Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Someone on Earth today may one day walk on the surface of Mars. In the first of a two-part Mars special, astrophysicist Professor Tamara Davis and astronomer Greg Quicke meet the Australian scientists on a mission to solve the many challenges of putting people on the red planet.
Stream more documentaries now on ABC iview: ab.co/ABCScienceDocos
This Catalyst documentary was first broadcast in 2021 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Chapters:
00:00 Could Mars Ever Be Home?
01:11 Escaping Earth's Gravity (G-Force Jet Test)
06:18 Our Cosmic Ambitions
07:37 The Mars Climate
08:54 Stargazing Mars
12:37 The History (and Failures) of Mars Missions
13:44 How Will We Get to Mars?
16:26 Could I Go to Mars? (Astronaut Test)
24:15 Surviving the Martian Surface
24:38 Lava Tubes: Natural Shelter from Radiation
30:02 Robot Explorers for Mars
36:34 How Will We Find Water?
37:39 Electrolysis Demonstration
40:25 Growing Food in Space
41:35 The Plant Microbiome Breakthrough
46:05 Space Weather & Mission Control
48:26 Mars Crew Emergency
53:23 What Makes a Good Astronaut Team?
54:54 Conclusion: Our Road to Mars
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Like: facebook.com/ABCScience
Follow: instagram.com/ABCHealth
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel.
Please see the ABC Online Terms of Use for the reasons why we may remove content from this page, or ban people: http://about.abc.net.au/terms-of-use/
Someone on Earth today may one day walk on the surface of Mars. In the first of a two-part Mars special, astrophysicist Professor Tamara Davis and astronomer Greg Quicke meet the Australian scientists on a mission to solve the many challenges of putting people on the red planet.
Stream more documentaries now on ABC iview: ab.co/ABCScienceDocos
This Catalyst documentary was first broadcast in 2021 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Chapters:
00:00 Could Mars Ever Be Home?
01:11 Escaping Earth's Gravity (G-Force Jet Test)
06:18 Our Cosmic Ambitions
07:37 The Mars Climate
08:54 Stargazing Mars
12:37 The History (and Failures) of Mars Missions
13:44 How Will We Get to Mars?
16:26 Could I Go to Mars? (Astronaut Test)
24:15 Surviving the Martian Surface
24:38 Lava Tubes: Natural Shelter from Radiation
30:02 Robot Explorers for Mars
36:34 How Will We Find Water?
37:39 Electrolysis Demonstration
40:25 Growing Food in Space
41:35 The Plant Microbiome Breakthrough
46:05 Space Weather & Mission Control
48:26 Mars Crew Emergency
53:23 What Makes a Good Astronaut Team?
54:54 Conclusion: Our Road to Mars
Subscribe: ab.co/2YFO4Go
Like: facebook.com/ABCScience
Follow: instagram.com/ABCHealth
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel.
Please see the ABC Online Terms of Use for the reasons why we may remove content from this page, or ban people: http://about.abc.net.au/terms-of-use/
