MARS, a six-part miniseries from Ron Howard, premiered this week on National Geographic Channel, and today my guest is space journalist Leonard David. He authored the companion book to the miniseries titled MARS: Our Future on the Red Planet.

He discusses why we want to go to Mars, how we’ll get there, and how long it may take. Leonard David also shares how humans will survive the harsh environment of the red planet including little oxygen, gail force winds, and cancer causing radiation. He talks about the possibility that life may already exist there, the psychological toll of venturing so far from earth, and why private sector initiatives led by businessmen like Elon Musk could beat NASA to the punch.

If you enjoyed today’s podcast, then you can order Leonard David's new book MARS: Our Future on the Red Planet on Amazon or you can download the audio version for free at www.audibletrial.com/kickassnews.  Learn more about NatGeo's MARS miniseries at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/mars  Keep up with Leonard David at www.leonarddavid.com.

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