It's 298 days since the first manned
mission to Mars left the space station.
The space ship Ares and her crew
of seven men and women-
-are now going into orbit
around the red planet.
To make the journey with
the minimum energy requirement-
-after overcoming the Earth's
gravitational velocity-
-the ship entered an orbit around the
sun known as Hohmann's trajectory.
The enigmatic red planet
is home to many mysteries.
In 1999, Mars Global Surveyor failed
to detect a global gravitational field-
-but did find dozens of local fields,
and strange gravitational anomalies.
We have some comments from Andre
Vishniac, captain of the mission-
-received just a few seconds ago
and broadcast to Earth.
This is a historic moment.
Captain...
How do you feel at a time like this?
You're flying over Mars. One of ancient
humanity's dreams has come true.
It was a difficult dream to achieve.
This is our job,
and we've been trained to do it.
We can't worry about other factors.
Man landed on the Moon
more than 50 years ago.
The next and obvious step was Mars.
But it took longer than expected.
Why Mars?
What do you expect to find there?
There is no easy answer to that.
Why does man explore at all?
To learn and to know more.
To prove that we can achieve goals-
-that seemed impossible to reach.
-Susana, are you ready?
-Yes, I am.
-Herb?
-Yeah, I'm ready.
Ares...
Commander voice check.
Ares, this is the pilot.
Voice check, over.
Ares, this is Herbert.
Voice check, over.
Start countdown.
-...four, three, two, one, zero.
-Ignition.
It was like coming back from the
dead. Confusion and darkness reigned.
Do you read me, Belos?
Belos, do you read me?
Someone answer. Do you read me?
We hear you, Lowell. We've crashed.
-Is everyone okay?
-I don't know. I'm okay.
It's pretty crazy here.
The crash was awful.
Are you all right? Are you okay?
Get some rest. Don't worry.
Get some rest, okay?
We're alive. Jesus...
It's amazing. We're alive. We did it.
Come on, Johnson.
We did it. We're alive.
Hey, guys...
Is everybody okay down there?
-I'm all right.
-Are you sure, Johnson?
Come on, buddy. We did it.
Vishniac, are you okay?
Vishniac?
Vishniac, answer me. Are you okay?
Vishniac...
Jenny!
I don't know...
His neck is broken.
God bless his soul.
If anyone finds this tape, I want them
to record the facts as they occurred.
The crash was terrible, but the
Belos's cockpit miraculously survived.
Our captain, Andre Vishniac,
died on impact.
They five survivors were soon forced
to confront the harsh reality.
What lay ahead
wasn't going to be easy.
I can't see anything.
Christ, what a disaster...
We'll never be able
to restore pressure in the hangar...
...and the Rover's a wreck.
We discovered the failure. For a few
seconds, all systems were shut down.
It was enough
to fool the flight computer.
-What caused it?
-You'll have to look in your database.
I wish there was something I could do.
Everyone's looking for a way out.
Thanks, Lowell. We'll talk later on.
We need more room.
This is too suffocating.
Sanchez, you're second in command.
With Vishniac dead, you're in charge.
What do you suggest?
All I wanted was to be somewhere
else - a million miles away.
First order from your new captain:
You can all lie down and wait.
-Wait? Wait for what?
-You don't want to know, Fidel.
-I refuse to accept that possibility.
-You'd better get used to it, Herb.
There's a ship above our heads,
and it cannot enter our atmosphere.
-There are no more landing modules.
-We expected that, Luca.
They'll send a rescue mission.
We only have to stay alive until then.
Rescue mission?
Do you hear what you're saying?
It takes 26 months to send a ship
from Earth. How will they rescue us?
If there's one problem with orbit,
it'll delay that another year.
I don't understand. A rescue mission?
The purpose would be to recover our
bodies. We'll be dead within a year.
That's where you're wrong, Jenny.
We're going to survive.
This descent module wasn't designed
to keep us alive for three years.
We're 191 million kilometers
from Earth, and we're alone.
-There's always a way to survive.
-Any specific ideas?
We must get to work. All of us.
Our mission now is to survive.
Just as others have survived before.
Our situation is not as desperate
as it might seem at first glance.
Really? Not as desperate?
I love this guy.
I knew a geologist once.
He went on a trip for one day to
Switzerland, and he saw a black cow.
