Since time immemorial we’ve been fascinated by the red planet, Mars. Human exploration remains a dream, with it taking at least six-nine months to travel there each way. But explorers still plan for the day someone will make the journey, and that’s what Ana Montserrat Rosell’s Women on Mars focuses on. Following several women participating in The Mars Society’s exercises to prepare for a Mars flight, the documentary illustrates what’s needed to live on Mars, why we want to go there, and how a training camp in Utah is helping us do it.
As one of the participants lays out, only 13% of astronauts who have traveled out of Earth are women, and much of what Rosell does is illustrate how the belief that a woman can’t handle Mars travel is a misnomer. The women of the Hypatia I crew, those running the Mars analog mission at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah are an incredibly intelligent bunch doing a variety of experiments that could revolutionize life on Mars, from crafting batteries that run on urine to power LED lights to using fish embryos to figure out how fish could survive space travel.
Throughout the documentary the women talk about the challenges they encounter while going through the simulation. Even though they’re in Utah, they’re mimicking the conditions of space travel so things like privacy and space become issues as things go on. But they understand they’re part of a far bigger thing. One scene shows them visiting local schoolchildren and teaching them about Mars' space conditions. At the end, several little girls say they want to be astronauts. It’s easy to understand that, regardless of whether the women of the Hypatia I ever go to Mars (and at the end most of them admit they don’t want to travel there) the hope is that they inspire the next generation to continue their work.
Women on Mars is a highly engaging documentary about space exploration that never wastes a minute of its hour runtime. The topics are presented in simple ways that show the unique impact of the work being done. Whether you’re a space nerd or just interested in science, this is one worth watching. Recommended.
Which public library collections should include Women on Mars?
Women on Mars is worth carrying in collections focused on space, space exploration, and the planet Mars. It can also be placed in curated collections focused on scientific accomplishments, women in STEM careers, female astronauts, and the future of space exploration. The movie is possible to show to all ages though the complex processes and extensive use of subtitles makes it better suited for those in middle school on up. Libraries that purchase scientific documentaries would also do well to carry this.
What academic subjects or media education courses would benefit from this film?
The documentary can be used to examine the future of space exploration, the colonization of Mars, or the history of space exploration in America. It can be presented alongside other historical documentaries about space like From the Earth to the Moon. Science classes could utilize this in looking at the future of space travel or studies specifically on the planet Mars.
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