good at building. 94 00:04:33,830 --> 00:04:36,260 - These people are gonna be spending an awful lot of time 95 00:04:36,260 --> 00:04:38,570 out there, without any hope of resupply, 96 00:04:38,570 --> 00:04:40,010 without any hope of rescue. 97 00:04:40,010 --> 00:04:42,280 - [Narrator] Rocketships of all sizes and shapes 98 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:44,810 have been designed, but most of them rely-- 99 00:04:44,810 --> 00:04:47,470 - [Narrator] In the 1950s, Wernher von Braun 100 00:04:47,474 --> 00:04:50,174 and colleague Ernst Stuhlinger 101 00:04:50,172 --> 00:04:53,082 designed several manned missions for Mars. 102 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,950 Von Braun would go on to help America get to the moon, 103 00:04:56,950 --> 00:05:01,380 but he always saw Mars as the ultimate prize. 104 00:05:01,380 --> 00:05:03,440 - [Narrator] Our spaceship moves ponderously 105 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:04,890 toward the firing site. 106 00:05:04,892 --> 00:05:07,642 (dramatic music) 107 00:05:09,650 --> 00:05:11,910 - [Announcer] Three, two, one. 108 00:05:11,911 --> 00:05:14,741 (rockets booming) 109 00:05:17,974 --> 00:05:20,694 - [Narrator] In 1957, this is how the von Braun team 110 00:05:20,690 --> 00:05:22,720 thought we'd get to Mars. 111 00:05:22,716 --> 00:05:24,516 Hundreds of tons of parts and equipment 112 00:05:24,518 --> 00:05:28,288 would be transported into orbit above Earth. 113 00:05:28,290 --> 00:05:30,540 There, in the weightlessness of space, 114 00:05:30,540 --> 00:05:33,400 a flotilla of ships would be put together. 115 00:05:33,396 --> 00:05:36,426 It would take dozens of Earth launches 116 00:05:36,430 --> 00:05:38,370 to put all the components into orbit. 117 00:05:39,530 --> 00:05:41,830 A crew of 120 would pilot 118 00:05:41,830 --> 00:05:44,540 the six finished spacecraft to Mars. 119 00:05:44,540 --> 00:05:47,110 - The basic architecture of what he was suggesting 120 00:05:47,110 --> 00:05:50,130 50 years ago is exactly what NASA is thinking about today 121 00:05:50,130 --> 00:05:51,050 in going to Mars. 122 00:05:51,050 --> 00:05:53,740 - [Man] Mars I, all solutions look good to us. 123 00:05:53,740 --> 00:05:56,740 - [Narrator] But the big ideas of the von Braun era 124 00:05:56,740 --> 00:05:57,880 have been scaled down. 125 00:05:57,880 --> 00:05:59,520 - [Announcer] Roger, that's what we expect. 126 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,240 - [Narrator] Scientists now think it can be done 127 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,200 with fewer than 10 launches, 128 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:05,430 with half the number of spaceships, 129 00:06:05,430 --> 00:06:07,600 and a crew of no more than six. 130 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:09,830 - We've broken things in space. 131 00:06:09,830 --> 00:06:11,730 We've lost brave women and men, 132 00:06:11,734 --> 00:06:13,914 so we don't wanna go that way. 133 00:06:13,910 --> 00:06:16,210 We don't wanna go at the hairy edge of survival. 134 00:06:16,214 --> 00:06:18,694 (intense music) 135 00:06:18,690 --> 00:06:21,840 - [Narrator] But von Braun was right about some things. 136 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,390 As he predicted, the spacecraft that's going to Mars 137 00:06:24,392 --> 00:06:26,932 will be assembled in Earth's orbit 138 00:06:26,931 --> 00:06:29,961 from parts delivered by huge cargo launchers. 139 00:06:31,380 --> 00:06:33,500 The crew arrives, only at the end 140 00:06:33,500 --> 00:06:35,520 of a short hop flight from Earth. 141 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:37,960 They'll dock with the Mars transfer vehicle, 142 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,310 and then start the six month journey. 143 00:06:41,850 --> 00:06:43,910 Once they're in Mars' orbit, 144 00:06:43,910 --> 00:06:45,530 the crew transfers to a lander 145 00:06:45,530 --> 00:06:47,250 which takes them to the surface 146 00:06:47,251 --> 00:06:50,341 while their spacecraft stays in orbit above. 147 00:06:52,350 --> 00:06:56,080 When it's time to leave, the capsule blasts off 148 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:57,880 to dock with the waiting mothership. 149 00:07:00,580 --> 00:07:03,600 Six months later, back in Earth's orbit, 150 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,010 the crew will transfer to a vehicle for the short trip home. 151 00:07:09,672 --> 00:07:11,372 - Anyway you want to put it, going to Mars 152 00:07:11,370 --> 00:07:13,830 is going to require a lot of equipment 153 00:07:13,830 --> 00:07:15,810 working almost perfectly 154 00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:18,020 for anything up to three years. 155 00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:19,170 It will be a challenge. 156 00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:23,270 - [Narrator] Every journey begins with a first step. 157 00:07:23,270 --> 00:07:26,780 For Mars, it will be the blast furnace of flames 158 00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:29,670 lifting a heavy launch vehicle off the ground. 159 00:07:29,672 --> 00:07:34,672 (rockets booming) (intense music) 160 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:37,080 But, it will take much more 161 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:38,940 than rocket power to get us there. 162 00:07:42,529 --> 00:07:45,029 (eerie music) 163 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:48,520 Even at its closest, 164 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,100 Mars is still 56 million kilometers away. 165 00:07:52,100 --> 00:07:54,130 What will take us there and back? 166 00:07:54,974 --> 00:07:58,074 At universities and space agencies around the world, 167 00:07:58,070 --> 00:08:00,970 big thinkers are wrestling with the question. 168 00:08:00,970 --> 00:08:04,030 There are dozens of competing theories and opinions 169 00:08:04,030 --> 00:08:08,510 about how to get to the red planet and back alive. 170 00:08:08,510 --> 00:08:10,010 But sometimes the best answers 171 00:08:10,014 --> 00:08:12,444 come from the most surprising sources. 172 00:08:13,540 --> 00:08:14,950 - It's a very very daunting 173 00:08:14,950 --> 00:08:17,230 technical and engineering challenge, 174 00:08:17,230 --> 00:08:19,310 but that's what makes it exciting. 175 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,520 - [Narrator] Canadian filmmaker James Cameron 176 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,320 is on NASA's advisory council. 177 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,760 Cameron's underwater explorations are legendary, 178 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:30,950 and now his fascination with Mars 179 00:08:30,952 --> 00:08:35,432 has inspired a radical design for a manned mission. 180 00:08:35,430 --> 00:08:37,830 Cameron looks at problems with a different eye 181 00:08:37,830 --> 00:08:39,530 than the scientists and engineers. 182 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,770 - Colleagues like Jim Cameron are extremely creative, 183 00:08:43,770 --> 00:08:47,420 because they thought about exotic, hostile environments, 184 00:08:47,420 --> 00:08:49,090 bringing a new perspective to the idea 185 00:08:49,090 --> 00:08:51,640 of sending machines and people to places like Mars. 186 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:54,770 - [Narrator] Cameron consulted with NASA specialists 187 00:08:54,770 --> 00:08:56,260 on every phase of the design, 188 00:08:56,260 --> 00:08:58,900 and all agree that job one for Mars 189 00:08:58,897 --> 00:09:03,017 is getting the huge mission, literally, off the ground. 190 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,020 - The launch vehicle is the key 191 00:09:07,016 --> 00:09:10,576 to being able to go do a Mars mission 192 00:09:10,580 --> 00:09:13,470 because we need much more mass if we're gonna go to Mars. 193 00:09:13,470 --> 00:09:17,470 So if nothing else, just the launch vehicles alone 194 00:09:17,470 --> 00:09:19,370 are the key thing that we're gonna have in the near term 195 00:09:19,370 --> 00:09:21,050 that will enable us to go to Mars. 196 00:09:21,050 --> 00:09:23,090 (intense music) 197 00:09:23,090 --> 00:09:25,830 - [Narrator] In the Apollo days, a single chemical rocket, 198 00:09:25,830 --> 00:09:28,540 the Saturn V, carried the entire mission. 