When he came back, he wrote that all
the cows in Switzerland were black.
I'm a geologist, that's true-
-and that's why I know
how to keep my feet on the ground.
We are on Mars, Herb. We're not
going to find palm trees out there.
I don't know what we should do, but
I know that we have to find answers.
-Or die trying.
-What shall we do about water?
Mars's atmosphere contains traces
of water. It's only a matter of time.
Sure, we just have to get used to
not drinking much or breathing much.
Won't you consider the idea that we
may just have a chance of surviving?
All right. I'm listening.
What's your plan? Where do we start?
Precisely as we're doing now.
Assessing our situation.
-We'll need a list of our resources.
-I can give you a general idea.
Go ahead.
First of all we need two kilos
of oxygen per person per day.
We need approximately two kilos of
water and about 1,5 kilos of solid food.
With the supplies we have on board,
for six people... Maybe one year.
Since the captain's dead - if we're
very careful, we can probably go...
-...fifteen months. That's optimistic.
-Please, go on.
All right...
Thanks to the recycling units, we have
enough water for a couple of years.
But if we use the recycler, we're
going to deplete our energy source...
...in about a year.
The problem with oxygen is similar.
In this situation, we'd be too miserable
to be worrying about breathing.
We're surrounded by oxygen. The
planet is rusted. That's why it's red.
I got it. But in this atmosphere,
it's in the form of carbon dioxide.
We can separate the oxygen
using dry electrolysis-
-but we'd use too much energy.
The thermoelectric generators
would be depleted in a year.
We could reduce heating, wear our
thermal suits, turn all the lights off...
Do you think we can last several years
inside our space suits in the dark?
We'd all go crazy.
We're no longer on a mission to Mars.
We're shipwrecked.
We'll have to accept a great deal
of suffering and discomfort.
Don't worry.
I'm used to facing extreme situations.
-Do I have to call you "sir"?
-No, Jenny. You don't have to.
But now I'm captain of this mission.
Or of the gang of castaways.
-I think we should...
-Excuse me, but it's my turn now.
Luca, I want a detailed inventory
of all our supplies-
-and your estimates as to how we can
make them last as long as possible.
There's another very important thing.
We have to find out what happened.
-Rodrigo, you can take care of that.
-Sure.
Johnson, we need more room.
The acceleration berths won't be
needed anymore. Take them apart.
What about me?
Do you have anything for me to do?
Do you have any idea how to get the
resources we need from the surface?
I'll get working on that right away.
We all set out
on our new mission - survival.
Mars was the most inhospitable place
the human mind could ever imagine.
We were determined to use every
available resource to survive.
We all know that oxygen is the most
abundant element in the rocks of Mars.
-Is there any way to make use of it?
-I think so.
We'll improvise a silicate reactor
to produce methane and steam.
Steam? Did you say steam?
-Where are you going to get energy?
-We wouldn't use our generators.
-So how are you going to do it?
-With fuel from the Belos's engines.
We're not planning to take off and
can do what we want with the tanks.
Burning cryogenized fuel...
That sounds very dangerous.
-Luca... Did you hear Herbert's idea?
-Yes, I heard his idea.
-What do you think?
-It's ridiculous.
We don't know what condition the fuel
tanks are in. No one's checked.
We're having electrical problems.
The system is not working at all...
...and we're not getting
any feedback signals from the tanks.
Let's suppose that they're intact.
If we suppose that they're intact,
which is a bit optimistic...
...we still have to improvise a silicon
reactor from the Belos's engines.
It is not easy,
and a lot of things could go wrong.
We could focus
on more productive things.
But I'm not the captain,
so you make the decision.
Susana.
I know where we are. We're way off
the designated landing point.
We're right here at the planet's
equator - near zero latitude.
-How can you be so sure?
-The cameras took several pictures.
Let me see them.
-Unbelievable.
-It sure is. Look at this.
It looks like permanent bank of fog
at the bottom of the valley.
It's just at the point nearest to us.
Maybe Ares should take a look at it.
It could be water vapor.
-Could it be of use to us?
-I doubt it. We need more than fog.
-Do you know why we crashed?
-A software error.
It lasted only a few seconds,
but it misled the radio altimeter.
Bad luck, I guess.
