Mars Tourism Article: Elysium

Elysium
Image Credit: NASA

An introduction to the biggest available island on Mars

For the ambitious amongst you, Elysium has the potential to be the biggest island on Mars after terraforming. Its broad plains and gigantic craters give building and exploration options that will keep you busy. Read on to discover what you can do on your visit here.

Right on the equator

Centered directly in the heart of Mars, Elysium is the second largest volcanic region on the planet. 1060 by 1490 miles in size and containing 4 volcanoes, this vast area is far from boring. With eruptions a daily occurrence you’ll need to stay on your toes here! They are a sight to behold and are no doubt one of the most popular tourist attractions on the planet. There are also several large trenches in the area, so be careful to remember where you placed your belongings as they could easily get lost!

Ash-covered ice

Elysium
Image Credit: NASA

There is a large volume of ice in the Elysium Planitia similar to the size of the North Sea back here on planet Earth. Unfortunately, the ice is covered by a layer of ash, meaning that you’d be better off leaving your ice skates at home. The ice is thought to have formed at least 2 million years ago, and with terraforming technologies available we’re ensuring it melts as carefully and cleanly as possible. Perhaps in the future this place would be perfect for a relaxing swim, but you’ll have to keep that idea ‘on ice’ for now. 

Rootless cones

If this is your first visit to the heaven on Mars that is Elysium, you’ve probably never heard of these before. When the buried ice is heated by nearby lava, it vaporizes and expands under the ground. This creates a mini explosion, forming a cone in the land. These grooves are well-suited for use as a natural skatepark, and you may find people landing tricks all around you here. If you want to join in just make sure you bring a helmet, as some of them are incredibly steep!

The biggest island on Mars after terraforming

Size matters, and ambitious explorers will also find a large volume of flat terrain here. Once terraforming is complete, this will be the biggest island on Mars, supporting large quantities of life. The vast nature of the area means this could easily become the economic capital of Mars, dependent on the objectives of those who take control here. All this is enough to keep you extremely busy, as conditions may pose problems to terraforming that you may not have anticipated. 

Elysium is an essential visit

If you’re coming to Mars, you simply must visit the Elysium area. With its broad landscape, nearby volcanoes, and interesting surface, the island is begging for exploration and development. We suggest you see this place in all its beauty, as it’s a land in transition from a red wasteland to a glorious Garden of Eden on Mars!

How to make the most of your trip to Valles Marineris

Valles Marineris
Credit: NASA

All you need to know before visiting one of the largest canyons in our solar system: Valles Marineris.

First of all, let’s be clear: a day visit is not going to cut it for this ragged geological scar (pardon the pun). Valles Marineris covers nearly one fifth of the circumference of Mars, making it not only Mars’ largest canyons but one of the largest canyons in the solar system.

Spanning 4,000 kilometres, it would take any law-abiding person (who complies to the 96kmh regulation currently in place for all forms of surface space travel) around 41 hours just to drive from one end of the ravine to the other. Make the most of your trip to Mariner Valley and spread your drive over three or four days. Trust us, you’ll want some time for a few snaps of the terrifying Noctis Labyrinthus in the west of the valley.

How to subsist the Noctis Labyrinthus in Valles Marineris?

Valles Marineris
Credit: ESA

If you haven’t figured it out already, Noctis Labyrinthus simply translates to the Labyrinth of the Night. Sound appealing? Even the Greeks would never have envisioned that their god of war could be home to such a cataclysmic crack.

If you’re starting your trip at the west of Valles Marineris, near Mars’ equator, the Labyrinth of the Night will be your first mission. Ensure you are appropriately dressed, with the correct equipment to negotiate the copious boulders and debris of past avalanches and rockslides that have come to rest at the bottom of the maze of valleys and canyons.

On the plus side, the west side of the valley offers average temperatures of -100℉, a significant 50 °F warmer than other regions of the red planet. 

Exploring the chasmata of Valles Marineris

Valles Marineris
Credit: Science Library

If (not when) you manage to subsist Mars’ most treacherous path, staggering views await you. Perhaps not the dazzling views you might get from the peak of Olympus Mons, but certainly glimpses of a chasmic death that will send you staggering away.

The Melas chasma comprises the deepest point of the entire canyon system. At the east of Valles Marineris, the chasma measures a towering 11km deep. As well as offering incredible views, the extreme depths and steep cliffs also, somewhat surprisingly, may tempt you to stay longer at the bottom of the pit.