199 00:09:28,540 --> 00:09:30,520 The crew capsule, the moon lander, 200 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,160 and ascent vehicle all in one load. 201 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:38,840 Mars requires bigger Earth launchers, and more of them. 202 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,380 - You've gotta have a way 203 00:09:40,380 --> 00:09:44,490 of throwing big heavy payloads up into orbit from Earth. 204 00:09:44,490 --> 00:09:46,280 Our biggest payloads go up with the space shuttle, 205 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:48,770 and they're 20 metric tons, something like that. 206 00:09:48,770 --> 00:09:49,960 You need something on the order 207 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,930 of 80 to 100 metric ton capability to orbit. 208 00:09:53,930 --> 00:09:56,720 - The amount of stuff you need to go and come back to Mars 209 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,930 is heavier than the International Space Station. 210 00:09:59,930 --> 00:10:03,840 We have yet to move anything that big ever in space. 211 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,700 The analogy is going from a rowboat to an aircraft carrier. 212 00:10:09,830 --> 00:10:12,400 - [Narrator] To visualize the mass of the space station, 213 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:17,020 picture 40 transit buses lashed together, floating in space. 214 00:10:17,020 --> 00:10:20,470 The approximate weight, 450 tons. 215 00:10:20,470 --> 00:10:23,220 (dramatic music) 216 00:10:25,020 --> 00:10:26,700 To get that much material into space, 217 00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:29,050 NASA is developing two specialized launchers. 218 00:10:29,050 --> 00:10:31,940 The Ares I carries a crew into orbit, 219 00:10:31,937 --> 00:10:34,977 but the real workhorse is Ares V. 220 00:10:34,980 --> 00:10:37,730 It's the space equivalent of an 18 wheeler, 221 00:10:37,731 --> 00:10:39,771 one that can generate an earth-shaking 222 00:10:39,770 --> 00:10:43,220 9.6 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, 223 00:10:43,220 --> 00:10:48,150 enough to launch 175 Boeing 747s off the runway. 224 00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:53,540 Within minutes of liftoff, the Ares V accelerates 225 00:10:53,540 --> 00:10:55,330 to 11 kilometers a second, 226 00:10:55,330 --> 00:10:57,740 when it breaks free of Earth's gravity. 227 00:10:57,736 --> 00:11:00,676 (dramatic music) 228 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,790 - It's the big commitment from the US in getting to Mars. 229 00:11:03,790 --> 00:11:05,090 If Ares doesn't work well, 230 00:11:05,090 --> 00:11:07,190 then we're just not going to Mars. 231 00:11:08,270 --> 00:11:09,640 - [Narrator] In the Cameron mission, 232 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:11,990 the components for three Mars spacecraft, 233 00:11:11,990 --> 00:11:15,400 a crew vehicle, and two cargo containers, 234 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,150 would be carried from Earth to orbit on multiple launches. 235 00:11:19,150 --> 00:11:22,390 Once assembled in space, the unmanned cargo vehicles 236 00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:23,750 would be sent to Mars. 237 00:11:23,750 --> 00:11:26,810 The crew vehicle follows two years later. 238 00:11:26,809 --> 00:11:30,049 - The idea is to deploy as much mass out to Mars 239 00:11:30,050 --> 00:11:31,820 ahead of time as you can, 240 00:11:31,820 --> 00:11:34,920 so that your humans can go out there really quickly. 241 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,030 You don't wanna take any more mass than you have to 242 00:11:37,027 --> 00:11:39,107 on that human transfer mission. 243 00:11:40,110 --> 00:11:41,910 - [Narrator] Faster means the crew spends less time 244 00:11:41,912 --> 00:11:45,182 exposed to the hazards of deep space. 245 00:11:45,180 --> 00:11:47,170 Mass is the crew's enemy. 246 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:48,960 - In the case for Mars, a lot of that mass 247 00:11:48,963 --> 00:11:50,753 will be the fuel to get you there, 248 00:11:50,750 --> 00:11:52,890 the consumables to keep you alive. 249 00:11:52,890 --> 00:11:55,400 - [Narrator] James Cameron has a controversial plan 250 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:56,920 to reduce mass. 251 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:01,730 Cameron intends to take only enough fuel to fly one way. 252 00:12:01,730 --> 00:12:05,350 The fuel for the return trip will be manufactured on Mars. 253 00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:06,940 A bold idea. 254 00:12:06,940 --> 00:12:09,270 Too risky for most mission designers. 255 00:12:09,270 --> 00:12:11,880 It's never been tried before, but Cameron is convinced 256 00:12:11,875 --> 00:12:16,015 Mars has the raw materials to make it work. 257 00:12:16,020 --> 00:12:17,560 - But what do you know you have there? 258 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:19,360 Plenty of carbon dioxide. 259 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,990 Carbon dioxide has got oxygen in it, 260 00:12:21,992 --> 00:12:23,862 and it's got carbon in it. 261 00:12:23,860 --> 00:12:25,820 Carbon is the basis of your rocket fuel, 262 00:12:25,820 --> 00:12:27,270 and oxygen is the basis of the way 263 00:12:27,270 --> 00:12:29,450 you burn the carbon in the rocket fuel. 264 00:12:29,450 --> 00:12:30,370 That's your ticket home. 265 00:12:30,370 --> 00:12:32,470 That's your fuel to come back. 266 00:12:32,471 --> 00:12:35,441 (rockets roaring) 267 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:36,610 - [Narrator] Cameron is more cautious 268 00:12:36,610 --> 00:12:38,740 with other parts of the mission. 269 00:12:38,740 --> 00:12:40,650 Unlike other planners, he proposes 270 00:12:40,654 --> 00:12:44,464 that the landing vehicle travel with the crew. 271 00:12:44,460 --> 00:12:47,450 Sending it to Mars in advance is inviting trouble. 272 00:12:48,334 --> 00:12:49,854 - [Man] Eagle is undocked. 273 00:12:49,851 --> 00:12:50,981 - When you get into your landing craft, 274 00:12:50,980 --> 00:12:55,010 which no human being has touched for a couple of years now, 275 00:12:55,010 --> 00:12:56,060 has been sitting out there 276 00:12:56,056 --> 00:12:58,246 freezing in orbit, 277 00:12:58,250 --> 00:12:59,960 and you're gonna fire that puppy up 278 00:12:59,960 --> 00:13:02,030 and then you're gonna try to land on Mars. 279 00:13:02,030 --> 00:13:04,220 That strikes me as fraught with risk 280 00:13:04,220 --> 00:13:05,450 as opposed to a spacecraft 281 00:13:05,450 --> 00:13:07,510 that you can keep online and healthy 282 00:13:07,510 --> 00:13:10,070 while you're transiting out there. 283 00:13:10,070 --> 00:13:11,540 - [Narrator] Cameron's lander concept 284 00:13:11,540 --> 00:13:13,560 is built around the rover, 285 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:16,350 the vehicle for exploring the Martian surface. 286 00:13:16,350 --> 00:13:19,450 The rover will be critical for locating the Mars habitat 287 00:13:19,450 --> 00:13:23,300 and supplies already sitting out there on the surface. 288 00:13:23,300 --> 00:13:25,960 - The second you say that you're gonna put stuff 289 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:27,320 on Mars ahead of time, 290 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,250 you have no choice but to land near that stuff. 291 00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:30,340 If you don't land near that stuff, 292 00:13:30,340 --> 00:13:31,170 you're not coming home. 293 00:13:31,173 --> 00:13:32,943 If you're 200 miles off course, 294 00:13:32,940 --> 00:13:34,200 and you have no vehicle with you 295 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:36,950 that can travel 200 miles over the surface of Mars, 296 00:13:36,950 --> 00:13:37,810 you're gonna die. 297 00:13:37,810 --> 00:13:40,980 - There is no limit to the number of places 298 00:13:40,980 --> 00:13:43,510 where danger, deadly danger, 299 00:13:43,510 --> 00:13:44,760 could actually transpire. 300 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:47,690 - [Narrator] In spite of the risks, 301 00:13:47,693 --> 00:13:51,623 space agencies around the world are taking on the challenge 302 00:13:51,620 --> 00:13:56,090 of designing the spaceships for a manned mission to Mars. 303 00:13:56,090 --> 00:13:57,910 The results are surprising. 304 00:13:57,910 --> 00:14:00,180 Russia's version of the vehicle that will take the crew 305 00:14:00,180 --> 00:14:02,950 on the first step of the journey has wings, 306 00:14:02,950 --> 00:14:06,350 while the US goes back to a capsule design. 307 00:14:06,350 --> 00:14:08,880 Two radically different approaches, 308 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:13,040 as former enemies get set to rekindle an old rivalry. 