Over the next several years, they were going to train, eat, and live together, day in and day out. Their social skills and team spirit would be tested to the breaking point and so would their determination and morale. But with a little luck, their friendship would last and even extend beyond the boundaries of Earth, all the way to the planet Mars.
Vera
A few weeks into the program, a special celebration was about to take place, and the man behind Mars First enterprises was getting ready to speak as guests and co-workers mingled in the large conference hall.
Mars First was the creation of Netherlands Entrepreneur, Lars Bruininck. A man with a unique vision, Lars had made his money in the early 2000’s with a company named Syspam, where he had developed a new technology to harness and combine photovoltaic (solar) and wind energy. By 2011, he had sold his share of the company and started Mars First, a non-profit organization that envisioned not only to send people to Mars, but also to establish a permanent human colony there, and begin the slow process of colonizing the red planet. The ground-breaking idea that the astronauts sent to Mars would settle there permanently had never been proposed before. Not needing to bring the astronauts back to Earth eliminated the most challenging and costly portion of the mission, the return home. Without the extremely expensive and technically challenging aspect of the journey, the return to Earth, sending a manned mission to Mars was a feasible enterprise, even for a private company. Mars First was the first company to present a feasible plan to colonize the red planet years before any other organization, even beating NASA to the punch. The other innovative aspect of the concept was that the future astronauts would be selected from a large pool of civilians who had volunteered for the chance to be one of the first people to walk on the red planet by simply applying online. The contest had been open to anyone in the world, regardless of age, as long as the applicant was at least eighteen years old, sex, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or professional background.
The critics had been ferocious, some calling the endeavor suicide, even murder. But three years after the launching of the project, and a remarkable 206,507 applicants from all around the globe, the dream was beginning to feel very real. Lars was now standing in a room filled by some of the most dedicated and respected scientists in their field, fully passionate about the company’s mission and their role in it. Alongside them, the final twenty-six future astronauts who had made it this far in the selection process were just as excited and enthusiastic. He could not have been prouder.
The room was quite large with a high ceiling, and a good eighty people were gathered for this celebration. Lars and the Mars First team had made the unofficial announcement that same morning: they had just reached the first of their six billion-dollar financial goal for the project. Thanks to public and private donations, Mars First was now ready to begin the designing and construction of three cargo ships, four habitats, two rovers, and advance to the next stage of the candidates’ training. The rest of the investment would come, it was expected, through marketing ads and the media related revenues generated by the TV coverage of said training.
Lars had discovered a few years prior the astronomical amount of money the media had been able to raise during the Olympic games. Between the sponsors and the advertisement from major corporations and trademarks, Lars had immediately realized the monetary potential of television. Mars First would create a new form of reality show; One that would follow the future astronauts during their eight-year training and would be broadcast all around the globe. The entire world would want to watch such an undertaking.
The project’s timeline had been clearly outlined. In 2019, a first ship would land on Mars, unmanned, and meant not only to put to the test the reliability of the technology used, but also to begin creating an outpost on the red planet before sending anyone there. At least three cargo ships would be launched over the following three years. Along with them, two large rovers would begin constructing the outpost. This first small base, made of several interconnected pods, each the size of a small room, would also begin creating the oxygen, water, fuel, and other resources the team would need to survive once there.
The first manned mission and its four astronauts would arrive on Mars in late 2025. By then, several habitats would await them, cone-shaped containers that were once spaceships, put in place by robotic rovers. The technology to supply essential needs for the survival of the Martian colonists, such as oxygen, water, power, and other needed resources, had already been studied and deemed reliably achievable within the given time frame, using minerals and chemicals in the Martian soil and atmosphere.
Of course, many had criticized the whole project, calling it unrealistic, too risky, and too early in the race to deep space. We simply didn’t know enough yet about the effects of low gravity on the human body, nor did we have any idea how much radiation the astronauts would be exposed to in Mars’ thin atmosphere, let alone during the voyage there. The risks were enormous, the dangers even greater. Growing food in greenhouses had never been tested on another planet, not even on the Moon. The probability of success of such a bold proposal was simply too low for many. Some had even called it pure suicide. They may have been right, but Lars also knew every great advance in human history had involved taking risks. Although still limited, the information available on the effects of space and low gravity on the human body had been studied and well documented, ever since NASA had started the space program, and gave the Mars First company confidence that the mission would be a great success.
Either way, they now had the money they needed to cover the cost of research, the building of several test outposts, and purchase the necessary manufacturing resources to do much more.
So tonight, the company was celebrating, and everyone involved was in attendance in the big reception area.
A voice resounded through the loud speakers in the room.
“If I could have everyone’s attention, please!” the conversations started dying out.
“Hello, can everyone hear me?” as the room turned quiet.
A thump reverberated through the sound system and Lars, standing in front of the microphone began his speech.
“My dear colleagues. I want to personally thank you all for being part of this great vision that has become the Mars First project. Five years ago, a few friends and I began an amazing journey to bring to life a dream. A dream to put humans on Mars, not only to…”
Lars’ speech went on for several minutes before he finally raised his glass.
“…and so, my dear friends, I would like to make a toast. To all of you and all those not here tonight who have contributed in some way in the realization of a vision, a dream I had almost four years ago. Thank you! Thank you all and Mars, watch out! Here we come!” he finished loudly, raising his glass high with the rest of the room. A few “ooooh ooohs, yay!” and shouts of approval followed.