Due to the deep cliffs, the bottom of Melas chasma has the highest natural air pressure of Mars, making the location very almost habitable by colonisers. Oh, and don’t forget the entertainment! 

You and your fellow settlers would be free to spend many filled-days scouring the ancient riverbeds in search of Martian fossils. What’s that, they don’t exist? Not according to the Mars Global Surveyor camera, which spotted some layering of material suggesting that Melas may be the site of an ancient subaqueous setting waiting to be rediscovered. 

Understanding the formation of Valles Marineris

Scientists believe that billions of years ago, Mars may have been the optimal destination for terraforming, rich with water. As molten rock pushed through the volcanic Tharsis region, the strain on Mars’ crust would have caused large faults and fractures. The spreading cracks would have facilitated an upward rush of subsurface water, carving a series of channels and forming the Valles Marineris that we see today.

Many parts of Mariner Valley, however, remain mysteries to human understanding. Why did the flow of water carve the west of the valley into an ungovernable maze of the night and the east into a deep chasm of relief?

Maybe you can use your trip to Valles Marineris to answer some of these questions!

Olympus Mons: Planning Your Visit

Everything you need to know before visiting the biggest volcano in our solar system. 

Olympus Mons
Credit: NASA

If you’re planning a trip to Mars, Olympus Mons is undoubtedly at the top of your list (get it?). Lying along the Tharsis Bulge, a volcanic plateau, Mars’ volcano rises over 18km higher than Mount Everest, at a towering height of 27km. Olympus Mons is not only imposing in height, but also in diameter, covering 600km from one side to the other.

Negotiating the size of Olympus Mons

Olympus Mons
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Despite the staggering size of Olympus Mons in both height and width, do not be discouraged, the average slope increase is a meager 5%. This somewhat surprising fact for an area that at first seems uninhabitable, can be explained by Olympus Mons’ profile as a shield volcano.

Shield volcanoes are characterised by a broad dome shape with gently sloping sides which typically occurs from low viscosity lava flows. Over millions and millions of years, the fluid basaltic lava which erupts from vents or fissures on the surface of the volcano builds up to form the broad profile that we see with Olympus Mons. 

So as long as your space boots can withstand the heat and slightly unstable grounding of a continuous lava flow, Olympus Mons can be considered a gentle stroll for the entire family. 

Is Olympus Mons really worth the visit?

Olympus Mons
Credit: NASA

Okay, so Mars’ volcano is big, but would Hawaii’s Mauna Loa not be a sufficient substitute? Well, according to scientists, the differences can be linked back to fundamental disparities between the structure of the Earth compared to Mars.

The red planet has a significantly lower surface gravity as well as much higher eruption rates. This enables lava to continue building and building way beyond what Earth’s boringly pleasant atmosphere would allow. 

The organisation and characteristics of tectonic plates on the two planets is also thought to play a critical role in the creation of a volcano so radically different from anything you could find on Earth. 

On Earth, the tectonic plates have always moved at a very slow yet constant rate. This means that when the Pacific Plate moved over a hot spot 4.5 million years ago, multiple eruptions occurred at different geographical points, thus creating the Hawaiian Islands. 

On Mars, however, tectonic plate movement is very limited. When lava flows from a hot spot onto the surface, it does so in a single spot, causing a slow, steady but relentless build-up of extrusive igneous rock.

Olympus Mons may just be a big pile of rock, but it is a pile of rock you can’t find anywhere else in the known universe.

Why not visit Valles Marineris while you’re there?

Valles Marineris

Located near the Martian equator, Olympus Mons offers the perfect base for visiting some of Mars’ other top attractions. From the highest peak to the deepest canyon, extend your trip by taking a peer down the nearby Valles Marineris before returning to the Mothership. 

At a size greater than Earth’s North American continent and 7km deep, the ascent will prove considerably more difficult than that of Olympus Mons. So please, after the dazzling heights and dizzying views of the volcano, don’t let a 3.5 billion year old crack have the better of you!

Make the discovery and settle the red planet

In terraforming times, we may be well beyond the dreams of the Italian astronomer, Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli. Schiaparelli first noticed the sizeable mass on Mars’ surface in the second half of the nineteenth century. But Olympus Mons still waits to be settled.

Be careful though — Mars has not yet been pronounced volcanically dead, and our closest neighbour might be as easy to terraform as the frozen water poles would suggest. 

Rover Memorial Sites: Where to see the historical first tracks

Rover
Credit: NASA

Explore ancient history and visit the rover memorial sites. 

