Quick Summary
A team of robot sleuths roaming Mars on a mission to uncover its secrets
About This Program
A team of robot sleuths roaming Mars on a mission to uncover its secrets. Now, Perseverance joins them to find out if there was ever life on the red planet
More information
Tonight’s episode of Unknown titled “How the Universe Works” follows a squad of robotic explorers as they criss‑cross the Martian surface. The Perseverence rover takes centre stage, teaming up with its older cousins to map ancient riverbeds, drill into sediment layers and sniff out traces of water. Viewers get a close‑up look at the instruments that sniff for methane, capture high‑resolution panoramas and analyse rock chemistry. The programme explains how dust storms, solar radiation and the planet’s thin atmosphere shape the landscape, then asks whether any of those conditions ever supported life. Interviews with NASA scientists break down the data, while CGI recreations show what a wet Mars might have looked like billions of years ago. By the end, the audience walks away with a clearer picture of the red planet’s past and the tools we use to read its story.
How the Universe Works broadcasts on Discovery Channel HD at 11:00pm, Tuesday, 9 December 2025. (Subtitles, repeat)