Luca and Herbert,
start getting ready for EVA.
Take all of this outside, and then
you'll take a look at the engines.
I'll go with them. While they get rid of
this junk, I'll dig a grave for Andre.
What's the point of that? Let's simply
put the captain's body outside.
If we lose touch with what we believe
in, soon we'll be acting like animals.
You mean with our superstitions?
Let's focus on things that are practical.
Let's not waste time
digging a useless grave.
Let's gather our resources
and make some plans.
Okay, Luca... Nobody asked
you for help. I can do it alone.
We can't assume the responsibility
of taking the captain's body outside.
We could contaminate this planet.
The human body is filled with bacteria.
-Do you think bacteria would survive?
-To hell with bacteria!
I don't want to die thinking about
if we're going to leave bacteria behind.
Susana, do I have permission to
bury the captain in a Christian fashion?
Congratulations, Herbert.
You're the first man on Mars.
Baglioni's right.
It's absurd to bury the captain.
Does anybody want to make
a memorable speech?
Why don't you do it, Luca?
You're the brains of this mission.
I think I will, Herbert.
How does this sound?
Here lies Andre Vishniac.
He was born on Earth-
-and traveled a long way through
time and space to meet his destiny-
-right here,
in this miserable and desolate place.
I'll say a few words.
Wilson wrote them before meeting his
death alongside Scott in the Antarctic.
Do you know what I think?
I think Herbert really is optimistic.
But you are doing your part
- assuming all the responsibility.
I'm sure it must be very hard. Your
position is the most difficult of all.
Do you think I'm a pessimist?
I think you're a strong woman,
and you know what has to be done.
-I'm not strong. I can assure you.
-You seem to be.
I've spent all my life pretending.
That's a fair amount of practice.
But right now I'm scared to death.
-Don't tell the others.
-It will be our little secret.
I wish I was as calm as you.
"Although secrets must be hidden
until God reveals them to man"-
-"perhaps we are the ones he chose
to witness for the first time"-
-"the hidden heart
behind the barrier of ice"-
-"and the warmth of the sun under
the brilliant radiance of its rays-"
-"whilst the blizzard scorches and
freezes us with its biting embrace."
I'd like to confess something, Susana.
In my case I'm not so sure.
There's something that frightens me
as much as the idea of dying.
Losing my composure,
allowing panic to take over.
That's not going to happen, Fidel.
You'll know how to react,
as well as the rest of us.
I'm not a strong man, I can assure you.
But I can't control my curiosity.
That's why I joined the mission.
Okay, good...
Let's go.
We're going to check the tanks.
The first grave on Mars.
Luca and Herbert had done
a complete damage report.
There was no need to ask.
It was clear the news was not good.
But Herbert tried to bring us
some hope from the world outside.
It's ice. We've got ice, guys.
-It accumulated in the shade of Belos.
-How can it be water?
The Martian atmosphere
is dry in absolute terms-
-but the cold is so intense that it's
always on the verge of saturation.
Luca... Did you check
the engines and fuel tanks?
They no longer exist. They must
have been thrown off by the crash.
It's a miracle
they didn't blow up and kill us all.
It wasn't a miracle, but a curse.
We are doomed to die.
Even though we keep on breathing
for a year, we are as dead as Andre.
Are you saying that there's
no cryogenized fuel left?
I'm saying that
the contents of this cabin-
-is all that we have left to survive.
I don't think we're going to make it.
What's going on here?
Give us a break, okay?
Is anybody listening to what
I'm saying? This is water.
Do you know what it means? Water!
We didn't expect to have it,
but here it is.
The problem isn't water or air.
Our energy will run out within a year.
And there's no way
we can produce any more.
We have to start
saving energy right now.
Our only chance is to reduce energy
consumption to a minimum.
We've already lowered
the inside temperature.
Very well,
we'll have to hope it works.
-Any news on our rescue?
-No. I'll be leaving in two days.
They've called it an alternative
trajectory back to Earth. I'm sorry.
Do they have any idea back on Earth
why we crashed?
So far only theories. Some quite
intriguing ones, but only theories.
-In what way?
-Well...
As you know, Mars has no
planetary magnetic fields.
But it does have magnetic anomalies
and localized gravitations.
There's no satisfactory
explanation for this.
