MARS | Exclusive Sneak Peek

And now an exclusive sneak peek at the first episode of [Music] [Music] Mars Retro Rockets about to fire in 1, 2, 3… bre… 1, 2… [Music] three.

We dream it's who we are, down to our bones, ourselves. That instinct to build, that drive to seek beyond what we know, it's in our DNA. We crossed the oceans, we conquered the skies, and when there were no more frontiers on Earth, we launched ourselves among the stars.

We choose to go to the moon in this decay and do the other things not because they are easy, but because… because they are [Music] hard. The heavens beckoned a new generation of innovators and explorers seeking to take humankind even further. We can push out into the solar system not just to visit but to stay. That was when Mars became real for all of us.

For those of us who are around to see the first days, it was electrifying. The world's leading space agencies united as the International Mars Science Foundation and joined with private industry to accomplish one shared goal: to build a home for humankind on Mars. People weren't just talking about the red planet; they were making plans to go there.

And after years of training in the astronaut corp, I was chosen to command the first human mission to [Music] Mars. It's like a brand new Cadillac, but that shine isn't going to last. Over the next 7 months, your bodies are going to be exposed to nearly 200 times the dose of a normal year's worth of radiation exposure on Earth. Calcium will leech from your bones, which will lose nearly 10% of their mass before you even get to Mars.

There is no test that can tell you whether or not the notion of being 60 million kilometers away from the planet on which you were born could shatter your mind in so many pieces. Some of us, if not all of us, will almost certainly die on this mission. Might be in takeoff, might be in landing, might be in the new world itself.

Now you all are the bravest group of women and men I have ever met. I'm damn proud to be here with you. But right now, I want you to stop and ask yourself what really is important to you about this mission. And if the answer to that question is not the most important thing in your life, then I'm going to invite you to walk out that door and go pursue whatever that thing is, and don't ever look back because no one will ever have the right to hold it against you.

Tess, you're a go for launch in T-minus 17 seconds and counting. Mission analytics executor, you have primary control of all the critical functions. May the ship be yours. I am in control.

5, 4, 3… ignition off. Mars: the global event series premieres Monday, November 14th at 9:00 on National Geographic.