The highly anticipated film, “The Martian,” is being released in theaters nationwide today. In the book and film, an astronaut is inadvertently left behind on Mars by his crew mates. The story is ultimately about human ingenuity and perseverance in unrelenting circumstances.

While this story set in 2030 may seem like a fantasy to some, it is not unlike the stories of early settlers going to very different, and often harsh new lands. Those early settlers stayed the course and we can be thankful for their determination.

The same nation built from early settlers is now gearing up to take humans to Mars. The building blocks are already underway by NASA and industry for humans to travel to Mars.  In fact, many of the critical technologies are being built in your back yard.

Some of the critical technologies needed for a trip to Mars are a powerful rocket to escape Earth; a long-duration spacecraft to carry the crew to their destination; and a transportation system to position supplies in advance of the crew. These are also important elements in the fictional book, showcasing that fiction follows fact.

The first building block to Mars is a new, very large rocket, the Space Launch System — a rocket that will be more capable than any existing launch vehicle. Its first launch is three years away!

Humans will be carried into deep space by the Orion capsule aboard this new rocket. The Orion capsule’s first test flight was last December. It will have one more test without a crew in 2018, and shortly after that human will begin to explore deep space. Local employer Aerojet Rocketdyne provides the propulsion for Orion from liftoff to splashdown. Right here in Redmond, we are building the thrusters for the capsule that will carry the crew.

The journey to Mars is long, and will require a lot of supplies for the crew. The crew needs to get there fast so it can spend some time exploring Mars before they have to come home. Like in the book, NASA will send the crew in a fast light ship. In fiction and real life, supplies need to be pre-positioned for them, and will be sent ahead on a slower, larger ship. This ship will use advanced electric propulsion systems that are very efficient, but much slower than the craft that the crew will fly in.

Solar electric propulsion is currently used to keep communication satellites in their proper orbit. The advanced solar electric propulsion work to send humans to Mars will be underway shortly.  Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Redmond facility is the world’s leading supplier of high power electric propulsion systems and is working with NASA on spacecraft designs for Mars cargo.

Manufacturing and testing of critical components necessary for deep space exploration is underway in 49 states. The space program provides economic growth for local communities through innovation and job creation. More importantly, the spirit of human exploration defines great nations just as the first footprint on the lunar surface inspired the next generation of advancements in science and technology.

“The Martian” and early American settlers have shown perseverance and human ingenuity ultimately triumphed. Deep space exploration isn’t easy, but the United States has shown it is up to the challenge. We need to stay the course and continue building on the excellent foundation we have to make a human trip to Mars real.

Mars is in our grasp! We don’t want to pass on this opportunity and think what might have been. If early settlers had given up, we might not have known about Mount Rainier.

Julie Van Kleeck is vice president of the Advanced Space and Launch Business Unit at Aerojet Rocketdyne in Redmond.