/ Modified jan 17, 2011 7:39 p.m.

NOVA scienceNOW

CAN WE MAKE IT TO MARS? A trip to Mars and back could take two to three years. Can humans survive the journey? Wednesday at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD.

This episode of NOVA scienceNOW examines all of the perils of this journey, including deadly meteoroids, bone and muscle deterioration, and cosmic radiation. Host Neil deGrasse Tyson checks in with scientists who are developing new ways to keep astronauts alive on such a journey.

nova_science_mars_2_617x347 Dava Newman (pictured with Mike Massimino) at MIT wants to design a space suit for future Mars explorers that’s more Captain Kirk than Neil Armstrong.

Among the innovations covered are meteoroid-proof materials, new space foods and spacesuits, and novel modes of transport, such as plasma rockets. This episode also profiles young female scientist and daredevil Vandi Verma, part of the team that drives the Mars rovers on the Martian surface.

PBS

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