'The Martian' author to make NASA TV drama with CBS

It's been a while since we've had a fictional TV series based around the present-day exploits of the folks at NASA. That's all set to change with the news that CBS has commissioned a pilot for a drama about the next generation of astronauts, entitled Mission Control. The show will focus on the personal and professional exploits of a group of young, would-be space cowboys on a "critical mission with no margin for error." The show has been written and created by Andy Weir, who rose to fame as the author of hit sci-fi novel The Martian.

Given NASA's prominence in pop culture, you'd think that there'd be a whole host of TV shows based around its exploits. But the real number is a lot smaller than you'd think, especially considering how many times the agency pops up in movies. Even then, the bulk of the series focus on the golden age of the space race, like The Astronaut Wives Club and From the Earth to the Moon. You have to go back to 1996's The Cape before you reach a NASA show that actually depicted present-day astronauts.

Hopefully the show will help to reignite the public's interest in space exploration and science in general. After all, given the attitude of some people these days, NASA could do with all the help it can get.