Long before the discovery of water on Mars or Matt Damon's star turn in The Martian, Robert Zubrin has been advocating for a human mission to mars. His book, The Case for Mars, made a splash when it was first published in 1996, and has continued to be influential in both scientific and science fiction circles. Zubrin calls Mars "the Rosetta Stone" for understanding life in the universe. But he's not just interested in science. He also thinks the sheer challenge would bring positive and uplifting change to all of humankind.