309 00:14:15,395 --> 00:14:18,225 (rockets roaring) 310 00:14:20,050 --> 00:14:23,220 The Russians cherish their glory days in space exploration. 311 00:14:23,220 --> 00:14:25,820 Sputnik, the first satellite. 312 00:14:25,820 --> 00:14:29,530 Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit Earth. 313 00:14:29,530 --> 00:14:33,700 Past these gates where few westerners have been is Energia, 314 00:14:33,700 --> 00:14:34,840 the aerospace company 315 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,410 behind many of Russia's success stories. 316 00:14:37,410 --> 00:14:39,960 During the moon race, it built Soyuz, 317 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:42,450 which still carries crew members from Earth 318 00:14:42,450 --> 00:14:44,730 to the International Space Station. 319 00:14:44,730 --> 00:14:47,560 - Soyuz has been an amazingly resilient vehicle. 320 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:49,910 It's really worked on the philosophy, 321 00:14:49,910 --> 00:14:52,270 if it's not broken, don't fix it. 322 00:14:52,270 --> 00:14:55,530 That all said, it can't get beyond Earth orbit 323 00:14:55,530 --> 00:14:59,030 and if the Russians want to be a serious player 324 00:14:59,030 --> 00:15:01,280 with the rest of the international space community 325 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,780 in going beyond low Earth orbit, going to the moon, 326 00:15:03,780 --> 00:15:05,340 going to Mars, and they wanna have 327 00:15:05,340 --> 00:15:08,360 a significant contribution, they've gotta go beyond Soyuz. 328 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,670 - [Narrator] Soyuz is now four decades old. 329 00:15:13,670 --> 00:15:17,380 It seats only three, and cannot be reused. 330 00:15:17,380 --> 00:15:19,730 If Russia wants to take on Mars, 331 00:15:19,730 --> 00:15:21,630 it has to come up with a bigger, 332 00:15:21,630 --> 00:15:24,360 more versatile crew carrier for its cosmonauts. 333 00:15:29,420 --> 00:15:30,790 This is the future. 334 00:15:30,790 --> 00:15:35,400 The Russians call it Clipper, a six passenger space vehicle. 335 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:37,940 Clipper will shuttle cosmonauts into orbit, 336 00:15:37,940 --> 00:15:41,160 and dock with the spacecraft that takes them to Mars. 337 00:15:41,158 --> 00:15:43,708 For all its sophistication, Clipper relies 338 00:15:43,710 --> 00:15:46,770 on the same simple aviation principles 339 00:15:46,774 --> 00:15:49,014 that guided the Wright brothers. 340 00:15:49,014 --> 00:15:51,764 (engine roaring) 341 00:15:59,723 --> 00:16:01,503 (speaks in foreign language) 342 00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:03,730 - [Translator] Clipper has basic flight characteristics. 343 00:16:03,730 --> 00:16:05,460 It's just like a glider. 344 00:16:05,460 --> 00:16:08,840 Because it has wings, the landing will be similar 345 00:16:08,843 --> 00:16:10,083 to that of an ultralight. 346 00:16:10,082 --> 00:16:12,562 (intense music) 347 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:14,020 - [Narrator] His own flying experience 348 00:16:14,020 --> 00:16:16,980 convinced Clipper designer Sergey Stokyo 349 00:16:16,984 --> 00:16:19,174 that wings are the surest way 350 00:16:19,169 --> 00:16:21,849 of bringing the spacecraft back safely. 351 00:16:23,030 --> 00:16:25,770 Clipper will pick up cosmonauts returning from Mars 352 00:16:25,770 --> 00:16:28,120 and then, like the US Space Shuttle, 353 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,420 glide home through Earth's atmosphere 354 00:16:30,420 --> 00:16:32,570 to a pre-determined landing site. 355 00:16:32,572 --> 00:16:35,162 (engine roars) 356 00:16:36,572 --> 00:16:40,152 (suspenseful music) 357 00:16:40,146 --> 00:16:42,116 (speaks in foreign language) 358 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:43,690 - [Translator] Right now, Clipper is designed 359 00:16:43,690 --> 00:16:46,210 to carry crew members to and from orbit, 360 00:16:46,210 --> 00:16:49,510 but we are optimistic about adapting some of its technology 361 00:16:49,510 --> 00:16:52,310 to a spacecraft that will one day go to Mars. 362 00:16:52,311 --> 00:16:55,941 (speaks in foreign language) 363 00:16:55,940 --> 00:16:57,360 - [Narrator] Over the next few years, 364 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,030 the look of this full scale Clipper mockup may change. 365 00:17:01,030 --> 00:17:04,540 Energia is hoping to lure investment from Europe 366 00:17:04,540 --> 00:17:07,110 to finance continuing development. 367 00:17:07,110 --> 00:17:11,960 The goal is to have it ready for a first mission in 2014. 368 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,870 If all goes well, Clipper will get the big job 369 00:17:14,870 --> 00:17:17,070 of ferrying cosmonauts from Earth 370 00:17:17,070 --> 00:17:19,500 on the first stage of the trip to Mars. 371 00:17:20,572 --> 00:17:24,342 (speaks in foreign language) 372 00:17:24,340 --> 00:17:26,680 - [Translator] We've taken the best elements from Soyuz 373 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:28,710 and incorporated them in Clipper. 374 00:17:28,710 --> 00:17:31,830 Reliability and redundancy of key mission functions, 375 00:17:31,830 --> 00:17:33,950 which will allow Clipper to stay in flight 376 00:17:33,950 --> 00:17:36,430 despite minor equipment failures. 377 00:17:36,428 --> 00:17:40,028 (speaks in foreign language) 378 00:17:40,028 --> 00:17:41,708 - [Narrator] And that's not all. 379 00:17:41,710 --> 00:17:43,870 Energia is already training crews 380 00:17:43,866 --> 00:17:46,316 for the first Mars mission. 381 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,790 A simulator prepares them for the delicate dance 382 00:17:48,790 --> 00:17:52,330 required to dock with the International Space Station. 383 00:17:52,330 --> 00:17:55,030 Those space station visits will serve as rehearsals 384 00:17:55,025 --> 00:17:57,465 for the day Clipper carries cosmonauts 385 00:17:57,468 --> 00:17:59,998 to a spacecraft headed for Mars. 386 00:18:05,628 --> 00:18:07,978 In the United States, NASA is taking a different road 387 00:18:07,980 --> 00:18:09,620 to the same destination. 388 00:18:09,620 --> 00:18:12,830 In August 2006, it unveiled its version 389 00:18:12,828 --> 00:18:17,028 of a new crew vehicle, one piece of a master plan 390 00:18:17,030 --> 00:18:18,550 to get to the red planet. 391 00:18:18,551 --> 00:18:20,321 (crowd applauding) 392 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,120 This is America's answer to the Russian Clipper. 393 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:29,120 The CEV, or crew exploration vehicle called Orion. 394 00:18:31,410 --> 00:18:34,360 Just like Clipper's role in the Russian program, 395 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:37,060 Orion will be NASA's new link 396 00:18:37,060 --> 00:18:39,220 with the International Space Station. 397 00:18:39,220 --> 00:18:41,560 And one day, it will carry a crew 398 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,290 to a vehicle headed for Mars. 399 00:18:45,310 --> 00:18:48,940 But NASA's also planning to road test its crew vehicle, 400 00:18:48,940 --> 00:18:51,470 taking astronauts back to the moon, 401 00:18:51,470 --> 00:18:52,650 an important training ground 402 00:18:52,650 --> 00:18:54,730 for sending humans to the red planet. 403 00:18:54,730 --> 00:18:56,770 NASA plans on landing astronauts 404 00:18:56,770 --> 00:18:59,700 on the lunar surface by 2020. 405 00:18:59,700 --> 00:19:03,390 Then, constructing a permanent base five years later. 406 00:19:04,271 --> 00:19:06,551 - In order to be able to go to Mars, 407 00:19:06,550 --> 00:19:09,610 we have to learn a lot of lessons on the moon, 408 00:19:09,610 --> 00:19:12,180 because while you can get to the moon and back 409 00:19:12,180 --> 00:19:14,870 in a few days, Mars will be several years. 410 00:19:16,230 --> 00:19:18,110 - [Narrator] Orion will be doing double duty. 411 00:19:18,110 --> 00:19:19,940 It will carry crews to the moon, 412 00:19:19,935 --> 00:19:23,285 and it will make a quick trip to Earth orbit 413 00:19:23,290 --> 00:19:27,440 to transfer astronauts to a Mars spacecraft. 414 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:29,230 It's because of that dual role 415 00:19:29,227 --> 00:19:31,977 that Orion does not have wings. 416 00:19:31,975 --> 00:19:33,615 - When you wanna go to places like the moon, 417 00:19:33,620 --> 00:19:37,600 when you come home, you're going significantly faster 418 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:39,710 than when you come home from lower Earth orbit. 