The Mars Underground (Documentary)

"The Mars Underground" is a documentary that follows Dr. Robert Zubrin and his team as they try to bring the dream of landing humans on Mars to life in the next ten years. With the advent of a revolutionary plan, Mars Direct, Zubrin shows how we can use present-day technology and natural resources on Mars to make human settlement possible. The film captures the spirit of Mars pioneers who refuse to let their dreams be put on hold by a slumbering space program. At the dawn of the 21st Century, space agencies in Europe and America began making plans to land the first humans on Mars. However, manned missions to the red planet have been proposed before. Some believe that Mars holds the answers to mankind's future in space, while others say Mars is too far, too dangerous, and too expensive for humans to explore. In a world torn by troubles, some say there is no need or will for mankind to reach into space anymore. Dr. Robert Zubrin has been arguing for years that sending humans to Mars is the mission the space program needs. He believes that setting goals for NASA that were worthy of the risks of human space flight is time. Mars is the next logical step in our space program image, as it is the planet most like Earth, has the resources needed to support life and technological civilization, and will provide us with the answer as to whether life is prevalent in the universe or exclusive to Earth. In the early 1990s, Zubrin was the head of the Mars Direct program at Martin Marietta Astronautics. His team developed a mission to Mars that could be done at the fraction of NASA's projected costs. Using only existing technology, Zubrin argues that the first steps on Martian soil could be made within 10 years. For the past 15-years, Zubrin and his colleagues have waged a campaign to convince society and the political class that humans on Mars should be the goal for NASA now. This is the story of an engineer's journey and the battle of ideas over which direction in space will truly benefit mankind.