We've detected the strongest anomaly
at the bottom of the Marineris Valley.
It's so strong that it could have
affected Belos's OCR oscillators.
That's not all. There's something
weird hidden under the fog.
Take a look at the new photos,
and look at them carefully.
I'm sorry. I have to go. I have
a long journey back. Good luck.
Lowell's departure left the rest of us
with a deep feeling of solitude.
All our hopes had vanished. We were
victims of an unavoidable tragedy.
What's going on?
Has our useless neighbor given up yet?
Don't say that.
It must have been frustrating for him.
-It's breaking my heart.
-What's that?
-A shot from a SAR camera.
-"I'm a doctor, Jim. Not an engineer."
Synthetic Aperture Radar.
-What's that?
-I've seen this somewhere before.
-Yeah, so have I.
-It doesn't seem to be natural.
-It looks like a maze.
-I'll compare it with the image bank.
Here it is. This photo was taken
near the south pole of Mars.
Look. They're completely identical.
This is so weird.
On our next trip to Mars, we'll take
some pictures and do investigations.
Unfortunately time is running out
- for all of us.
Was that just another comment,
or your conclusion as engineer?
We need to call a meeting.
The minimum amount of time for
a round-trip between Mars and Earth-
-is two and a half years. There's
no way to cut down on this time.
I know they'll never get here in time
to save us, but they can't tell us that.
How much time do we have if we
follow the energy saving measures?
We have about
one year and two months.
The problem is with the recycling
system. It uses too much energy.
What do you suggest?
We have to accept the
baseline facts - that all five of us-
-cannot survive on this module
for that period of time.
Luca, what you're
saying...is terrible.
You asked for the data,
and these are the cold facts.
The module cannot sustain the
five of us for two and a half years.
How many can survive?
How many?
Two of us.
That's not enough, Luca. Two out
of five doesn't make any sense.
-It's ridiculous.
-It's the way it is.
No, it's not. It's not that way, Luca.
That's a way of giving up.
You're the one who compared
our situation to castaways.
Sometimes castaways
have to make difficult decisions.
Are you crazy? Do you expect us to
draw lots to see who lives or dies?
I'm not crazy. In a year and a half,
there will be five frozen bodies here-
-unless three of us stop using water,
air, and the recycling system.
You and everyone else
refuse to accept that. - Right, Herb?
You think you'll go back to Earth like
some hero who never lost his cool-
-and always knew exactly what to do.
He's right. We won't admit
the truth, but he's right.
I don't plan to commit suicide.
It's against my religion.
Does anyone question Luca's numbers?
No one?
Well, then...
Then it's clear that we all accept
that Luca's numbers are accurate.
Two of the five of us.
They must be correct. I don't know...
I don't think we should
jump into anything.
What I'm saying is that
we have to take time...
...to think before we make any
decision. Maybe we'll find something.
What, Herbert?
What are we going to find out there?
When are you going to get that we're
in the most unlivable place there is?
The Earth's poles are a paradise
compared to where we are.
How do we decide who lives or dies?
How can we make a decision like that?
Why don't we apply
Herbert's example?
What did castaways do?
Pull the shortest straw?
Should we decide that way?
I'm the pilot of a space ship
that will never fly again.
Fidel, you're the astro-biologist.
Your skills wouldn't be of any use
in this situation.
Herb's skills do him no good either.
But Jenny is a doctor...
...and Luca knows how to keep
this machine running.
The decision has been made.
Luca and Jenny stay.
Rodrigo, Herbert and I...
We'll go outside for a walk.
That's a really euphemistic
way of putting it, Susana.
Very intelligent.
You're very intelligent, Luca.
Perhaps the most intelligent of us all.
Did you have it all figured out when
you said that only two would survive?
-I'm sorry. I just can't accept that.
-What can't you accept, Herb?
We haven't exhausted every possibility.
If I must die, I will. But not before
having used up all our resources.
That's it, Herb. There are none.
Did you hear what I said?
-There are no alternatives.
-There are.
What are there, Herb?
You seem to know everything.
-Listen! What is our main problem?
-Energy. So what?
-Why don't we build a windmill?
-Why didn't I think of that?
That's brilliant! We'll build a windmill
that will get energy-
-and we'll fly back home. The air is
too thin. A windmill won't work.
-I've thought of everything.
