For years, the possibility of a manned mission to Mars has filled our newsfeeds and imaginations, but what actually needs to be done to make that dream a reality? In this episode of The Curious Cosmos, Derrick Pitts is joined by science writer Mary Roach discuss her book, Packing for Mars, and all the important (and often off-kilter) work being done to prepare for that mission here on Earth!Check out Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, and Mary's other booksExplore the Antarctic Search for Meteorites furtherCheck out the Mars500 project from the European Space Agency, where participants simulated a tip to Mars in Moscow.Learn more about Peggy Whitson, the American record holder for most time in space!Learn more about the failed Mars One project, which promised to colonize Mars via a reality TV show