Nat Geo's Mars Explores Space Travel Now And Then

Debuting on National Geographic Monday tonight, Mars will explore space travel with one of the most interesting storytelling methods on television.

One half of the episode, peppered throughout the series' first hour, will follow space travel as it stands today. Scientiests and astronauts weigh in on the difficulties of traveling to the Red Planet (or any planet) which include landing spacecrafts full of humans which weigh up to 40 tons on a planet millions of miles away.

The factual desires for humans to depart Earth and colonize another planet are explored through the eyes of our peers - the people of today.

Simultaneously, Mars will take us to its titular planet in a world set 17 years from now: 2033. Humans and their technology have evolved. The first launch to Mars is underway and humans are looking to find another planet to call home before an exctinction event on Earth makes us a blip on the universe's radar.

Fictional characters explain their desires to take the journey, the captain takes point on his ship, and they are literally sent to another world.

The first episode of Mars is compelling not because it takes us to a planet which seems closer than we may think. It is the method of storytelling which will grip its viewers. The simultaneous storytelling of two generations of humans, one group which is trying to discover the answers and technology to get us to the new world and another which is executing the plan the first will develop.

It is unlike anything on television at the moment and definitely unlike anything previously featured on Nat Geo - which is in the midst of seeing an overhaul in its type of programming.

While the narrative of landing on Mars is clearly fictional, for now, the present-day story combined with detailed character backgrounds provides the hooks which will sink into audiences by the conclusion of the show's first hour. Expert advisers contributed to the new sci-fi show to solidify it as both a product of imagination and scientific expectactions for what has the feel of a documentary mailed back through time.

Think: LOST meets Prometheus, just without the unending unanswered questions.

Mars debuts Monday at 9 p.m. ET on the National Geographic Channel.