"We're better prepared for a journey to Mars now than we were when we sent men to the moon in the 1960s, " Zubrin told CNN.

CNN: Life on Mars?

Yet while we're much better prepared, SARS still scares us ... sometimes into silence.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

If instead we believe we're capable of heroism ourselves, we'll be better prepared to realize that potential and snap into action if and when our time comes.

CNN: What made London Samaritan so brave

I'm going off to Sweden tonight with my health secretary Liam Fox who himself has been to Germany and to France and we're going to go to other countries as well because what we're actually saying is somehow the citizens of these countries recognise they need a better health service and they're prepared to make the changes.

BBC: News | BREAKFAST WITH FROST | Conservative Leader, Iain Duncan Smith MP