When humanity first began to investigate the (then) red planet of Mars, they needed something on the ground. That’s where the much-loved Mars rovers Curiosity and Opportunity came into existence. 

Curiosity: A History

Curiosity Rover
Credit: NASA

The journey for this little car sized rover began on November 26, 2011, when it was thrust into the bounds of space from Cape Canaveral at exactly 15:02. After a lengthy 560 million kilometre journey, Curiosity managed to land on Aeolis Palus on August 6, 2012. No easy feat given that the landing site was a mere 2.4km away from the designated center of the landing field. 

The site was originally picked because it seemed the most likely area to house conditions which could have or could still potentially house microbial life. Curiosity’s mission? Explore the length and possibility of water on Mars as well as begin to study the planet to determine its suitability for human habitation.

At first, the mission was expected to last for two years, but in December of 2012 the mission was extended indefinitely. As of 2532, Curiosity is obviously no longer roaming around the red planet — after all, we have a permanent presence on the surface now. Instead, some of the rover’s tracks have been preserved, and you can still see the little rover’s final resting place on the slopes of Mount Sharp today.

Opportunity: Breaking Earth’s heart one message at a time

When those with a loving heart think of Mars rovers’, they tend to think of Opportunity. 

After a particularly bad dust storm the rover was either damaged beyond repair or was covered in so much dust that its solar panels weren’t able to recharge the batteries. The rover won the hearts of the people with its final message back to Earth, “My battery is low and it’s getting dark”. 

These simple but haunting words drew lots of attention, but it should be noted that Opportunity never actually said these words — a NASA official rephrased the rover’s final scientific readings on low power and high atmospheric opacity somewhat more poetically. Nevertheless, Opportunity remained in the hearts of humanity, with early Mars pioneers swearing to retrieve the lonely little rover and give it its due. It now rests in the Martian History Museum alongside Curiosity and the countless other bots Earth launched over the decades, alone no more.

Why not follow in the footsteps of the rovers?

The areas where these rovers finished their routes are now recognised international parklands. It was, in fact, in the Aeolis Palus region of the Gale where some of Mars’ first standing water was able to be stored after atmospheric conditions allowed. As for Mount Sharp, the hiking is simply incredible amongst the beautiful (now native) conifer trees and other fauna.

Why not revisit what Mars might have been like when the rovers were exploring by visiting a simulator located in one of the many Hab Dome centers? You’ll be transported back to a time when red dust was as far as the eye could see, where there was no atmosphere, and even where there were no settlers! Thanks to terraforming, that’s no longer the case, but it’s always worth remembering just how far we Martians have come!

The History of How We Think of Venus

Illustration of Venus

Everything you need to know about the history of Earth’s mysterious neighbour.

From being viewed as two distinct stars, to a planet inhabited by “Venusians”, to being considered the second planet Earth, human perception of Venus has evolved through the ages. 

Named after the Roman goddess of love, likely due to its bright appearance, Venus has sat quietly in the sky while we make our own assumptions as to what it might contain and represent. Only through recent scientific developments have we been able to bring some clarity to what our neighbouring planet is and isn’t.

Ancient civilisations used to believe that Venus was two distinct stars

Due to its proximity to the sun, the illusion created by sunlight fooled the ancient Greeks and Egyptians into believing that Venus was actually two separate stars, visible at sunrise and sunset. These were named the morning and evening star respectively, and became the subject of worship for generations. The disproportionately brighter light given from Venus even earnt itself a mention in the Bible, being compared to Jesus himself. It took a few hundred years before the Greeks realised that Venus was a single object moving within Earth’s orbit, in what must have been a sobering moment for all involved. 

UFO spotters believe that aliens belonged to Venus

In ‘ufology’, the study of extraterrestrial life, it became very convenient to ascribe aliens to Earth’s closest neighbour. Going as far back as the 1950s, alien sightings were claimed to be of “Venusians” who had arrived on planet earth to make contact with humans. While most of the photo and video evidence was investigated and debunked, this hasn’t stopped the fanatical imagination with Venusian life, and conspiracies can still be found in blogs and videos via a quick internet search. 

The idea of Venusians has also made its way into science fiction movies and comics, showing that they are not only a hit with theorists, but with the entertainment industry too.

Some people believe that Venus may be Hell itself

Image of Venus

The mystery of the unknown gives license for the imaginative mind to wonder. None more so than Dr Michael Santini, a former aerospace engineer who wrote a book detailing how Venus is the physical embodiment of hell itself. While the ancient Greeks had beliefs concerning the physical existence of religious places, Dr Santini’s book demonstrates that similar opinions still exist in society today, despite advances in astronomy.