-Listen to me now.
There are winds of more than 130
kilometers waiting for us out there.
-We can build it.
-The air is too thin.
I'm a scientist. I've thought of
everything. There are no alternatives.
I'm not going to waste energy and
resources on ideas that won't work.
It will lower the chances
of anybody surviving.
-I'm sorry.
-That's so easy for you to say.
-What does that mean?
-You don't understand that?
You're so clever
and you don't understand that?
I'm sorry.
I'm not leaving the module.
You can't ask me to do that.
We decided to sleep for five hours
before preparing to leave.
Finally, the moment arrived.
What are those for?
We're taking as many oxygen tanks
as we can carry. Is that a problem?
Susan, do you need that many tanks?
-Please, Luca...
-All right. I'll go upstairs. - Good luck.
Good luck. Take care.
-Luca... Take care.
-You too.
-Fidel...
-I'm sorry I arrived late.
-Give me a hand with the suit.
-Sure.
My gloves...
It looks just like
a sunny winter day on Earth.
Certainly no one would say
that we are on another world.
It's a great day for a stroll. I wish
we could take these heavy suits off.
That wouldn't be wise, Herb. 80
degrees below zero, 10 REM per year-
-and virtually no atmospheric pressure.
Come on, guys.
Susana, I was thinking that you
should start up your video cameras.
I can record everything from here.
I think they'll be very satisfied on
Earth with the images you can get.
Are you serious, Luca? Won't that use
up too much of the energy reserves?
I've done some calculations,
and I think we can afford it.
I think it'll be worth while.
Giving meaning to their last hours...
It isn't that. I think this is important.
There could be some valuable shots.
I'm not being sentimental.
You're on screen, Susana.
You can say a few words if you want.
You already know our situation.
It isn't worth while repeating it now.
We are going to try to reach
the edge of the Marineris Valley.
We've calculated that we'll have
to walk for about four or five hours.
We are carrying
a few spare tanks of oxygen-
-so there is a pretty good chance
that we'll get some good shots.
Hope you enjoy them.
Wait a minute. Let's stop here.
-I need to replace an oxygen tank.
-Okay, I'll help you.
How many more daylight hours
do we have?
Judging by the position of the sun...
I guess about two, maybe three.
Exactly four hours, Herb.
How far are we
from the edge of the valley?
You've already covered
three quarters of the distance.
Oh, God...
-Susana, is everything okay?
-Yeah.
The landscape seemed to have been
carved out by catastrophic floods.
Millions of years ago, that dry surface
could have been a deep chasm.
The untamed beauty of Mars - its icy
indifference took our breath away.
We were the first creatures to ever
set foot on that alien terrain.
A mere anecdote
in the midst of that red desolation.
Have you ever seen such beauty?
More than 4,000 kilometers long
and 300 wide.
There's nothing like it
in the entire solar system.
Look at those strata.
I don't know if the video image will
record the subtle colors. It's beautiful.
It's quite clear, Susana.
Did they reach the valley yet?
This place is beautiful.
You might think that just getting here
has made it all worth while.
Look over there.
Yeah...
-We could try to make it to the fog.
-The ravine is eight kilometers deep.
But the gravity on this planet
is a third of what it is on Earth.
It isn't as difficult as it seems.
- What do you think, Susana?
-Let's go down and take a look.
-All right. Why not?
Let's go. We don't have time to waste.
Is that a joke? It's just the fact that
I'm tired that keeps me from crying.
-Oh, God...
-Let's go.
Good idea.
Unfortunately it won't work.
Their air supply is too insufficient
to make it to the valley.
Are you nuts?
I've turned off the microphone.
Don't worry.
-Besides, they already know.
-There's no need to remind them.
-Do you think our situation is better?
-We have a possibility of surviving.
We have a possibility,
if you listen to me.
A few years ago,
I dated a guy like you.
He thought he was the smartest guy
in the world, but he was a jerk.
So you've had one boyfriend?
Fuck you, Luca. Fuck you!
This is a form of madness -
nothing more, nothing less.
All of us are crazy. Otherwise
we would have stayed on Earth.
What would make a sane man
leave his wife and children-
-and climb down a deep ravine
on the equator of a frozen planet?
We must all be reasonably sane,
or we wouldn't have passed the tests.