419 00:19:39,710 --> 00:19:42,460 You can be going 25,000 plus miles an hour, 420 00:19:42,460 --> 00:19:45,710 and when you enter the atmosphere at those speeds, 421 00:19:45,714 --> 00:19:47,654 if you had a winged vehicle, 422 00:19:47,650 --> 00:19:49,400 it wouldn't stay winged very long. 423 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,760 - We now can see a way to go forward to the moon 424 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:54,150 and beyond to Mars. 425 00:19:54,150 --> 00:19:56,170 Without the CEV, without Ares, 426 00:19:56,170 --> 00:19:59,300 without putting those two elements together, 427 00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:00,730 we don't go out of Earth orbit, 428 00:20:00,730 --> 00:20:03,990 so in that regard it's a very very significant announcement 429 00:20:03,990 --> 00:20:07,130 that the United States has given us. 430 00:20:07,127 --> 00:20:10,437 - [Narrator] Orion borrowed the blunt teardrop look 431 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,150 from the '60s era Apollo capsules, 432 00:20:13,150 --> 00:20:16,200 but it's more robust, and a lot bigger. 433 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:18,200 There's space for six passengers, 434 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,380 and 25 tons of supplies. 435 00:20:20,380 --> 00:20:25,070 Even better, it's built from a new aluminum lithium alloy, 436 00:20:25,070 --> 00:20:26,930 so Orion will be lighter 437 00:20:26,930 --> 00:20:29,280 than either Apollo or the space shuttle. 438 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,940 But, like the earliest space missions, 439 00:20:31,942 --> 00:20:34,572 it'll return to Earth by parachute. 440 00:20:35,460 --> 00:20:36,650 - So going back to the future 441 00:20:36,650 --> 00:20:38,460 with a crew exploration vehicle, 442 00:20:38,460 --> 00:20:41,070 the crew launch vehicle series is the right answer 443 00:20:41,070 --> 00:20:44,120 at the right time to get us back in the saddle. 444 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,020 - [Narrator] With Clipper and Orion, 445 00:20:46,020 --> 00:20:49,050 the old space race rivals have devised new ways 446 00:20:49,050 --> 00:20:51,730 of getting their explorers into orbit. 447 00:20:51,730 --> 00:20:56,180 The first step in the big push to put humans on Mars. 448 00:20:56,180 --> 00:20:58,350 The next hurdle is much bigger. 449 00:20:58,350 --> 00:21:00,740 Design a propulsion system with enough power 450 00:21:00,743 --> 00:21:04,743 to drive a huge spacecraft to Mars and back. 451 00:21:04,740 --> 00:21:07,380 The lives of the crew will be riding on it. 452 00:21:07,383 --> 00:21:10,293 (ominous music) 453 00:21:10,290 --> 00:21:11,630 Just a few weeks into the journey, 454 00:21:11,630 --> 00:21:14,210 the crew will approach the point of no return. 455 00:21:14,210 --> 00:21:16,010 If a crew member was seriously ill, 456 00:21:16,010 --> 00:21:17,130 or they detected a problem 457 00:21:17,127 --> 00:21:19,767 with the life support supplies waiting on Mars, 458 00:21:19,770 --> 00:21:22,140 now is the time to turn back to Earth. 459 00:21:22,140 --> 00:21:24,950 Past the point of no return, there is no turning back. 460 00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:27,240 Earth is already moved too far away. 461 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,290 No rescue missions can be launched. 462 00:21:29,290 --> 00:21:32,540 They must continue millions of kilometers to Mars, 463 00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:35,000 and circle the planet in order to come home. 464 00:21:35,004 --> 00:21:37,674 (intense music) 465 00:21:38,810 --> 00:21:41,180 Engine failure is a death sentence. 466 00:21:41,181 --> 00:21:43,851 (intense music) 467 00:21:49,340 --> 00:21:50,530 There's unanimous agreement 468 00:21:50,530 --> 00:21:52,720 that the easiest part of getting to Mars 469 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:54,240 is building the launch vehicles 470 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,340 to get the mission off the ground and into orbit. 471 00:21:58,660 --> 00:22:01,000 The real challenge is what comes next. 472 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,080 Designing a propulsion system powerful enough 473 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,920 to drive a huge spacecraft from there to Mars 474 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:10,200 across millions of kilometers of space. 475 00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:14,530 - The Mars exploration vehicle that goes from Earth to Mars, 476 00:22:14,530 --> 00:22:16,010 and most of it of course will come back 477 00:22:16,010 --> 00:22:17,360 is gonna be very, very large. 478 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:19,910 We're talking about potentially hundreds of tons. 479 00:22:19,910 --> 00:22:21,120 We're talking about a vehicle 480 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:22,580 that is probably comparable in size 481 00:22:22,580 --> 00:22:24,310 to the International Space Station 482 00:22:24,310 --> 00:22:26,730 if you think about how bit that object is 483 00:22:26,727 --> 00:22:28,817 flying to Mars and back. 484 00:22:28,820 --> 00:22:30,490 To be able to push that vehicle 485 00:22:30,490 --> 00:22:32,580 successfully out of Earth orbit 486 00:22:32,580 --> 00:22:35,520 is gonna require some pretty heavy duty propulsion. 487 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:39,030 - [Narrator] Some propulsion systems exist only in the minds 488 00:22:39,026 --> 00:22:42,136 or on the blackboards of physics professors. 489 00:22:44,183 --> 00:22:46,933 (engine roaring) 490 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:49,670 At the University of Washington, 491 00:22:49,670 --> 00:22:52,500 the electrical buzz coming out of this science building 492 00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:57,100 could one day shrink the travel time between Earth and Mars. 493 00:22:57,095 --> 00:22:59,915 (electricity buzzing) 494 00:22:59,915 --> 00:23:02,235 - To go to Mars presently requires 495 00:23:03,090 --> 00:23:05,690 a 2.5 year return mission. 496 00:23:05,690 --> 00:23:09,760 Our concept is to go there and back in 90 days. 497 00:23:09,756 --> 00:23:10,976 Everyone ready? 498 00:23:10,980 --> 00:23:13,920 - [Narrator] Professor Robert Winglee's fast lane to Mars 499 00:23:13,916 --> 00:23:16,076 is powered by a laser-like beam 500 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,440 of superheated charged particles. 501 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,610 Particles of plasma cross the vacuum chamber 502 00:23:21,610 --> 00:23:23,320 in thousandths of a second. 503 00:23:25,717 --> 00:23:28,957 Winglee wants to generate a plasma beam powerful enough 504 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:30,690 to propel a spacecraft to Mars. 505 00:23:32,350 --> 00:23:35,000 - You can beam the energy to your spacecraft, 506 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,870 and remove the need to carry large amounts of fuel, 507 00:23:38,870 --> 00:23:40,580 large power systems. 508 00:23:40,577 --> 00:23:43,687 It makes it cheaper, it makes it faster, 509 00:23:43,690 --> 00:23:45,430 and it's also a reusable system. 510 00:23:45,430 --> 00:23:46,830 Okay firing. 511 00:23:46,830 --> 00:23:48,530 - [Narrator] It's futuristic physics 512 00:23:48,530 --> 00:23:49,760 that's narrowing the gap 513 00:23:49,762 --> 00:23:52,592 between science fiction and science fact. 514 00:23:53,490 --> 00:23:54,800 Here's how it works. 515 00:23:54,803 --> 00:23:58,403 A space station using its solar panels to generate plasma 516 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,400 fires a beam at a passing spacecraft. 517 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,340 The superheated beam propels the spacecraft to Mars 518 00:24:04,340 --> 00:24:05,680 without ever touching it. 519 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,440 It's like the north poles of two magnets 520 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,060 repelling each other. 521 00:24:10,060 --> 00:24:11,560 - Be going at very high speeds. 522 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:13,050 When it gets to Mars, 523 00:24:13,050 --> 00:24:15,060 be going nearly 30 kilometers per second. 524 00:24:15,060 --> 00:24:18,500 That's again four times faster than the shuttle. 525 00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:20,290 - [Narrator] Stopping a ship traveling at that speed 526 00:24:20,290 --> 00:24:22,430 requires extraordinary precision. 