People believe that Venus used to be another planet Earth

These days, due to the wonders of 21st century science, we can be more sure of what Venus is, as well as what it could have been in the past.

It’s boiling hot. 900 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. It also has 92 times the pressure of Earth, its atmosphere a veritable blanket of sulfuric acid which clouds its visibility. Thanks to this, the planet is difficult to examine and has therefore been able to maintain a degree of mystique.

Scientists believe that Venus used to boast a cooler climate, similar to that on Earth. This has led to speculation that Venus is presenting us with an insight into the fate of our own planet, as climate change takes hold. While conditions on our sister planet would certainly not be able to support life as we know it, there has been evidence that bacteria could be living in the clouds, where the atmosphere is cooler.

When will we know for sure?

As we can see, the beliefs and discoveries we make about Venus are ever changing. From scientific discoveries to new theories based on faith and opinion, the mystery behind Earth’s sister planet means it will always be a playground for the imagination.

The History of How We Think of Mars

From canals to Martians, we take a look at the history of the Red Planet.

Illustration of Mars

It’s easy to pass cheap judgement on the brilliant minds of the past when we explore the history of Mars. But you might be forgiven for believing in Martians when you are viewing the planet from more than 50 million km away through the world’s first telescope. What we know about our dusty red neighbour has increased parallel to developments in astronomy and space technology, and we are still making new findings to this day. 

The first recorded observations of Mars were around 400BC

And you won’t be surprised to hear that in those times not a lot could be said for Mars. It was known simply as a fiery red colour in the sky. As was typical during this time, the Greeks decided to give this coloured dot a name. They chose the name Ares, after their god of war. The Romans preferred the name Mars, after their own warmongering deity, and the name stuck.

Galileo was the first person to see Mars through a telescope

Galileo - viewed Mars

The father of observational astronomy, Galileo Galilei, was the first to magnify the image of Mars via telescope in 1609. By the end of the same century, ideas about extraterrestrial life on Mars are considered for the first time. Fast forward to the end of the 18th century and, through advances in telescopic technology, the vital statistics for Mars had been uncovered. Most notably, its distance being 54 million km from Earth, its day being 39 minutes longer than Earth’s, and its two neighbouring moons. During this time, Sir William Herschel also concluded that not only do aliens live on Mars, but also the sun. Clearly, further investigation was still required. 

A simple translation error sparks Martian mania

In 1877 Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli described the lines he could see on Mars through his telescope as “canali”, which translates to “channels” in English. ‘Canali’ was misinterpreted to mean canal by American astronomer Percival Lowell. Considering canals to be a man/alien made entity, Lowell dedicated his life’s work to publishing books which suggested that Martians had been busy constructing a complex water supply system on Mars. As a result, Martian mania was born. 

Adding fuel to the fire, a young Orson Welles produced a radio adapted version of “The War of The Worlds”. Presented in storytelling format, the broadcast unintentionally beguiled New York listeners into fleeing their homes, in the belief they were under attack from the inhabitants of Mars. 

The world of media got wind of the fascination with Mars, and the idea of Martians gave inspiration for comics, movies and music. Rest in peace, David Bowie. 

It took until 1965 to debunk the existence of Martians

In a blunt and conclusive manner, the NASA-launched Mariner 4 space probe broadcasted to Earth images of a dusty barren wasteland. There was a collective groan from the conspiracy theorist community, and Martian mania was as good as over. 

While the fantasists amongst us felt disappointment, others saw an opportunity for a new home for humanity. Curiosity, the NASA space rover, was sent to Mars in 2012 to inspect whether its conditions would be suitable for supporting life on the Red Planet. While we have proven the lack of water on the surface of Mars, there remains hope that dormant life may be present beneath the surface. That is all we need for our imaginations to run wild!

How long are days on the different planets?

Does the length of a day change on each planet?

When it comes to exploring the solar system, there’s a reason that the amount of time spent in space is calculated in hours rather than days. That’s due to the reason that our measurement of time is directly related to our position on Earth and its relation to the Sun. A day on our planet is very different to a day on another planet.

If you’re here for the “too long, didn’t read” answer, then the table below will be helpful. We’ve put together the amount of hours that a day lasts on each planet. That is how long it takes for a complete rotation on the planet’s axis to complete.