I lied. I wanted to come here.
I was crazy enough to lie, but
intelligent enough not to get caught.
-Did you lie, too?
-No, I answered truthfully.
Hey, guys...
Remember that all this is being taped.
Some day you will be on TVon Earth.
So, careful what you say.
They wouldn't do anything to harm the
image. They'll portray us as heroes.
-With luck we'll all be on a pedestal.
-Shut up, Luca.
You are living proof
that psychological tests don't work.
What about your team spirit?
I guess I lied.
As I'm sure everybody else did.
-Except for Herbert.
-I didn't lie, Luca. I didn't need to.
Perhaps you're the only one who isn't
saying, "What an idiot I was".
I wonder how they'll see us on TV.
What thoughts will be running through
the minds of the people watching this?
I've seen similar situations.
You're sitting in your living room,
drinking coffee after lunch-
-and suddenly they broadcast images
of just before a disaster.
You see people who will be dead soon,
and you wonder how they feel.
What keeps them going?
-Have you found out?
-No, not at all.
I feel like I'm seeing this on TV.
I can't accept
that this is happening to me.
My mind can't fathom that my air
supply will run out in a few hours-
-and that it will be
the end of the road.
I'd like to suggest something. How
about concentrating on the descent?
As we talk, we're using up
more oxygen than necessary.
The escarpment was what geologists
call a chaotic region.
The path had been carved out
by a torrential flow of water-
-sometime in the Martian past.
Wait a second.
I need to replace a tank.
I'll help you.
-Let's stop here, Susana.
-Okay.
It's your last bottle.
Calm down.
You're using too much oxygen.
Yeah, I know.
-Are you all right?
-Everything's fine.
Herbert was on his last oxygen bottle,
and we didn't have much more.
We knew we were nearing the end
of the road, but no one said a word.
We simply concentrated
on taking one step at a time.
Look at that.
-What?
-Phobos.
-It's moving as fast as a satellite.
-It's so beautiful.
And Demios is that brilliant star
right next to the edge.
-It doesn't look that spectacular.
-It doesn't matter, Rodrigo.
-They are the moons of Barsoom.
-Barsoom?
Shall we continue?
Barsoom.
That was the name given to Mars-
-by the inhabitants
of the Empire of Helium-
-ruled by the beautiful princess
Dejah Thoris-
-and where Tars Tarkas, the warrior
with green skin and four arms, fights.
Herbert explained this to us
as we continued our descent.
And he told us
about the spired cities of Helium-
-and the emerald green banks
of the great canal of Nylosirtis.
-What are you talking about, Herb?
-John Carter's adventures on Mars.
My grandfather had all
Edgar Rice Burroughs's novels.
The Tarzan books
and those of John Carter.
But the Carter ones
were my favorites.
As a child, I spent hours
devouring those marvelous novels.
I dreamt of someday visiting the
kingdom of princess Dejah Thoris-
-and walking under
the two wild moons of Barsoom.
You two will have to go it alone.
I think I'll stay here for a while.
What are you talking about?
What's the matter, Herb?
I can't go on.
My air supply has run out.
I swear to you that I'd like to...
...but I can't.
We knew that this moment
would come, didn't we?
Susana, didn't we?
You're a good person.
We should have gotten
to know each other better.
The only happy people are those who
have made their dreams come true.
It was all over.
What were we doing?
Why were we continuing on down,
stubbornly, pointlessly-
-towards our own graves?
Herbert was back there -
alone under the moons of Barsoom.
He was the best of us all.
Fidel?
Susana?
Can you hear me? I can't get any
images. I'm not seeing anything.
I'm getting interference.
It looks like the end of the road.
We can't carry along here.
Oh, shit!
Do we have to retrace
the whole route?
Not me.
There was no way out.
But suddenly I saw it.
I realized immediately that there
was something strange in that cave.
The slope we had followed
led straight to it.
-Susana?
-Luca? Jenny? Do you read me?
-I can't get...
-Luca?
Fidel, you have to see this.
Wait, I'm coming.
Can you hear me?
I can't get any images.
I'm getting interference.
Shit!
What does that mean?
We're dead.
I don't know. What the hell...
-What are you doing?
-We can stop conserving energy.
We have a leak. It's not as airtight
as I thought. We're losing air.
