Lego Space Space subtheme in which the entire theme is "good", "bad", or "civilian". Life on Mars is a space theme released in 2001, around a time of increased curiosity about the red planet. The theme revolved around the concept of the lifeforms that could possibly exist on Mars. This was the first Space theme to feature two types of minifigures: human astronauts and Martian aliens. The sets denote peaceful coexistence between the two species on the planet Mars. The "Life on Mars" theme pioneered several unique aspects in Lego in general. It was the first Lego theme to utilize a pneumatic
Human mission to Mars intermediate steps before the landing on Mars, including human missions to Phobos; and the "Great Exploration" proposal from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, among others. In response to a presidential initiative, NASA made a study of a project for human lunar- and Mars exploration as a proposed follow-on to the International Space Station project. This resulted in a report, called the "90-day study", in which the agency proposed a long-term plan consisting of completing the Space Station as "a critical next step in all our space endeavors," returning to the Moon and establishing a permanent base, and then sending astronauts to