527 00:24:22,430 --> 00:24:25,760 An unmanned satellite parked in Mars' orbit 528 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:27,710 must fire another plasma beam 529 00:24:27,712 --> 00:24:31,532 at the approaching space vehicle to slow it down. 530 00:24:31,530 --> 00:24:33,770 - We have over the last year made excellent progress 531 00:24:33,770 --> 00:24:36,450 in demonstrating it both experimentally and computationally 532 00:24:36,450 --> 00:24:39,330 and we're totally confident that we can do it in the future. 533 00:24:40,690 --> 00:24:42,690 - [Narrator] It will be years before Winglee 534 00:24:42,690 --> 00:24:44,460 can perfect the plasma beam 535 00:24:44,460 --> 00:24:46,250 and get it in space. 536 00:24:46,250 --> 00:24:47,930 Mission designers who can't wait 537 00:24:47,930 --> 00:24:49,830 for this futuristic technology 538 00:24:49,830 --> 00:24:51,170 have two practical choices 539 00:24:51,170 --> 00:24:52,960 for propulsion through deep space. 540 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,470 Chemical propulsion is created by mixing oxidizers and fuel. 541 00:24:59,470 --> 00:25:02,220 When the two react, flame and heat 542 00:25:02,220 --> 00:25:04,410 are squeezed through exhaust pipes, 543 00:25:04,410 --> 00:25:07,720 and out the engine nozzle, creating thrust. 544 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,160 A nuclear thermal rocket 545 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,880 is a simpler, more efficient solution. 546 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,260 Super cooled cryogenic liquid hydrogen 547 00:25:14,258 --> 00:25:16,908 is heated by the nuclear core, 548 00:25:16,910 --> 00:25:21,070 and comes out the engine nozzle as hydrogen gas. 549 00:25:21,070 --> 00:25:22,380 - Nuclear rocket technology 550 00:25:22,380 --> 00:25:24,340 is actually not particularly new. 551 00:25:24,340 --> 00:25:26,680 We were investigating the notion 552 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,410 of using nuclear propulsion back in the 1960s. 553 00:25:32,650 --> 00:25:34,840 - We're on our way now to the Nevada test site 554 00:25:34,838 --> 00:25:38,598 where it's been proved that the nuclear sort of propulsion 555 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,920 was the only way that we were going to be able 556 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:46,010 to get men to Mars and return them back home safely. 557 00:25:48,350 --> 00:25:49,650 - [Narrator] Stan Gunn was one of a team 558 00:25:49,650 --> 00:25:51,040 of scientists and technicians 559 00:25:51,042 --> 00:25:54,862 commuting to the test site in the mid '60s. 560 00:25:54,860 --> 00:25:57,360 Gunn developed the fuel mixtures. 561 00:25:57,360 --> 00:25:59,100 The tests were successful, 562 00:25:59,100 --> 00:26:02,800 but America's interest in space exploration was waning, 563 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,560 and nuclear was a dirty word. 564 00:26:05,559 --> 00:26:08,479 - It got to the point where we had proven out 565 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:09,860 the capability of a nuclear rocket, 566 00:26:09,857 --> 00:26:13,657 and were ready to go with the practical engineered system 567 00:26:13,660 --> 00:26:17,210 for a Mars mission, and yet nothing was done after that, 568 00:26:17,210 --> 00:26:18,810 and we got totally stuck. 569 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:24,149 - [Narrator] Now, space exploration is back on NASA's agenda 570 00:26:24,150 --> 00:26:26,860 and there's a strong case for nuclear propulsion 571 00:26:26,860 --> 00:26:29,160 as the best ticket to Mars. 572 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,410 - It does offer some very significant advantages, 573 00:26:31,410 --> 00:26:34,360 primary among the, the fact that there is a greater thrust 574 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:38,279 that can be delivered by nuclear technology. 575 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:39,960 - [Narrator] Another critical comparison. 576 00:26:39,959 --> 00:26:44,309 Two equal sized spacecraft, half a kilo of fuel apiece. 577 00:26:46,110 --> 00:26:50,520 The chemical rocket burns full throttle for 450 seconds. 578 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,270 The nuclear fuel lasts twice as long. 579 00:26:53,270 --> 00:26:56,130 That means the nuclear powered spacecraft 580 00:26:56,130 --> 00:26:58,810 is twice as efficient, and can go 581 00:26:58,810 --> 00:27:01,000 the same distance on half the fuel. 582 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,950 Jackass Flats, Nevada. 583 00:27:05,950 --> 00:27:09,200 Sacred ground in the history of nuclear rockets. 584 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:12,310 The stand where engines were anchored for testing, 585 00:27:12,310 --> 00:27:15,710 and the nearby hangar where rockets were torn down. 586 00:27:15,710 --> 00:27:18,610 Relics of the past that Stan Gunn believes 587 00:27:18,610 --> 00:27:22,590 still have a role in building propulsion systems for Mars. 588 00:27:28,094 --> 00:27:30,274 (choral music) 589 00:27:30,270 --> 00:27:33,120 It's all still waiting here, 590 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,000 like a museum exhibit. 591 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,720 The diesel locomotive that hauled the rockets. 592 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,610 Radiation counts here were so high 593 00:27:40,610 --> 00:27:43,830 that Geiger counters kicked wildly off the scale. 594 00:27:43,830 --> 00:27:45,850 All safety features survive, 595 00:27:45,850 --> 00:27:48,900 like the six foot thick radiation proof windows, 596 00:27:48,900 --> 00:27:51,720 and the robotic arms that handled the rockets, 597 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,460 and Gunn believes a few upgrades would make it safer, 598 00:27:55,460 --> 00:27:57,710 and more acceptable to the public. 599 00:27:57,707 --> 00:27:59,387 - The problem with this rocket stand 600 00:27:59,390 --> 00:28:01,110 was when it was previously used, 601 00:28:01,110 --> 00:28:02,700 it exhausted its exhaust gases 602 00:28:02,695 --> 00:28:05,255 completely out into the atmosphere. 603 00:28:05,260 --> 00:28:07,620 However with modern engineering approaches, 604 00:28:07,620 --> 00:28:10,320 we can have a complete containment system 605 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:13,040 engineered to receive all of these gases. 606 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:15,200 - [Narrator] The longest open air test performed here 607 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:17,960 took a nuclear engine to full power 608 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:19,350 for just over an hour. 609 00:28:19,350 --> 00:28:21,620 Too brief it seems, when you consider 610 00:28:21,620 --> 00:28:23,580 the six month journey time to Mars, 611 00:28:23,577 --> 00:28:25,707 but the numbers are misleading. 612 00:28:27,130 --> 00:28:29,800 The crew of a Mars transfer vehicle 613 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,850 could need as little as one hour of full throttle burn time 614 00:28:32,850 --> 00:28:34,050 to get there and back. 615 00:28:35,050 --> 00:28:37,720 Because space is a vacuum, no atmosphere 616 00:28:37,719 --> 00:28:40,939 means no friction to slow things down. 617 00:28:40,940 --> 00:28:43,270 Once it's built up a head of speed, 618 00:28:43,270 --> 00:28:46,770 the spacecraft can literally coast to Mars. 619 00:28:46,770 --> 00:28:48,920 On the final approach, the spacecraft turns 620 00:28:48,916 --> 00:28:52,446 and the engines are fired to put the brakes on. 621 00:28:52,450 --> 00:28:55,500 Gunn says full throttle testing was done once, 622 00:28:55,500 --> 00:28:57,380 and it can't be done again. 623 00:28:57,380 --> 00:28:59,440 - This test had to be turned to operation 624 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,380 for future NASA development of nuclear rocket engines. 625 00:29:02,380 --> 00:29:04,740 So the future is very golden. 626 00:29:06,390 --> 00:29:07,850 - [Narrator] One day, the Nevada desert 627 00:29:07,850 --> 00:29:10,610 may hear again the roar of nuclear rockets. 628 00:29:10,610 --> 00:29:13,220 The push is on, and there's now a detailed plan 629 00:29:13,220 --> 00:29:16,360 to harness nuclear power to get to Mars. 630 00:29:16,359 --> 00:29:19,249 (rockets roar) 631 00:29:19,250 --> 00:29:21,100 NASA rocket scientist Stan Borowski 632 00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:23,830 carries the torch passed by Stan Gunn. 633 00:29:24,700 --> 00:29:27,370 Borowski believes the advantages of nuclear propulsion 634 00:29:27,374 --> 00:29:29,834 are just too good to ignore. 