Educational Media Reviews Online

This DVD takes off on the acclaimed film MARS Dead or Alive. It follows the Mars landings of the two robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, together with their problems, successes, and the beautiful pictures they sent back to Earth. It also examines the continuing attempts by NASA to verify that water, and perhaps life, once existed on Mars. The film follows the project directors at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, as they work remotely with the two robotic rovers, trying to maneuver the vehicles millions of miles away, as well as take soil and rock samples. In the end, the film explains the process used to justify NASA's recent announcement that water did once exist on Mars, and the proof uncovered by the two rovers to verify this hypothesis. Welcome to Mars is a fascinating film for any age group with high-tech animation sequences and interviews with staff and project directors.