Mars

Mars
Star System:	Sol System
Galaxy:	Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy
Condition:	Uninhabitable Without Special Equipment
Interest:	Former Intended Colony site by Earth

Mars, or "The Red Planet" is the 4th planet from Sol, in the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Named for the Roman god of war by the inhabitants of Earth for it's characteristic red color, it was long considered the next logical step for the exploration of the Milky Way Galaxy after Luna.

History

Mars was largely unexplored prior to the War of Secession, with much of the exploration conducted by robots operated by the United States of America. During the war, only a couple of small outposts were established, primarily as refueling and layover points. Following the end of the war, the Ranger Exploration Corps (REC) surveyed the planet, but due to its distance from the Arc System and proximity to enemy-held Earth, no long-term camps were established, and no plans were made to colonize the planet.

With the end of the war and the redeployment of forces, in 2037 CE, the last members of the REC were withdrawn from the planet.

Details

• Diameter: 6794.4 km
• Ice at North Pole

History of Exploration

Date	Country of Origin	Notes
October, 1960	Soviet Union	First attempted launch in direction of Mars from Earth.
July 14th, 1965	United States of America	First successful fly-by of Mars.
November 27th, 1971	Soviet Union	Lander portion of automated mission crash-lands on Mars, becoming first man-made object to touch Martian soil.
July 20th, 1975	United States of America	First successful deliberate landing of an automated probe on Mars.
November 3rd, 2027	The Initiative	Several outposts are established as refueling points on the surface of Mars.
May 27th, 2037	The Initiative	Last personnel withdrawn from the surface. All encampments mothballed and abandoned.

See Also

Primary Source of Info: NASA