635 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,290 - The benefits of nuclear are its higher gas mileage, 636 00:29:33,290 --> 00:29:35,830 which is twice that of the best chemical rockets. 637 00:29:35,830 --> 00:29:37,960 That means we need less propellant, 638 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,360 and fewer numbers of heavy lift launch vehicles. 639 00:29:41,270 --> 00:29:42,610 - [Narrator] Propellant is weight. 640 00:29:42,610 --> 00:29:44,930 The less of that you have to haul in space, 641 00:29:44,930 --> 00:29:46,840 the fewer Earth launches you'll need. 642 00:29:48,090 --> 00:29:50,940 - So for a typical mission to Mars with nuclear propulsion, 643 00:29:50,940 --> 00:29:53,500 we need about seven 80 ton launch vehicles. 644 00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:56,970 With chemical, we need at least 11 missions. 645 00:29:58,410 --> 00:30:00,180 - [Narrator] The fuel efficiency will be critical 646 00:30:00,180 --> 00:30:02,570 to saving the crew if something goes wrong. 647 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,780 Beyond the point of no return, 648 00:30:05,780 --> 00:30:08,530 they can't simply make a U-turn and head back. 649 00:30:08,530 --> 00:30:12,540 Earth is too far, and moving away too fast. 650 00:30:12,540 --> 00:30:14,830 The only option, continue to Mars, 651 00:30:14,830 --> 00:30:17,840 circle the planet, and head back to Earth. 652 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,400 With efficient nuclear thermal engines, 653 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,880 they'll have more chance to get back home safely. 654 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,310 During those long months aboard the spacecraft, 655 00:30:27,310 --> 00:30:29,930 the crew of a Borowski nuclear powered vehicle 656 00:30:29,933 --> 00:30:32,813 will enjoy one comfort no manned mission 657 00:30:32,810 --> 00:30:36,090 has ever had before, artificial gravity. 658 00:30:36,090 --> 00:30:37,720 The crew will not be floating about 659 00:30:37,715 --> 00:30:39,905 on the way to Mars and back. 660 00:30:43,740 --> 00:30:45,610 - Our vehicles are long and linear, 661 00:30:45,610 --> 00:30:48,440 and can be rotated like the propeller on an airplane 662 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,570 to be able to generate artificial gravity for the crew, 663 00:30:51,570 --> 00:30:54,470 and this will prevent the debilitating effects on the body 664 00:30:54,470 --> 00:30:56,630 of prolonged exposure to zero gravity. 665 00:30:59,780 --> 00:31:01,920 - [Narrator] Wherever Borowski pitches the bold idea 666 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:04,860 of harnessing nuclear propulsion for Mars, 667 00:31:04,860 --> 00:31:07,480 he faces some fearful people. 668 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,960 Will his nuclear rocket become a nuclear bomb 669 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,710 if somehow it blows up in Earth's atmosphere? 670 00:31:13,650 --> 00:31:17,050 The possibility of that happening is very remote. 671 00:31:17,050 --> 00:31:20,440 During launch to orbit, the nuclear engine is just cargo. 672 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:24,470 It becomes radioactive only when fully extended and firing. 673 00:31:24,470 --> 00:31:26,700 Out in deep space, any malfunction 674 00:31:26,700 --> 00:31:28,990 triggers an immediate shutdown. 675 00:31:30,750 --> 00:31:33,030 - Do we absolutely need nuclear propulsion 676 00:31:33,030 --> 00:31:34,030 to take people to Mars? 677 00:31:34,030 --> 00:31:35,090 Maybe not. 678 00:31:35,090 --> 00:31:36,400 But if we wanna go for good, 679 00:31:36,396 --> 00:31:39,556 for a sustainable exploration story, 680 00:31:40,780 --> 00:31:43,970 the engineering solution that gives us nuclear propulsion, 681 00:31:43,970 --> 00:31:46,650 fission based nuclear electric, or nuclear thermal, 682 00:31:46,650 --> 00:31:48,950 will be a more efficient solution in the long run 683 00:31:48,950 --> 00:31:51,430 to opening up the solar system for people. 684 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:55,050 - [Narrator] The propulsion choice 685 00:31:55,050 --> 00:31:57,250 is linked to another crucial decision. 686 00:31:57,250 --> 00:32:00,210 The trajectory, or route to Mars. 687 00:32:00,214 --> 00:32:03,844 Not only is it at least 56 million kilometers away, 688 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:05,010 it's a moving target. 689 00:32:05,870 --> 00:32:07,270 Plotting the right trajectory 690 00:32:07,270 --> 00:32:09,150 is life or death mathematics. 691 00:32:12,332 --> 00:32:16,112 (speaks in foreign language) 692 00:32:16,110 --> 00:32:18,100 Engineers and scientists are making 693 00:32:18,100 --> 00:32:19,660 thousands of important decisions 694 00:32:19,655 --> 00:32:22,935 about the spacecraft that will take us to Mars. 695 00:32:22,940 --> 00:32:26,570 But the planets dictate when the journey begins. 696 00:32:29,220 --> 00:32:32,440 Earth and Mars are millions of kilometers apart, 697 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,990 moving around the sun at different speeds. 698 00:32:34,990 --> 00:32:37,510 Because their positions are always changing, 699 00:32:37,510 --> 00:32:40,660 the ideal moment to launch a manned mission for Mars 700 00:32:40,660 --> 00:32:43,240 only comes about once every 26 months. 701 00:32:44,620 --> 00:32:46,590 - It's unimaginably precise. 702 00:32:46,590 --> 00:32:49,180 It's probably the best analogy 703 00:32:49,180 --> 00:32:51,210 would be like threading a needle 704 00:32:51,210 --> 00:32:54,120 in the West Coast from the East Coast. 705 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,720 - [Narrator] There are two ways of going to Mars. 706 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:58,380 The choice depends on how long 707 00:32:58,380 --> 00:32:59,660 you want to stay on the planet. 708 00:32:59,660 --> 00:33:02,360 A long stay mission gives you 709 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:04,690 about a year and a half on Mars. 710 00:33:05,890 --> 00:33:08,350 On the outbound leg, the crew leaves Earth orbit 711 00:33:08,350 --> 00:33:10,480 when the two planets are relatively close. 712 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:13,120 It's the same coming home, 713 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:15,500 but the timing has to be perfect. 714 00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:18,450 Miss the window, and there won't be enough fuel to make it. 715 00:33:19,730 --> 00:33:21,180 - If the astronauts on Mars 716 00:33:21,175 --> 00:33:24,795 don't hit the launch into that window 717 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,550 at just the right time, 718 00:33:26,550 --> 00:33:28,750 then they can't get back to Earth. 719 00:33:28,750 --> 00:33:31,560 They have to wait for the celestial mechanics to quote, 720 00:33:31,557 --> 00:33:32,757 "Come back into alignment." 721 00:33:32,760 --> 00:33:34,450 You're talking about Earth and Mars 722 00:33:34,450 --> 00:33:36,200 being in the right places at the right time 723 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:40,320 to allow the vehicle coming back safely to Earth. 724 00:33:41,890 --> 00:33:44,690 - [Narrator] The other option is a short stay on Mars, 725 00:33:44,690 --> 00:33:47,910 30 to 60 days on and around the planet, 726 00:33:47,910 --> 00:33:49,480 and the route home is different. 727 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,200 The flight path will take the ship past Venus, 728 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:55,410 using its gravity like a slingshot to pick up speed 729 00:33:55,410 --> 00:33:57,250 for the trip home to Earth. 730 00:33:57,250 --> 00:34:01,230 But, as before, timing is everything. 731 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,150 - There's no tide to carry you back to Earth. 732 00:34:05,150 --> 00:34:06,370 The planets move too quickly. 733 00:34:06,370 --> 00:34:07,950 We don't have rockets big enough. 734 00:34:07,950 --> 00:34:09,130 So you're stuck. 735 00:34:09,132 --> 00:34:11,882 (waves crashing) 736 00:34:13,368 --> 00:34:15,088 - [Narrator] A few hundred meters 737 00:34:15,090 --> 00:34:18,030 from where the North Sea meets the Netherlands, 738 00:34:18,030 --> 00:34:20,500 the European Space Agency has been working 739 00:34:20,500 --> 00:34:21,620 on the critical decision 740 00:34:21,618 --> 00:34:24,798 concerning the two options for going to Mars. 741 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:26,660 They've decided they'll learn more 742 00:34:26,658 --> 00:34:30,998 on the Martian surface in 500 days than a short stay. 743 00:34:31,970 --> 00:34:34,660 - We have a launch window for that every 25 months. 