SCIENCE announced that it is taking viewers further inside NASA's latest mission to Mars with the exclusive world premiere of i.am.mars: REACH FOR THE STARS tonight, September 19, 2012, at 10 PM ET/PT. The special documents the artistic and technical process behind "Reach for the Stars," will.i.am's newest single that became the first song ever to be broadcast from another planet to Earth.
In what is being hailed as "the most complex Mars mission to date," NASA's Curiosity spacecraft successfully landed on the red planet on August 6, 2012. Since then the Curiosity rover has returned stunning photographs and valuable information about the Martian surface that is helping scientists determine if it has the ability to support life.
Recently, Curiosity also returned will.i.am's new song "Reach for the Stars" as - for the first time in history - recorded music was broadcast from a planet to Earth. i.am.mars: REACH FOR THE STARS profiles will.i.am's passion for science and his belief in inspiring the next generation of scientists through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.
i.am.mars: REACH FOR THE STARS also gives viewers a window into his creative process, as well as the recording of the song with a full children's choir and orchestra. In addition, viewers also go inside the engineering challenges NASA faced in uploading the song to Curiosity, and the hard work required to make the historic 700 million mile interplanetary broadcast a reality.
"Between MARS LANDING 2012: THE NEW SEARCH FOR LIFE and i.am.mars: REACH FOR THE STARS, SCIENCE is consumed with the bold exploration of the red planet," said Debbie Myers, general manager and executive vice president of SCIENCE. "We hope our viewers are as inspired as we are by the creativity, imagination and daring of both will.i.am and NASA."
i.am.mars will be distributed to schools nationwide through Discovery Education's digital streaming services. SCIENCE and Discovery Education will also work with Affiliates to promote i.am.mars' educational resources for use in schools and with community organizations, brining the magic of Mars to life.