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    Staying Alive

Documentary
46 
Oct 13, 2007
With zero gravity depleting muscle and cosmic radiation causing cancer, a three-year voyage to Mars in this environment could be punishing for the human body. How will we protect it?

Full Episodes

Season 1, 6 episodes

Season 1
   
Journey to the Red Planet,
Dr. James Garvin and Dr. Paul Delaney set the stage outlining the extraordinary challenges and obstacles faced by the international space community in sending a manned mission to Mars.
46m Sep 6, 2007
   
Rocket Power,
The spacecraft that will take a crew to Mars will be assembled–in space. Will the fuel be thermo-nuclear or super-heated charged particles? Engineers must get it right–or the crew will die.
46m Oct 7, 2007
   
Staying Alive,
With zero gravity depleting muscle and cosmic radiation causing cancer, a three-year voyage to Mars in this environment could be punishing for the human body. How will we protect it?
46m Oct 13, 2007
   
The Human Factor,
The human spirit itself may be the Achilles heel of the Mars mission. Mental breakdown, sexual tension, near-suicide, and mutiny have already taken place on shorter space missions.
46m Oct 20, 2007
   
Six Minutes of Terror,
The last six minutes of the flight to Mars is the most dangerous. Only an inflatable aeroshell will protect the capsule as it enters Mars' atmosphere at a temperature of 4,000C and 16,000 kph.
46m Oct 27, 2007
   
Search for Life,
Is there life on Mars? Scientists are combing the most barren places on Earth to search for clues. What if Mars has its own independently-created lifeforms that are deadly to humans?
46m Nov 3, 2007
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