It’s the official policy of the U.S. government to work toward putting people on Mars. Debates about that usually focus on cost and national priorities. Less considered is what life on Mars would do to the people who go there.

That, however, is the subject of a new book by scientist Scott Solomon. It’s called Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds. Solomon was raised in Champaign, attended University High in Urbana, and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Four volunteers, including a Springfield-based E.R. doctor, are on a 1-year mission living on a simulation of Mars. Today we discuss the challenges that these four volunteers will face to help NASA prepare for its real-life mission to Mars. 

Are you a science fiction fan? Today on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with New York Times best-selling author Kim Stanley Robinson.

Guest: Steven Squyres, Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University.

Twin robotic explorers Spirit and Opportunity have added a great deal to our understanding of Mars. Among other things, they have found substantial evidence that at one time, there was water on the surface of the planet. Today on Focus, Cornell University astronomer Steven Squyres talks us through what we know so far and the big question... was there ever life on the Red Planet?

Guest: Andrew Mishkin.

Sojourner's diminutive size didn't stop it from captivating millions of people when it beamed back the first-ever photos from the red terrain of Mars. But the Pathfinder mission's story goes far back beyond that first contact. NASA engineer Andrew Mishkin joins us today on Focus to give us the details on the massive effort made by the world's best minds to land an artificial intelligence on the surface of Mars.