I’ve long held a fascination with Mars. It all started when I was 10 years old and given an old issue of National Geographic which had a map of the red planet inside, complete with the names of all the major geographical features. From there on out, I was devouring science fiction as fast as I could read it, and Mars was a cornerstone of my obsession… fueled by the Martian tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Ray Bradbury.

Fast-forward to present day and The History Channel has given us The Universe, a series exploring the frontiers beyond our world. In the second episode of the series, Mars: The Red Planet focuses on Earth’s celestial neighbor, and the one planet in the solar system most like our own. It’s a scientific exploration of Mars’ past, present, and future, all made nicely accessible thanks to interviews with the scientists and astronomers studying the planet today.

The show uses actual Mars photography and many high-quality visual effects to explain the material. This makes an interesting subject even more fascinating, as they discuss everything from the potential for life on Mars to possible human exploration. It’s a lot more fun to watch than those boring documentaries they used to show in school, that’s for sure. I especially liked the way they explained Mars’ geology by using computerized 3D flybys of its mountains and canyons.

Overall I really liked Mars: The Red Planet (and The Universe series as a whole), and find it to be a nice update and companion piece to Carl Sagan’s 27-year-old PBS series Cosmos, which is pretty much the gold standard for astronomy television. Anybody with even a passing interest in astronomy or the potential for life on other planets should check it out.

The Universe has recently been released on DVD (retail price $44.95). Check back soon for details on a change to win a copy of your own by entering a contest right here at Geeks of Doom!