Planet Hours to complete axis rotation (A Day)
Mercury 1,408 hours
Venus 5,832 hours
Earth 24 hours
Mars 25 hours
Jupiter 10 hours
Saturn 11 hours
Uranus 17 hours
Neptune 16 hours

The table might come as something of a surprise. It would be natural to assume that the length of days might increase or decrease depending on distance from the Sun but it appears that it is composition that has a major impact on day length. The gas giants clearly spin at an incredible rate compared to the smaller, solid based planets of Earth and Mars.

It’s also worth noting that the orbits of the planets aren’t perfectly circular and, in fact, Earth’s own elliptical orbit means that some days are shorter than others. Therefore, the best way to measure the length of a day is to use a measurement called sidereal days, or the amount of time it actually takes to complete a whole rotation. On Earth, that’s 23 hours and 56 minutes, rounded to 24 hours to make for easier time calculations.

Notable differences in days

Planets- different length of a day

Some of the planets rotations and orbits throw some interesting facts our way. Take Mercury, for instance — if the human race was able to successfully terraform the planet and create a sustainable settlement, day/night would have to become an artificial concept. In fact, over the course of one Mercurian day (sunrise and sunset), there would have been 2 Mercurian years (rotations around the sun).

Similar can be said for Venus, where the length of a day is longer than a year (by 18 days). Factor in Venus’ reverse rotation (compared to Earth) and those living in terraformed settlements would see only 2 sunrises each year — which would also happen with the sun rising in the west and setting in the east.

Looking for further unusual days and years, Uranus tops the class. Thanks to its tipped axis, only one part of the planet is pointed at the Sun over the course of each year. That means that the length of a day on the planet is matched with the length of a season. Terraformers would spend each “day” in a different season, making particularly interesting temperature challenges.

Each of the planets produce interesting and complex challenges when it comes to managing days, nights, seasons and years. It’s these challenges that terraformers will have to cope with when settling our solar system.

The Science of TerraGenesis: Sky Farms

Tech Dive: New Age Sky Farms

When it comes to colonizing and terraforming a new planet, those that are carrying out the heavy lifting and leg work need to eat. The land, especially that of Mars and beyond, might not be suitable for farming, and it might not be suitable for a long time to come. That’s where the Sky Farms of TerraGenesis come in. 

The strain put on an ecosystem is at it’s peak when civilizations look to support the people within it. This has to become priority number one. Well, once you have breathable air and water… ok so maybe priority number 3… and then there’s the heat levels… and radiation. Well, no-one said that terraforming would be easy did they?!

Supporting the human population of a colony isn’t straight forward. However, thanks to incredible scientific advances in both hydroponics and zero-G biology the human race is able to look beyond the ground when it comes to growing crops.

Hydroponics and Sky Farms

Image of growing plants - sky farms

Hydroponics enable farmers and scientists to harvest nutrients from water and a mineral solution rather than soil, allowing plants to grow in different environments than previously thought possible. Not only that, the water usage is incredibly decreased. Consider that in traditional farming it takes nearly 400 liters of water to grow just 1kg of tomatoes. When using hydroponics this number is drastically reduced to a mere 70 liters of water. This research was initially powered by those in NASA but has been grasped by the various factions of TerraGenesis in their terraforming missions.

Zero-G Farming

The International Space Station provided a great platform for researchers to understand how zero-g conditions affected plant growth, in the same way that it affects human life. Zero-g farming isn’t just about the lack of gravity either. Plants have a hard time in space, especially due to the lack of sunlight, which they need for fuel through photosynthesis. Artificial lighting can replace this, but to maximize efficiency specially designed LEDs need to be used. 

As an interesting aside, research into sky farms allowed scientists to uncover a unique device that’s function takes ethylene and converts it into CO2 (carbon dioxide) and water. This could be spectacularly important for lengthy journeys into space.

In order to facilitate the colonisation of a whole planet, or even just a colony for starters, terraformers will need a vast network of these sky farms in orbit. The resource cost might be high, but what price can be put on a well fed workforce? 

Sky farms will become incredibly useful during times when water on the surface of the planet isn’t accessible (as it’s frozen) or isn’t available at all. At least for those in the initial terraforming missions, sky farms might well be the only access that they have to get fresh produce in the dark, forbidding world that they’re looking to inhabit.

The Science of TerraGenesis: Soletta

Bringing the heat with Soletta.

Heat. It’s a bit of a problem when it comes to creating new colonies and terraforming new worlds, you can’t have too much and you can’t have too little. Thankfully, scientists have created Soletta.

