"Mission to Mars," a new book released on National STEM Day, gives us a look at the future of space exploration through the eyes of children. An essay contest asked students from across the country to reach for the stars and dream big. They were asked to imagine life on Mars, 20 years into the future, and now three of them will have their work published. "It was about five crew members, one of them being me, experiencing some challenges," Thomas Diepstraten said, who is a 7th grader from Idaho. He came in third place. "I like this feeling of discovering the unknown and pushing the limits of human knowledge," Jaidyn Rethman said, who is a freshman from Michigan. She won first place. Marijka Ristic, a 9th grader from Illinois took second place. MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/outreach/innovate8/mission-to-mars-stem-students-write-about-the-future-of-space-exploration/509-fdea0f19-35b1-4396-8937-19d74b311c6c