The intriguing possibility of life on Mars has fueled man's quest to visit the Red Planet. Drawing on 45 years of Horizon archive, space expert Dr Kevin Fong presents a documentary on Earth's near neighbor. Man's extraordinary attempts to reach Mars have pushed technological boundaries past their limit and raised the tantalizing prospect of establishing human colonies beyond our own planet. While the moon lies 240,000 miles away, Mars is at a distance of 50 million miles. Reaching the moon takes three days, but to land on Mars would take nearly eight months, and only two thirds of the missions to Mars have made it. The BBC has been there to analyze the highs and lows - including the ill-fated British attempt, the Beagle. Horizon has explored how scientists believe the only way to truly understand Mars is to send people there. If and when we do, it will be the most challenging trip humanity has ever undertaken.

Episode Viewers and Ratings

Season 47 Episode 12 of Horizon resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Horizon Season 47 Episodes...

• s47e01 - Why Are Thin People Not Fat?
• s47e02 - Cannabis: The Evil Weed?
• s47e03 - Why Do We Dream?
• s47e04 - Can We Make a Star on Earth?
• s47e05 - The Secret Life of Your Bodyclock
• s47e06 - What's the Problem with Nudity?
• s47e07 - How to Survive a Disaster
• s47e08 - Who Do You Want Your Child to Be?
• s47e09 - Why Can't We Predict Earthquakes?
• s47e10 - Alan and Marcus Go Forth and Multiply
• s47e11 - How Violent Are You?
• s47e12 - Mars: A Horizon Guide

Horizon Show Summary

Horizon is BBC Two's flagship 50-minute science documentary series.

Recognised as the world leader in its field, it regularly wins a sweep of international science, medical and environmental film accolades, and has recently won the Royal Television Society Award and the Prix Italia.

In 2002, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts presented Horizon with the BAFTA Television Award for Best Factual Series or Strand.

In 2003 it won the prestigious Images et Science award for best medical documentary and the Carl von Linne Award at the Living Europe film festival in Sweden. That year, a Horizon co-production with WGBH Boston won the Emmy for best documentary.

In September 2014 it celebrated its 50th anniversary and it continues to enjoy outstanding critical acclaim.