Soletta is a marvel of technological achievement. It allows previously uninhabitable worlds to become habitable, it can change the surfaces of whole worlds and can unlock the potential they may have. Thanks to advanced artificial intelligence and dynamic sensors, Soletta is able to manage and adjust to create the perfect temperature for life not only to exist, but thrive on previously alien worlds.

How does Soletta work?

Earth, our home world, happens to be in the perfect position for life to exist. A few fractions closer or further from the Sun and our planet would look very different. This, therefore, hugely impacts how we can terraform other planets in our solar. Take Venus for example, whilst it’s a prospect for terraforming, the surface temperature is vastly higher than that on Earth and therefore requires cooling. Somewhere like Mars, being further from the sun, requires the opposite.

Soletta works by either dampening or amplifying solar radiation to decrease or increase the energy coming from the Sun. If you were to stand on the surface of a newly terraformed world and looked up, Soletta would appear as a huge circular array of solar sail style mirrors. They are aligned to focus or deflect sunlight which may have been focused or just missed the planet.

The name of the satellite stems from science fiction, namely the works of Kim Stanley Robinson and the work Aurora. Soletta was built, in this instance, to aid the terraforming process on Mars at the start of the 22nd Century.

For a piece of technology this impressive, you can expect to part with a fair piece of capital. Soletta certainly doesn’t come cheap, in TerraGenesis you can expect to pay 50,000,000 credits but the freedom over temperature control that it allows is worth it. 

Implementing Soletta

Reflecting vasts swathes of heat across a planet’s surface, or deflecting it, can have dramatic effects. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that you consider the impact that Soletta will have on your whole ecosystem and the colonists within it.

If you have a reasonably stable water supply but use Soletta to increase the planet’s temperature you can expect a fair percentage of that to be evaporated and the stock to be depleted. The same can be said for the opposite, cool the surface too much and the water supply will freeze at the planet’s extremities. 

It’s worth considering the other buildings that raise or lower local temperature. Take for instance if you have an Aerostat Platform, it would first cause your temperature to drop, but once the gap between current and temperature becomes too big Soletta’s percentage change becomes stronger and rise the temperature, which narrows the gap and reduces Soletta effectiveness, in a negative feedback loop.

The Science of TerraGenesis: Planetary Defense Network

The Planetary Defense Network, your guard against the perils of space.

The Planetary Defense Network is there to save you and your colonists lives. That is a pretty dramatic way of putting it but is also exactly what it does. Whichever faction you choose to be part of, when terraforming a new world you will want to make sure to invest in this device.

Over 65 million years ago Earth was minding its own business. Happily going about its day with a whole world of fauna, oceans and dinosaurs. That was until a humongous asteroid impacted the surface and changed the course of Earth’s history for ever. The dinosaurs and other life on Earth hadn’t invested in a Planetary Defense Network. Sure, the technology wasn’t there, nor was the concept of space… but if they had invested in one they’d still be here today.

The Planetary Defense Network defends the world you’re terraforming from rogue asteroids, meteors and other dangerous threats to the surface from the depths of space. At the basic level the system tracks and monitors threats as they get near to the terraformed world. At the more engaged level, should a threat be more direct and potentially damaging to your world the planetary defense network will intervene and neutralise the problem.

Ever since 2016 teams of scientists and astronomers have kept a weathered eye on the skies and space around Earth, watching for life threatening celestial issues. When a potential issue is spotted it is logged and then monitored. As of 2019, that catalogue sits around 15,000 logged potential issues, with roughly 1500 added each year. That’s just for Earth, that doesn’t include newly terraformed worlds, worlds which are potentially in an even more dangerous position.

Whilst the Earth bound monitoring system was a useful beginning the question was always asked, “What would happen if one was on an imminent collision course with Earth?”. The answer was pretty grim reading… mankind essentially became extinct.

If you’re after some slightly worrying reading head over to NASA’s own Asteroid Watch website. They regularly post about inbound objects, their size, how close they’ll get to Earth and even the date that they’ll pass. The handy approximate size chart measures in house, bus or plane sizes. Their podcast also shares thoughts such as “What would happen if an asteroid hits the Earth?” and other happy questions. Now if that doesn’t fill you with existential dread then nothing will…

Thankfully, that dread and fear is something of the past for those colonising and terraforming new worlds. With an investment into a Planetary Defense Network your faction and colonists can rest assured that their world is safe. At least from asteroids.