Mission to Mars

Plot

In 2020, the Mars I spacecraft to planet Mars, is commanded by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle) with fellow astronauts Nicholas Willis (Kavan Smith), Sergei Kirov (Peter Outerbridge), and Renée Coté (Jill Teed). Upon arrival, the team discovers a crystalline formation in the Cydonia region, which they suspect is an extrusion from a subsurface geothermal column of water, useful to future human colonization. After reporting this to the World Space Station, they investigate the formation and hear a strange sound on their communications system, which they assume to be interference from their planetary rover. When they scan the formation with radar, a large vortex kills everyone except Luke. After the vortex subsides, the formation is revealed to be part of a large humanoid face.

The World Space Station having received Luke's distress message, a second ship is readied for a rescue mission—the Mars II containing Commander Woody Blake (Tim Robbins), Co-Commander Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), and mission specialists Terri Fisher (Connie Nielsen) and Phil Ohlmyer (Jerry O'Connell). As the ship enters Mars orbit, micrometeoroids breach the hull. During repair, the external fuel tanks are overlooked, causing a leak and later explosion. The crew abandon ship to get to the REMO ("Resupply Module") orbiting Mars. Tethered to the others, Woody launches himself at the module, but although he attaches a line to get the others to the module, he is unable to properly land on it. Terri tries to rescue Woody, who is her husband; but, knowing she would run out of fuel before reaching him, Woody removes his helmet, killing himself to save her.

When the survivors arrive on the surface of Mars, they find Luke living on the produce of a greenhouse, whereupon he reveals the crystalline face structure to them, and that the sound on the communications system comes from the structure and represents an XYZ coordinates map of human-like DNA, but missing a pair of chromosomes. Jim determines they must complete the sequence to pass a test, and the crew dispatches a robotic rover to reproduce the completed signal. Following the transmission, an opening appears in the side of the structure, which Jim, Terri, and Luke enter, while Phil remains at the repaired Earth return vehicle with orders to launch, with or without them, at the agreed time.

The opening seals behind them, disrupting radio communication with Phil, and a three-dimensional projection of the solar system depicts the planet Mars, covered with water, being struck by a large asteroid and rendered uninhabitable. A recreation of a Martian then reveals that the natives of Mars evacuated their world in spacecraft, one of which landed on Earth to create the planet's lifeforms and human beings, who could one day land on Mars and be recognized as descendants. An invitation is offered for one astronaut to follow the Martians to their new home. Jim accepts the invitation, bidding farewell to Terri and Luke, and while they return to Phil and subsequently to Earth, he is taken into an oxygenated capsule in a small ship that is launched past the three astronauts leaving Mars, who watch it fly toward the Martians' home.