SCIENCE announced today that it is taking viewers further inside NASA’s latest mission to Mars with the exclusive world premiere of i.am.mars: Reach For The Stars on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, at 10 PM ET/PT. The special documents the artistic and technical process behind “Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition)”, a new song by will.i.am that became the first song ever to be broadcast from another planet to Earth.

In what is being hailed as “the most complex Mars mission to date,” NASA’s Curiosity spacecraft successfully landed on the Red Planet on August 6, 2012. Since then the Curiosity rover has returned stunning photographs and valuable information about the Martian surface that is helping scientists determine if it had or still has the ability to support life.

Recently, Curiosity also returned will.i.am’s new song “Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition)” as–for the first time in history–recorded music was broadcast from a planet to Earth. i.am.mars: Reach For The Stars profiles will.i.am’s passion for science and his belief in inspiring the next generation of scientists through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education.

i.am.mars: Reach For The Stars also gives viewers a window into his creative process throughout the making of “Reach For The Stars (Mars Edition)”, as well as the recording of the song with multiple children’s choirs and orchestral players. In addition, viewers also go inside the engineering challenges NASA faced in uploading the song to Curiosity, and the hard work required to make the historic 350 million mile interplanetary broadcast a reality.

“Between MARS LANDING 2012 and i.am.mars: Reach For The Stars, SCIENCE is consumed with the bold exploration of the Red Planet,” said Debbie Myers, general manager and executive vice president of SCIENCE. “We hope our viewers are as inspired as we are by the creativity, imagination and daring of both will.i.am and NASA.”

i.am.mars: Reach For The Stars will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how this incredible artistic and technological achievement happened, thanks to the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) skills and expertise needed to send a song to, and back from Mars. The greater mission of ‘Reach For The Stars (Mars Edition)’ song is to inspire young people to dream, and to understand that through STEAM knowledge and hard work, their dreams can come true.

i.am.mars: Reach For The Stars is executive produced by will.i.am.