Mars Expedition

The first Mars expidition left Earth on January 23, 2082, after several decades of delay, due to the distractions of war and famine on earth. Through a joint effort of the U.S., Russia, and China, Mars Mission 1, as it was generically dubbed, included a crew of 25, destined to remain on the planet until the next scheduled mission, 5 years hence. As such, they took with them exquisitely engineered recycling systems, and genetically engineered space gardens designed to produce all the nutrients they would need for the duration. Equipment designed to extract water from the Martian permafrost was also included, although would not be relied upon, given the continuing uncertainty of accessible ice layers on Mars, or their potability. The ship left earth at 3AM from the old Kennedy Space Center, in a re-tooled russian rocket, with jointly designed space capsul. The capsule was a large affair, with ample living quarters for the estimated 3-month voyage, designed to spin when in space, to similute 1/2 earth gravity. The crew was a carefully selected group of 12 men, 13 women, pretty much equally balanced between the three nationalities, although most of the women were Chinese. All were selected for their intellectual and psychological qualifications, of course, although speculation was rampant that most of the Chinese women were selected for their beauty, and submissive demeanor. Things hadn't really changed that much in terms of who calls the shots in a joint military/civilian mission such as this one. It was clearly accepted that on such a lengthy excursion, with the possibility of no return existing, that romantic liasons would surely develop onboard, and particularly on the 5-year stint on the Martian surface. In the latter regard, the plan was to excavate a honycomb of living quarters in the Martian crust, with a small, thick plexiglas dome topping it off, and providing access, via airlocks, to the martian surface. Several mars rovers were carried along for this purpose. Kaitlin Chan was excited about her opportunity to be one of the first human women to visit the planet. An experienced astronaut, she had been lucky enough to onboard the original Mars "flyby" mission, ten years prior. She was reluctant to leave her life partner, Sanyu, back on earth, but the draw to the red planet was irresistable.

(Stay Tuned....)