The pilot indicator...
...indicates that the
internal pressure has dropped.
I don't understand why the sensors
didn't warn us before.
Maybe they broke in the crash.
We can try to locate the leak,
seal it, and re-establish pressure.
No, my calculations were precise,
and were based on an airtight cabin.
I hadn't foreseen that we
would lose air because of a leak.
That variable was not included
in my equation.
The outcome couldn't be worse.
Even if we could plug the crack-
-we wouldn't have enough air
to wait for a rescue mission.
I refuse to give up.
I'll find the damn leak and plug it!
-Jenny...
-What?
It's useless. The pressure's going down.
Perhaps the crack is getting bigger.
The leak will be visible from the
outside as a streak of water vapor.
There's no hope.
Believe me. There's no hope.
I don't want to spend my last hours
in a pressurized suit-
-waiting for the air to disappear.
Listen, Jen. Please...
-I don't...
-What do you want to do? Tell me.
We just admit
that we're going to die-
-and just come together,
come towards each other...
We can make each other feel good
and it would be okay.
I don't want to be alone
and just sit here waiting to die.
Why don't we just make each other
feel good? We can be together.
How much time
do we really have left?
I think about twelve hours.
Any thoughts like this the whole
voyage... Have you just avoided...?
Do you mean that with your enormous
talent and amazing intelligence-
-you can't find any other solution
than to die fucking?!
That's completely unreasonable.
That's so uptight.
Listen, Jenny. Listen to me.
I've thought about this a lot.
I think we can adapt together.
Let me tell you what we're going
to do. My plan, okay?
I'll get into my pressurized suit
and go outside to locate the leak.
I don't care if it's a waste of time. At
least I'll feel that I'm doing something.
You can stay in here and masturbate
until you die of dehydration.
When the rescue mission arrives,
that's how they'll find you.
They may even erect a statue of you
on the same spot.
It doesn't seem to be
a natural phenomenon.
What do you mean?
I don't understand how nature could
have created a cave like this.
It's kind of artificial, like a tunnel
dug by an intelligent being.
-The walls are smooth, almost perfect.
-There could be many explanations.
An ancient frozen water course could
have perforated the rock this way.
Like an underground glacier.
Then the ice melted...
It's incredible, Fidel.
Can you see this? Amazing!
There are symbols carved in the stone.
It seems to be some kind of writing.
They have angles, as if they have been
carved by an intelligent being.
Oh, my God!
It's man-made, there's no doubt
about it, but I still can't believe it.
Oh, my God...!
-Someone built it.
-"Someone..." It's incredible.
Oh, my God. We can't complain
about it. We have no right to.
We've discovered the remains
of an ancient civilization.
-There are more symbols in the stone.
-Susana, I'm really seeing them.
Oh, God. It's unbelievable.
Oh, God...
Fidel had devoted his career to
proving the feasibility of life on Mars.
We had stumbled across evidence
he would have never dared dream of.
But we wondered if that discovery
would die along with us.
-What do you think you're doing?
-I must find that leak.
Don't waste your time, Jen.
We've lost too much air.
"Must find the leak..."
-We have to keep fighting.
-Jen, look at me.
Admit it. We're going to die.
Just admit it.
Leave me alone.
I don't want to die.
Too bad we didn't bring
an archeologist with us.
An archeologist would murder us
for not taking precautions-
-before coming in here and distorting
everything with our fingerprints.
-What do you mean?
-The ground is covered in dust.
-How long will our footprints last?
-A thousand years, maybe.
This tunnel goes down. Do you think
it will reach the bottom of the valley?
It's possible,
but it's 8,000 meters deep.
I can't believe we're here.
What's happening?
-The air pressure is higher here.
-Your pressure gauge must be broken.
No, look... There's air and the
oxygen count is almost normal.
We haven't passed any airlock or
registered any pressure increase.
Your instruments must be off.
My air pressure is almost zero.
I don't have much to lose.
Decompression is a horrible way to die.
I'm tired, Susana. If this is the end...
Don't do it, Fidel.
Don't leave me alone.
It's cold, and it has a metallic smell.
But you can breathe it
without any problem.
But that's impossible.
There's air here,
and sufficient pressure.
Don't ask me how it's possible.
It's true.
Fidel...
If there's sufficient air here...
