People have been dreaming of going to Mars since the invention of the first rocket. It's nearly a century since men walked on the moon, and humanity is finally ready for their next great adventure. But time, distance, and fuel constraints mean that this will be a one-way mission. As far as space exploration goes, we're putting all our eggs in one basket. The crew numbers hundreds, in the hope that there will be enough to stop the expedition succumbing to cabin fever, and every one of them is a world-class expert in some scientific discipline. But what kind of people would give up everything else in their lives, just to be the first to set foot on another world? And how will they react when they find out they weren't the first?