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We’re going to Mars.

Not right now, but soon. There’s a lot of work that goes into sending humans to a completely different world. Engineering new spacecraft, and new space suits. We’ve gotta figure out if humans can live and work in space for a deep space journey. And how do you feed them? Are they going to go crazy on the trip?

And what can we expect when we get there? What’s the surface of Mars like? Can we live and work there?

But before we look to space, before we leave the atmospheres, and before we head to Mars, let’s start at a place a little more familiar to us. Hollywood.

The Oscar-nominated blockbuster movie “The Martian” follows stranded Mars astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon. Most of the technology in the movie is stuff NASA and other agencies use for deep space and planetary exploration.

“The Martian” is based on the novel with the same name, written by Andy Weir. He joins the program to talk about his inspiration for the book and his thoughts on planetary exploration.

Listen to the next episode: RED ROVER, RED ROVER