744 00:34:34,660 --> 00:34:36,940 To go to Mars takes six to nine months, 745 00:34:36,940 --> 00:34:39,780 then we'll be spending about 18 months on and around Mars, 746 00:34:39,777 --> 00:34:41,317 and it's gonna take nine months to come back 747 00:34:41,317 --> 00:34:43,747 and that gives us, all in all, a 1,000 day mission 748 00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:46,050 which is a very good value for a Mars mission. 749 00:34:47,370 --> 00:34:50,890 - [Narrator] Italian aerospace engineer Loredana Bessone 750 00:34:50,890 --> 00:34:53,080 oversees the team designing a spacecraft 751 00:34:53,083 --> 00:34:57,563 that can stand up to 1,000 day return mission to Mars. 752 00:34:57,560 --> 00:34:58,820 - All right, so we are gonna 753 00:34:58,820 --> 00:35:00,930 talk about the transfer habitation module, 754 00:35:00,930 --> 00:35:03,260 which is where our six astronauts are gonna spend 755 00:35:03,260 --> 00:35:05,720 months and months of their time 756 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:07,930 during the journey to Mars and back. 757 00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:12,500 - [Narrator] The Europeans are thinking big. 758 00:35:12,500 --> 00:35:15,370 The total length of the Mars spacecraft they envision 759 00:35:15,370 --> 00:35:18,870 is 100 meters, the size of a football field. 760 00:35:18,866 --> 00:35:21,886 Attached at the front of the transfer vehicle 761 00:35:21,885 --> 00:35:24,595 is the excursion module. 762 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,540 It's a combination lander, temporary shelter, 763 00:35:27,540 --> 00:35:28,750 and ascent vehicle. 764 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:32,170 The back half of the spacecraft 765 00:35:32,170 --> 00:35:34,300 is the multi-stage propulsion system 766 00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:37,710 that will carry the crew to and from Mars orbit. 767 00:35:37,710 --> 00:35:39,610 For the many months of the journey, 768 00:35:39,610 --> 00:35:44,410 this module will be the whole world to the six crew members. 769 00:35:44,408 --> 00:35:45,778 - We need to start talking 770 00:35:45,780 --> 00:35:48,000 about the requirements of this module, 771 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,310 and Sylvia and Jean-Francois, 772 00:35:49,310 --> 00:35:51,880 can you start giving us some requirements 773 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,510 about the transfer habitation module? 774 00:35:53,510 --> 00:35:55,630 - [Sylvia] Okay for the volume requirement, 775 00:35:55,630 --> 00:36:00,000 this number comes up to be around 75 cubic meters per person 776 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:04,430 of which 1/3 is for storage of consumables and equipment 777 00:36:04,430 --> 00:36:07,560 and the other 2/3 are for the astronauts to live in. 778 00:36:08,820 --> 00:36:10,610 - [Narrator] It will be a tight squeeze. 779 00:36:10,610 --> 00:36:15,360 The total living space for six adults is 300 cubic meters, 780 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,480 about the size of an average apartment. 781 00:36:18,330 --> 00:36:19,810 The rest of the space is packed 782 00:36:19,810 --> 00:36:22,630 with food, water, and equipment. 783 00:36:22,630 --> 00:36:24,120 - It's not just the nuts and bolts 784 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:25,710 that's associated with the engineering. 785 00:36:25,710 --> 00:36:28,490 It's the humans interacting with that environment. 786 00:36:28,490 --> 00:36:29,530 You're talking about people 787 00:36:29,530 --> 00:36:33,420 who have to be a part of this colossal undertaking, 788 00:36:33,420 --> 00:36:35,350 and they've gotta be comfortable with it. 789 00:36:35,350 --> 00:36:36,960 - [Narrator] Bessone and her team 790 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:38,380 are still learning the basics 791 00:36:38,380 --> 00:36:40,300 of manned space exploration. 792 00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:42,270 They've never launched their own manned mission, 793 00:36:42,270 --> 00:36:44,910 and they've yet to decide on a propulsion system, 794 00:36:44,910 --> 00:36:48,770 but no one wants to be left behind in the race for Mars. 795 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:54,010 - ESA wanted to know how we could actually start planning 796 00:36:54,010 --> 00:36:55,630 European technology development 797 00:36:55,628 --> 00:36:59,858 based on what we need when we go there. 798 00:36:59,860 --> 00:37:01,410 I hope ESA will go there, 799 00:37:01,410 --> 00:37:04,340 and I hope it goes there in my career time, 800 00:37:04,340 --> 00:37:06,470 but ESA won't go there alone. 801 00:37:10,940 --> 00:37:13,660 - [Narrator] Unlike the Europeans, Russian space engineers 802 00:37:13,660 --> 00:37:16,490 have years of manned spaceflight behind them. 803 00:37:16,490 --> 00:37:18,840 They've had great success with long duration orbiters 804 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:21,600 like Mir and the International Space Station. 805 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,630 Now, they're applying the same technology to a vehicle 806 00:37:24,634 --> 00:37:26,504 that will carry cosmonauts 807 00:37:26,500 --> 00:37:29,270 on the next step of the journey to the red planet. 808 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:31,640 - [Translator] We can say with confidence 809 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:33,370 that we have a prototype of a spacecraft 810 00:37:33,370 --> 00:37:35,070 for a manned flight to Mars. 811 00:37:37,620 --> 00:37:38,830 - [Narrator] Right now, that prototype 812 00:37:38,830 --> 00:37:41,140 sits under construction scaffolding. 813 00:37:41,140 --> 00:37:42,980 Energia's Leonid Gorshkov 814 00:37:42,975 --> 00:37:45,435 will convert this space station module 815 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:49,530 into the new Mars ship that will carry up to six cosmonauts. 816 00:37:49,530 --> 00:37:54,400 It will be called MEK, the Mars Expeditionary Complex. 817 00:37:56,630 --> 00:37:59,400 Gorshkov is confident about his MEK module. 818 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,810 It's proven technology orbiting Earth right now. 819 00:38:02,810 --> 00:38:04,650 His Zvedza is the service module 820 00:38:04,650 --> 00:38:06,640 for the International Space Station, 821 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:08,500 housing propulsion, communications, 822 00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:09,880 and life support systems. 823 00:38:12,208 --> 00:38:14,848 MEK is reviving an old dream. 824 00:38:14,850 --> 00:38:16,720 Russia actually started planning 825 00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:20,160 for an assault on Mars more than 40 years ago. 826 00:38:20,164 --> 00:38:21,614 (speaks in foreign language) 827 00:38:21,610 --> 00:38:23,860 - [Translator] Back in the '60s when that project started, 828 00:38:23,860 --> 00:38:25,130 I was very young, and I had 829 00:38:25,130 --> 00:38:26,900 a junior role in its development. 830 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,440 - [Narrator] Sergei Korolev, a star of Soviet rocketry, 831 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,450 ran the top secret project. 832 00:38:34,450 --> 00:38:37,230 Korolev's gone, but his accomplishments are honored. 833 00:38:37,230 --> 00:38:38,980 His technology still studied. 834 00:38:40,346 --> 00:38:43,396 (speaks in foreign language) 835 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:45,870 - [Translator] The work on the Mars Project under Korolev 836 00:38:45,870 --> 00:38:49,230 began on June 23, 1960. 837 00:38:53,070 --> 00:38:54,920 - [Narrator] Working under Korolev's direction, 838 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:58,820 Vladimir Bugrov was a senior member of the design team. 839 00:38:58,820 --> 00:39:02,300 The designers went back to von Braun's Mars mission model 840 00:39:02,300 --> 00:39:05,220 of multiple Earth launches and orbital assembly. 