Breaking the Mars Curse

July 26, 1775. In a stately mansion turned rebel headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, George Washington sits down at a dining room table and writes out his orders for the day. The brand-new commander-in-chief has a problem: his army is outfunded, outmanned, and outgunned — a ...  Show more

We have been told the American Revolution was fought over taxation and representation. But that's not what the Declaration of Independence says. According to our founders, in their own words, what they were most upset about was Native Americans. How does a whole country miss a po ...  Show more

From the ancient Egyptians to 16th-century scientists to NASA today — fascination with the Red Planet spans thousands of years. But Mars holds endless mysteries. How close are we to finding them out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

Twenty years after NASA landed the first rover on Mars, theorists believe there’s more to the Red Planet than reported. Has NASA uncovered hints of an ancient civilization? Did our ancestors receive help from the Martians? Or better yet, is man already colonizing Mars? Learn more ...  Show more

Many spacecraft have died trying to get to Mars. The current record for Mars missions is 18 successes, and 25 failures. The InSight mission hopes to improve the odds. 

Many missions are working to understand Mars' past habitability, but could there still be microbial life on the red planet today? This week on Planetary Radio, we discuss the proposed Mars Life Explorer mission with Amy Williams, assistant professor of geology at the Universit ...