Earth invades Mars in February. In a historic trifecta for space exploration, spacecraft of three countries will arrive at Mars, and for two of those it will be their first time at the Red Planet. We talk to the science lead for the Emirates Mars Mission, a NASA engineer piloting the first helicopter on Mars, and a British space expert – all to learn how these spacecraft may bring greater understanding of this rusty world – including whether Mars ever supported life.

Guests:

• Sarah Cruddas - Space journalist, broadcaster, and author of “Look Up: Our Story with the Stars”
• Sarah Al Amiri - United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Advanced Sciences as well as science lead for the Emirates Mars Mission
• Håvard Grip - Chief Pilot and Flight Control Lead for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices