The recent explosion of Martian surface data is set to revolutionize the way we explore that planet. Until now, mission science has had to catch up with the imposed engineering constraints. With this data, we can plan exciting new missions to specific locations with enough precision to allow engineers to get us there safely. One of the most appealing uses of this methodology is the search for evidence that life once existed on Mars. Here we discuss the developing effort to send a mission to search for life in an ancient hot spring deposit. This type of site would have all of the known requirements and preferences for life; warm waters, thermal and chemical energy, access to the subsurface and a great medium of preservation. With the target in mind, we can develop the instrumentation package and mission architecture to optimize the science return and minimize the cost to begin a hopefully long line of targeted, focused missions to explore the nuances of our Solar System.

JR has been interested in space since he was a kid...and made it his day job! After getting a PhD in Mars Exploration at Brown University, JR is now at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, working with NASA to understand the geology on Mars and how it might support life. He is also building his own startup, Made of Mars, to make products from naturally-occurring elements on Mars. Learn about telescopes, find out if water exists on Mars, and put your vote in for the next product we will need when humans visit Mars! For more info, check out www.madeofmars.com! Music credit: "Aurea Carmina" by Kevin MacLeod

For more information and stills gallery, please turn to: www.erikwernquist.com/wanderers For youtube version, please turn here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH3c1QZzRK4 ----- UPDATE: For anyone interested I have made a clip with a few discarded scenes from this film, which can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/132183031 ----- Wanderers is a vision of humanity's expansion into the Solar System, based on scientific ideas and concepts of what our future in space might look like, if it ever happens. The locations depicted in the film are digital recreations of actual places in the Solar System, built from real photos and map data where available. Without any apparent story, other than what you may fill in by yourself, the idea of the film is primarily to show a glimpse of the fantastic and beautiful nature that surrounds us on our neighboring worlds - and above all, how it might appear to us if we were there. As some may notice I have borrowed ideas and concepts from science fiction authors such as Kim Stanley Robinson and Arthur C. Clarke, just to name a few. And visually, I of course owe many tips of my hat to painter Chesley Bonestell - the legendary master of space art. More directly, with kind permission from Ann Druyan I have also borrowed the voice of astronomer and author Carl Sagan to narrate the film. The audio I used are excerpts from his own reading of his book 'Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space' (1994, Random House, http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159735/pale-blue-dot-by-carl-sagan/) - needless to say, a huge inspiration for this film. ----- CREDITS: VISUALS BY - Erik Wernquist - erik@erikwernquist.com MUSIC BY - Cristian Sandquist - cristiansandquist@mac.com WRITTEN AND NARRATED BY - Carl Sagan - from his book 'Pale Blue Dot' http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/159735/pale-blue-dot-by-carl-sagan/, courtesy of Ann Druyan, copyright by Democritus Properties, LLC, with all rights reserved COLOR GRADE BY - Caj Müller/Beckholmen Film - caj@beckholmenfilm.se LIVE ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY BY - Mikael Hall/Vidiotism - mikael@vidiotism.com LIVE ACTION PERFORMANCE BY - Anna Nerman, Camilla Hammarström, Hanna Mellin VOCALIST - Nina Fylkegård - nina@ladystardust.se THANK YOU - Johan Persson, Calle Herdenberg, Micke Lindgren, Satrio J. Studt, Tomas Axelsson, Christian Lundqvist, Micke Lindell, Sigfrid Söderberg, Fredrik Strage, Johan Antoni, Henrik Johansson, Michael Uvnäs, Hanna Mellin THIS FILM WAS MADE WITH USE OF PHOTOS AND TEXTURES FROM: NASA/JPL, NASA/CICLOPS, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, ESA, John Van Vliet, Björn Jonsson (and many others, of which I unfortunately do not know the names) SUBTITLES & TRANSLATIONS PROVIDED BY - Victor Terrón (English, Spanish), Titus Ou (Traditional Chinese), John Walter (French), Shinwoo Jeon (Korean), Yoav Landsman & Ehud Maimon (Hebrew), Miguel Andrade (Brazilian Portuguese), Rik Delaet (Dutch).