The first human to walk on Mars is already born. Whilst a crewed mission to the Red Planet is probably one of the most daring and complex voyages our society is about to embark on, explorers and researchers worldwide design hardware, test workflows and explore new science to make this journey a both safe and successful one. Dr. Gernot Grömer has led eleven Mars field simulations so far, emulating the surface phase of this mission. More information on http://www.tedxvienna.at Dr. Grömer researches exploration astrobiology and has led eleven Mars field simulations. He has logged 94 hours of spacesuit activities as analogue astronaut and 30 minutes of zero gravity. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx