National Geographic Channel head to Mars
National Geographic Channel shoots into space as the series MARS has been announced to premiere in November 2016 on the broadcaster.
Set in 2033 the series follows Earth’s first crewed mission to Mars aboard the Daedalus spacecraft which viewers will see successfully launch from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The story of the historic mission follows the collaborative effort of MMC and the International Mars Science Foundation. The Daedalus and its human crew of six will take their rightful place in the history books as their fateful journey begins.
In the miniseries, from Ron Howard, upon landing, the crew will immediately begin to secure a limited base camp and with the first human settlement established, the crew must sustain itself until future landings in 2035 and 2037. The carefully selected international crew of six are uniquely suited to take on this monumental step for humans, and are supported by the best team on the ground.
Ben Cotton plays Ben Sawyer a mission commander and systems engineer, space architect. The MIT graduate was very close to his father, whose fascination with space was an inspiration for Ben. Ben is a highly trained and experienced astronaut who has flown for both NASA and private space companies in numerous capacities. While Jihae Kim plays Hana Seung a mission pilot and software engineer. Hana is a NASA-trained pilot. Hana and her twin sister, Joon, have dreamed of traveling into space since childhood, and Hana’s position as second in command on the mission to Mars is the result of a focused career.
Sammi Rotibi plays a Nigerian mechanical engineer and roboticist Robert Foucault. Robert showed exceptional intelligence from a young age, and excelled academically at a series of top-level institutions, eventually receiving a Ph.D. in robotics from Stanford. Clementine Poidatz portrays Amelie Durand a French flight surgeon and psychologist. Amelie is responsible for overseeing the medical and psychological well-being of the crew and future settlement.
Alberto Ammann stars as Javier Delgado a hydrologist and geochemist. Javier is responsible for developing and managing the settlement’s most basic and precious resource: water. Anamaria Marinca features as Marta Kamen a Russian exobiologist and geologist. As a young woman, Marta witnessed the Chelyabinsk meteor fall in February 2013, which inspired her interest in meteorites. Marta is responsible for geological exploration and the search for signs of life on Mars.
On the ground, the MMC control team based in London will work closely with IMSF in Vienna, Austria. The MMC team includes Jihae Kim as Joon Seung an American capsule communicator (CAPCOM), MMC. Jun has been a rising star on the administrative side of Mars Mission Corporation. Her success at MMC brings her into regular collaboration with IMSF.
Olivier Martinez plays Ed Grann CEO of MMC. Ed has committed MMC and himself to a settlement on Mars. Ed holds an engineering degree from MIT, and is the business leader for MMC and the inspiration for the IMSF collaboration. Ed is responsible for keeping the economic and scientific goals on track while Cosima Shaw stars as British geneticist, administrator and leader of MMC’s Phase 3 settlement team Leslie Richardson. Leslie and her husband, John, have published numerous books together and are well-known for the development of Mars-specific hybrid plants, designed to thrive in the rigors of the Red Planet.
Finally John Light plays Doctor Paul Richardson a world-renowned exobotanist. Paul has pioneered the development of a series of plant hybrids specifically engineered to function in the extreme conditions of Martian greenhouses.
MARS will premiere in November 2016 on the National Geographic Channel.
