Staying Alive

S1 E3: The spacecraft that will take a crew to Mars will be assembled – in space. Up to 10 rockets will be required to carry equipment and the astronauts to the mothership. The 56-million-kilometre journey to and from the Red Planet could take up to three years. Will the fuel be thermo-nuclear or super-heated charged particles? Engineers must get it right the first time – or the astronauts will die.