After decades of space exploration, and countless movies on the subject, why exactly does Mars continue to inspire such high levels of cultural and scientific fascination?

Both the red planet and NASA — the most prominent vehicle for space exploration — are coasting on a wave of newfound popularity, taking center stage in big-budget Hollywood productions. Whether by coincidence or design, the favorable treatment of NASA by Tinseltown comes at a time when the space agency recently discovered the existence of water on Mars, and last week openly declared colonizing the planet within the next 20 years as "an achievable goal." Given threats from outer space, at least a few scientists think the survival of humanity may hinge on finding a new, hospitable planet to colonize. Just a few years ago, NASA critics and even some supporters were openly questioning whether the Mars science laboratory was worth its $2.5 billion price tag. Read More'The Martian' gets a real life boost, but it may not matter Fast forward a few years, and the space agency is moving full speed toward establishing a human presence on the planet — a quest that looks less and less quixotic by the day.

"Mars is obviously the logical next place to expand our capabilities and getting Earth crews there," Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin told CNBC in a recent phone interview, in which he described his efforts to promote more awareness about outer space among children and the general public. The famed astronaut and second man to walk on the moon's surface said sending humans to the planet would be an accomplishment "that's unparalleled in humanity."

With space tourism becoming a booming industry, one of the heroes of the Apollo 11 mission told CNBC that "it's the time" for humans to touch down on Mars. In a document outlining its rationale for sending humans to the far-flung planet — which lies 140 million miles from the Earth — NASA invoked the 1969 Apollo voyage, adding that unlike the moon, a mission to Mars would involve "going to stay." Mars' atmosphere is noted for its thin, carbon dioxide-filled air and ferocious dust storms that last for months. Yet the discovery of water on the planet supports conjecture that life may have once flourished there. Given the right conditions, some think Mars could eventually be capable of sustaining humans. Read MoreEvidence found of 'flowing liquid water' on Mars "We need to keep public interest stimulated and demonstrate to our leaders ... this is a most historical opportunity," Aldrin said, speaking from a conference in Israel. He added the human race was in a prime position to become "pilgrims in setting up permanence on Mars."

Mars, Earth in a 'dangerous' neighborhood

Rendering of an asteroid over Earth. Juan Gartner | Getty Images

In fact, the prospect of humans pioneering on the red planet is gradually becoming more and more of a reality — and in some ways may be a necessity, a top-ranking NASA scientist told CNBC recently. "If the human species is going to survive, is it going to survive solely on Earth or not," asked Jim Greene, NASA's director of planetary science. "The appeal has been that as we explore, the next frontier beyond our atmosphere is Mars. That captures a lot of imagination in science, but also in science fiction." Yet Greene — a self-described "Star Trek" fan who studied at the University of Iowa under James Van Allen, the physicist who discovered the radiation belts surrounding the Earth — also underscored the inherent dangers of outer space, and the imperative to discover other systems capable of sustaining human life. Read MoreMicrosoft is sending HoloLens to space to help NASA He characterized Earth as existing in "a dangerous part of the solar system," which runs the outside risk of being hit by a "planet-killing" asteroid. Although it may sound like a plot from a science fiction movie, Greene explained that NASA has identified 876 out of more than 12,000 near earth objects that the agency is "really monitoring carefully." "In the last 500 million years of the earth's history there have been five mass extinctions of species. The last one was the end of the dinosaurs," Greene said, referencing the event that scientists surmise brought about the extinction of dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago. Within the known range of potential "planet killers" —asteroids that are at least 2 km in size—that the space agency monitors, "there are more than 150 that we're really watching carefully," Greene said. These "potentially hazardous asteroids" will come within 5 million miles of the planet over the next 100 years. They cross our orbit frequently, and we know we're going to get hit again," Greene said. "Its not a matter of if, but when."

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