Tag: Mars

It’s the year 2085, things are really bright for NASA as this is the 17^th time they are embarking on a manned space mission to Mars. Since NASA have had a bitter experience in the past, they have redesigned the old space suit to better adapt to the atmospheric pressure and temperature of the red planet. Our team is sure that this will work just as planned as the spacesuit has been tested in the large planetary simulation chamber multiple times. In this mission, we are going to conduct the final inspection and plot the coordinates for constructing the space habitat.

If everything goes as planned, we would be able to colonize Mars by the beginning of the 22^nd century. Ever since all the countries in the world realized that there is no point in fighting with each other and spent all their resources for the development of their society, things have taken a wild turn and we are heading for the betterment of the future. The world space organization has postponed its 8^th interstellar mission until our project is done as it involves a lot of expenditure.

Things are going just as planned, its 24 hours to launch, not just my family, but the whole world is excited to watch this event unfold as we will be back with the good news. 4.2  billion people have already booked their reservations for becoming permanent residents of the Martian world encompassed by a space habitat. Sadly, most of the bookings are wait-listed as only 2.5 billion people can be accommodated in the structure. The remaining people will have to wait until the year 2125 for the next habitat to be constructed.

The day of the launch has arrived, the fuel lines of the rocket are fully secure, me and my team of 2 astronauts Sam, and Lisa have boarded the spacecraft equipped with all the gear and resources for our 300 day long journey. As we are waiting to ride on, I look into the sky and think to myself, “This is it, we are going be a part of something mankind is going to be proud of for years to come. “ 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and we are off into space. Our spacecraft has now reached space and we are about to slingshot our way to Mars. My team are anxious about whether they will make it. I assure them that everything is perfect as I check my console for any fuel leaks, pressure variance and change in direction. We cross our planet’s gravitational field and are on our way to the red planet.

Just 50 days left to reach. I toggle through the cameras and happen to stumble upon a relatively small blue globular thing, turns out is our Earth. I radio back to headquarters and tell them that I am on track and need some assistance with the landing gear. I also share the remainder of my schedule, they verify it and then give me a thumbs up.

We reach Mars, Lisa and I gear up as Sam is going to hang back and assist us with the landing from the spacecraft. We hop into the pod and detach ourselves from the craft. We steer our way towards the red planet.

As I approach Mars, I see a glimmer of sunlight reflecting off its surface and boy oh boy, it was a truly amazing sight. I was mesmerized by that beautiful red desert sand glistening off the surface. Lisa preps the landing gear and we are ready to land. I reduce the speed of the engine and reverse the throttle to counter the gravitational force of the Martian world. As the spacecraft makes its way to the surface, I see that the atmosphere is much different than that of Earth’s. Looks like a huge amount of reddish brown dust lingers around. We make a smooth landing at the spot as planned and radio back to NASA headquarters.

Lisa and I inspect the surrounds for any large debris and get out of the spacecraft. As I set my foot on the ground, I tell her, “This is our first step to into a new world, we are going to start what humanity has dreamed of for many years.” We inspect the land for a couple of days and plant the markers at the optimum location. That’s it, our job is done, we radio back and tell the world that the construction of the Martian space habitat has begun. Just as we are about to make our way back to the space pod, we see an unidentified spacecraft hovering over the planet just a couple of yards away from our pod. From the looks of it, we can tell that this is some Alien spacecraft far ahead of our technological achievements. This unidentified spacecraft makes a soft landing and the doors open.             

[To be Continued]