Yeah, we could survive.
We must find out what this place is,
what it's for.
The pyramids must be recent
in comparison to this place.
The stones around us have been here
longer than we can imagine.
We may never know what it means.
The symbols aren't so strange, con-
sidering they're from an alien culture.
Any race of hunters would have
developed the arrow symbol.
The star and the cross sign
aren't difficult to imagine either.
-The eye of the octopus.
-What?
Its structure is identical to that of
the human eye - parallel evolution.
Well... Let's go.
Wait, we still have
no contact with Belos.
They can't help us back at the module.
-This place is a maze.
-I feel like an experimental rat.
-I wonder if it means anything.
-It must.
Imagine an ant that wanders into a
discarded Coke bottle looking for food.
It goes round and round until it drops.
Perhaps it thinks-
-that such a strange and
beautiful place must have a purpose.
But these symbols
must have a meaning.
Fidel, don't leave me.
-The corridor is a vacuum, isn't it?
-Yeah.
How did they do it? How can it be?
Please, Fidel. Don't leave me.
Susana... I'm so very tired.
Fidel, don't leave me. Please.
I'm recording everything I can see
with my camera...
...but I can't transmit anything.
You'll only be able
to see these shots...
...if someone bothers
to look for my corpse.
Alone, more alone than any other
human being had ever been-
-in a strange place, where some
mysterious technology was operating.
Something was keeping the air inside,
and perhaps it was that something-
-that caused the magnetic
and gravitational anomalies.
Perhaps the anomalies indicated
the position of mazes like this-
-scattered over the surface of Mars.
But I was lost inside.
Wandering alone through a place that
had already claimed my partner's life.
I had been going around in circles
for hours-
-and thought that Rodrigo was right,
that there was no logic behind it.
Perhaps it was just a rat trap, or...
Who knows?
The only thing I knew for sure was
that there was no air or pressure-
-in the corridors marked with a star.
I do hope that these arrows
are taking me in the right direction.
But nothing is certain.
Rodrigo? Is that you?
Two arms. Two legs.
It all seems pretty human.
But who knows
what it looked like originally?
All I need is a small trace of vapor
to locate where the air is escaping.
All I need is a small trace...
This is impossible.
Jenny? Jenny?
-Jenny?
-I'm here.
Yes, that's it. It's Susan's signal.
-Is it possible?
-No, it's not possible.
But that's the signal.
She can't be alive. It's impossible.
Jenny? Luca?
Can you copy?
We copy, but we don't have an image.
You must try to make it over here.
There's air here, for everyone.
Over here.
-And Rodrigo?
-He didn't make it. He's dead.
But you...survive.
-Breathable air here.
-I think she's crazy.
-Could she still be alive?
-If Rodrigo gave her some oxygen.
-Or if she took it from him.
-What are you trying to say?
I don't know.
Maybe she's hallucinating.
-We could try to reach her.
-Could we?
We have one hour of oxygen
on the ship.
We have two space suits
with oxygen tanks filled.
And we have the one
from the captain.
I think we can make it.
I thought you didn't want to die
in a space suit.
I've come to the conclusion
that no death is good.
I want to find out
what happened to Susan.
Come on.
I need to rest for a while. These suits
were not designed for long walks.
You're alive!
Vivo.
- Jenny!
It's crazy.
So this, my friends,
is the bottom of the Marineris Valley.
It's been tough getting down here.
Herb and Fidel died
without even seeing it.
But this place could mean hope for us.
There's water, air, and organic life.
A primitive lichen species that we
may be able to extract proteins from.
So there you have it. It's a fact.
Mars was inhabited millions of
years ago. A civilization thrived here.
What were they like?
How did they live?
What did they feel about their world?
What happened here?
When the planet cooled,
they built devices like the tunnel-
-able to retain air and sustain life
in an increasingly inhospitable place.
But in the end, they didn't survive.
Who knows why?
We won't be around to find out.
I'm down to my last camera battery,
and filming as much as I can.
This is for those of you
who are viewing this footage.
Those who will seek answers
to these mysteries.
Our only objective now is to survive.
As Herbert said: "We're stranded."
Like castaways,
we'll hold out to the end.
Take care of our families.
Translation: Mattias Anulf
Broadcast Text Stockholm, 2003