841 00:39:07,270 --> 00:39:08,830 These calculations and drawings 842 00:39:08,830 --> 00:39:11,960 are all that's left from four years of work. 843 00:39:15,090 --> 00:39:18,090 40 years before NASA even floated the idea 844 00:39:18,090 --> 00:39:19,630 of artificial gravity, 845 00:39:19,630 --> 00:39:22,460 the Russians knew it was necessary for Mars. 846 00:39:22,460 --> 00:39:25,860 Their crew vehicle would rotate on its axis, 847 00:39:25,860 --> 00:39:28,240 creating Earth-like gravity for the crew. 848 00:39:31,010 --> 00:39:34,770 Another design breakthrough was an onboard greenhouse 849 00:39:34,770 --> 00:39:36,220 for growing fresh vegetables. 850 00:39:39,620 --> 00:39:43,200 In 1964, the Kremlin shifted focus to the moon race, 851 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:47,070 and plans for a Mars spacecraft disappeared. 852 00:39:47,070 --> 00:39:50,160 But the legacy of Korolev's technology lives on. 853 00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:52,160 It can be seen in Mir, 854 00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:54,220 and the International Space Station, 855 00:39:54,220 --> 00:39:57,950 and now in a new Russian manned vehicle for Mars. 856 00:39:57,952 --> 00:40:00,542 (somber music) 857 00:40:05,660 --> 00:40:09,570 Gorshkov is not reinventing, he's adapting. 858 00:40:09,570 --> 00:40:13,370 He's expanding this module to six meters in diameter, 859 00:40:13,370 --> 00:40:15,410 and close to 30 meters in length, 860 00:40:15,410 --> 00:40:17,900 and the Russians have decided to play it safe. 861 00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:20,260 At least on their first manned trip to Mars, 862 00:40:20,260 --> 00:40:22,880 there will be no landing. 863 00:40:22,881 --> 00:40:25,001 The cosmonauts will stay safely in orbit 864 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:26,840 above the red planet. 865 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:28,340 - From an engineering perspective, 866 00:40:28,340 --> 00:40:30,400 you've saved yourself a lot of work. 867 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,530 The most technically demanding part, 868 00:40:32,530 --> 00:40:33,870 you could certainly argue, 869 00:40:33,870 --> 00:40:36,130 in any mission to Mars by humans 870 00:40:36,130 --> 00:40:39,660 is going from Mars orbit down to the ground, and back again. 871 00:40:39,660 --> 00:40:42,460 If you elect not to incorporate that step, 872 00:40:42,460 --> 00:40:44,790 then you save yourself a lot of time, a lot of effort, 873 00:40:44,790 --> 00:40:46,380 and a lot of money. 874 00:40:46,380 --> 00:40:47,400 - [Narrator] Russia's caution 875 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,130 with landing on Mars is well-founded. 876 00:40:50,130 --> 00:40:51,980 In four years of sending up 877 00:40:51,980 --> 00:40:54,870 unmanned Martian probes and satellites, 878 00:40:54,865 --> 00:40:59,795 Russia's record is 16 failures, and only two successes. 879 00:41:01,810 --> 00:41:04,610 - [Translator] You know we've had very bad luck with Mars. 880 00:41:04,610 --> 00:41:07,280 With the moon and Venus, everything went well, 881 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:09,930 but it seems that Mars never wants to surrender. 882 00:41:09,926 --> 00:41:13,676 (speaks in foreign language) 883 00:41:15,090 --> 00:41:18,090 - [Narrator] The United States is also exercising caution. 884 00:41:18,090 --> 00:41:20,700 By returning to the moon before attempting Mars, 885 00:41:20,700 --> 00:41:22,190 NASA will work out the kinks 886 00:41:22,190 --> 00:41:24,470 of a manned space exploration program 887 00:41:24,470 --> 00:41:27,930 that hasn't seen action in more than 30 years. 888 00:41:27,930 --> 00:41:30,120 No one wants to fail the first time out 889 00:41:30,118 --> 00:41:32,128 in a manned mission to Mars. 890 00:41:34,660 --> 00:41:36,170 - There's no forgiveness in space. 891 00:41:36,170 --> 00:41:38,200 You get it wrong, you kill people, 892 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:39,900 great explorers, and sometimes 893 00:41:39,900 --> 00:41:41,560 they don't give you a second chance. 894 00:41:41,561 --> 00:41:44,311 (dramatic music) 895 00:41:52,490 --> 00:41:55,210 - [Narrator] The distance between Earth and Mars 896 00:41:55,210 --> 00:41:56,520 is slowly closing. 897 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:58,290 People are dedicating their careers 898 00:41:58,290 --> 00:42:00,970 to the cause of a manned mission. 899 00:42:00,972 --> 00:42:03,212 From desert testing grounds in Nevada 900 00:42:03,210 --> 00:42:06,560 to a NASA rocket test bunker in Cleveland, Ohio, 901 00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:09,650 the right propulsion system will emerge. 902 00:42:09,650 --> 00:42:12,560 In Moscow, an aerospace giant will manage 903 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:14,530 the huge cost of Mars 904 00:42:14,530 --> 00:42:17,790 by converting proven space station technology 905 00:42:17,790 --> 00:42:19,930 for the hundreds of millions of kilometers 906 00:42:19,934 --> 00:42:21,294 to the red planet. 907 00:42:23,596 --> 00:42:26,956 The engineering challenges of Mars are enormous. 908 00:42:29,410 --> 00:42:32,440 Will the technology hurdle best be cleared 909 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:34,190 by nations joining together? 910 00:42:36,150 --> 00:42:38,070 - I don't think it's in the budget, 911 00:42:38,070 --> 00:42:40,280 or even in the wishes of any nation to go alone. 912 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,620 This is a big cooperation. 913 00:42:42,620 --> 00:42:45,250 This is for humanity to go there. 914 00:42:45,249 --> 00:42:48,079 (emotional music) 915 00:42:56,206 --> 00:42:57,586 (speaks in foreign language) 916 00:42:57,590 --> 00:42:58,610 - [Translator] Sure it would be nice 917 00:42:58,610 --> 00:43:02,130 to see Russians on Mars, but I'm strongly convinced 918 00:43:02,130 --> 00:43:04,600 that no matter who will develop the complex, 919 00:43:04,601 --> 00:43:07,101 the crew will be international. 920 00:43:07,099 --> 00:43:10,849 (speaks in foreign language) 921 00:43:13,590 --> 00:43:16,320 - [Announcer] We've had a go for our two point start. 922 00:43:16,323 --> 00:43:20,253 T-minus 10, nine, eight, seven 923 00:43:20,246 --> 00:43:23,036 six, we have main engine start. 924 00:43:23,042 --> 00:43:25,362 Four, three, two, one. 925 00:43:27,305 --> 00:43:28,375 And liftoff. 926 00:43:28,383 --> 00:43:31,133 (dramatic music) 927 00:43:40,890 --> 00:43:43,810 - Now we have a globalized world, global economies, 928 00:43:43,810 --> 00:43:45,840 linkages in many new ways. 929 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:48,680 I believe the way to go to Mars is to go together. 930 00:43:49,860 --> 00:43:52,060 - [Announcer] Mars I you are go for staging. 931 00:43:54,431 --> 00:43:55,551 - Inboard cutoff. - We confirm inboard cutoff. 932 00:43:57,153 --> 00:44:00,603 (rocket roaring) 933 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:02,490 - You're going to see every single 934 00:44:02,490 --> 00:44:04,740 spacefaring nation of this planet contribute. 935 00:44:04,740 --> 00:44:06,890 You're gonna see Chinese architecture, 936 00:44:06,890 --> 00:44:08,180 you're gonna see Japanese know-how, 937 00:44:08,180 --> 00:44:10,270 you're gonna see Canadian activity. 938 00:44:10,270 --> 00:44:14,280 On board principally a Russian American vehicle, 939 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,360 but nonetheless, Russia and the United States 940 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:19,370 cannot get to Mars by themselves. 941 00:44:19,370 --> 00:44:22,250 It will have to be a joint undertaking. 942 00:44:22,250 --> 00:44:24,400 - [Man] Initiate auto docking sequence. 943 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:25,890 - [Narrator] When the multinational crew 944 00:44:25,890 --> 00:44:27,880 reaches low Earth orbit, 945 00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:30,150 they will get ready to dock with the spacecraft 946 00:44:30,151 --> 00:44:32,011 that will carry them to Mars. 947 00:44:32,012 --> 00:44:34,832 (dramatic music) 948 00:44:34,828 --> 00:44:37,498 (comms crackle) 949 00:44:41,312 --> 00:44:45,942 - [Astronaut] Five meters, four meters, looking good. 950 00:44:45,940 --> 00:44:48,180 - [Narrator] In the odyssey of Mars, 951 00:44:48,180 --> 00:44:50,520 the weakest link may be human. 952 00:44:52,491 --> 00:44:55,291 The breaking point of hardware can be measured, 953 00:44:55,290 --> 00:44:58,190 but what about the mental and physical limits of the crew? 954 00:45:00,330 --> 00:45:02,160 As the longest, most dangerous 955 00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:04,280 voyage of discovery gets underway, 956 00:45:05,330 --> 00:45:08,170 the human factor is the great unknown. 957 00:45:08,171 --> 00:45:10,921 (dramatic music) 958 00:46:04,393 --> 00:46:07,233 (Multicom jingle)