Talk:Mars (Classic Journeys Era)

Old mars timeline

1971-72
The Martian Orbiter, Mariner 9, added 7,329 photographs of the surface characteristics of Mars and millions of bits of data on Mars' atmosphere. A lander was next!

1975-76
The two Viking Landers were contracted to be built by Martin Marietta, launched in 1975 on Martin Marietta built Titan III/Centaur Launch Vehicles and landed in 1976. July 20, 1976, the Viking I lander became the first spacecraft to successfully land on the surface of Mars. Although the landing had occurred at 5:12:07 am, Pacific Daylight Time, on the Martian basin called Chryse Planitia, the people assembled in the large hall at JPL, 225 million miles away, did not know whether the landing had been a crash or successful, due to the 19 to 20 minute delay in the transmission time of signals from Viking reaching Earth.

1980-82
The Viking I lander operated on the Plain of Chryse until November 1982. The Viking 2 lander set down on the plain of Utopia on August 7, 1976 and operated until April 1980. The two landers took 4,500 unprecedented images of the Martian surface and radioed more than 3 million weather related measurements back to Earth. Viking's search for life was negative, indicating that no life of the kind, detectable by the Viking instruments, had been present at Chryse or Utopia.

1996
Retired V.P. and Project Manager of the Viking Program, Martin Marietta begins a very active campaign for a manned space mission to Mars.

2011 A.D.
Earth Planetary Consortium forms in the wake of global conflict, a war fought largely in cyberspace, called the Bandwidth War, with damage measured by economies collapsing due to system hacking. Simple decimal displacements helped bring down corporations, crashed stock markets and played havoc with traffic control and credit agencies. The new Consortium is essentially an international corporate cartel.

2015 A.D.
The Hesperian, and unmanned space vehicle was launched towards Mars. It was sent to survey the planet from orbit using a high-resolution thermal emission detection system, with significant on-board processing to survey the planet.

2017 A.D.
Martian "oases", discovered on Mars by the Hesperian near the Hellas Sea. This geothermally or volcanically heated location on Mars revitalized the geophysical and geological thinking about the planet. This "hotspot" became prime site to search for traces of liquid water in the Martian subsurface (hence "oasis"), and therefore also a prime spot to test for near-surface extant life.

2053 A.D.
Ares Explore – the First manned mission to Mars is finally launched Four astronauts made the trip, scientists all. Two married couples. The scenario included situ resource utilization (ISRU) to extract water, oxygen, and carbon monoxide from the Martian atmosphere for life support during the surface stay and as propellants for the return trip to Earth. With ISRU, the total masses launched from Earth was sufficiently low so that only three Russian Energia heavy-lift vehicles were required. Ares Explore was a complete ISRU mission, i.e., it used in situ propellant for both Mars ascent and trans-Earth injection (TEI). Only one habitat was required on Mars for the entire duration of the mission, which was dubbed Ares Station. Solar arrays were used to furnish power during transit to and from Mars. On the surface of Mars, power was supplied by a nuclear reactor An Environment Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) provided atmosphere revitalization, water recycling, and waste management in the habitat. A pressurized rover allowed the crew to travel to a variety of distant locations to conduct surface and atmospheric studies.

2055 A.D.
The Ares Explore Team returns to Earth with a great deal of information about the planet. Their evidence of mass sources of C02 imbedded within the rocks of the planet, and frozen water beneath the surface make the possibility of the terraforming of Mars highly probable. Ares Explore leaves their equipment and habitat behind, a base from which further will be built. The habitat becomes known as Ares Station.

2065 A.D.
Ares Explore II - the second manned mission to Mars is launched. Their projected stay on planet is increased from the two years achieved by the original Ares Explore, to 5 years on planet. The scientific team is made up of four pairs of committed couples – eight humans in all. The Earth Consortium begins shuttling scientific staff back and forth to Mars, from time to time, thereby increasing the total stay on planet of Ares Explore II indefinitely. Initial attempts are made to begin Terraforming of Mars by introducing bacteria into the environment, and by controlled explosions near Mars geothermal areas to release surface warming C02 into the atmosphere.

2090 A.D.
Having seen mankind threatened with extinction by a killer disease called the Genetic Devolution Virus (GDV) in 2073 which wreaked havoc with the genetic makeup of its victims eventually killing them, Earth's Consortium officials declare that the time has come to colonize Luna and Mars, to help ensure the survival of mankind.

2137 A.D.
Mankind establishes Eden Terraforming Complex on Mars and encounters the Zangali, at the place now known as Nicholson Ruins. The Zangali had settled the world as refugees fleeing the brutal Nall regime of the Parallax. The relationship gets off on terrible footing when terraformers set off explosives and inadvertently collapse an underground Zangali city, killing thousands. The Human-Zangali War begins.

2143 A.D.
Zangali terrorists set off tactical nuclear weapons on Earth in Washington, D.C., London, Capetown and Moscow. Life at Nicholson Base Dome on Mars at where the Eden Terraforming Complex has been established is one of constant war. Many pioneers are killed.

2145 A.D.
Human-Zangali War ends with signing of the Luna Accords. The accords ban terraforming of the planet Mars, but allow for the construction of citydomes as human habitats.

2152 A.D.
Stellar Consortium forms after humans make first contact with Centaurans, with Mars as a member.

2153 A.D.
The Consortium's Vanguard military is established.

2364 A.D.
The Demarian-Zangali War ends with the Treaty of Torricelli. The Zangali return to Grimlahd, thereby leaving Martians free to begin Terraforming their planet again.

2590 A.D.
The Hive Minders grant the OS Drive technology to the Solar Consortium, with the caveat that a Minder be assigned to each ship to operate the drives.

2651 A.D.
The Kretonians arrive, a warlike race that and embarks on a brutal missoon to conquer and enslave, crushing everyone from the Nall to humans. Mankind reinstates the practice of cloning humans to fight a war against them, sparking the collapse of the Stellar Consortium - reformed as the Solar Consortium, consisting of Earth and Mars, while Luna secedes and becomes the Free Luna Protectorate.

2690 A.D.
The Kretonians begin Terraforming Mars during the time that they controlled it with Alien Technology that increased the surface temperature of the planet, released CO2 into the atmosphere, and sped along the formation of flora which increases the oxygen level on the planet to breathable levels for Humans in merely 100 years.

2806 A.D.
The Nall rise up against their Kretonian oppressors and, with help from Otherians and a few Zangali and Grimlahdi, launch a genocidal war of their own - and are not satisfied until the Kretonians are no more. Mars is again free.

2808 A.D.
Mars begins rebuilding again, in earnest and the domes over their small cities come down, allowing for expansion. The Solar Consortium encourages large families to increase the population.

2813 A.D.
The Solar Consortium strikes an alliance with the Ri'Kammi to achieve faster than light travel again, and establishes the Guardian Fleet to defend its holdings.

2825 A.D.
The Solar Consortium contracts with the Castori, who have made a breakthrough with teleportal technology, allowing them to instantaneously transport pedestrians of any species from one world to another.

3000 A.D.
The Solar Consortium fragments under the strain of internal conflicts, with Mars breaking away to form the new Martian Republic.

3001 A.D.
The Martian Legions explorers aboard the Falstaff discover the planet Deserata, home of a simulated Wild West town inhabited by Specialists designed to look like famous figures of that age. Nall technology is stolen, and a soldier in the Legions is implicated in the crime. The Nall declare hostilities against Mars, but war is ultimately averted thanks to a peace treaty brokered aboard the VES Minerva.

3002 A.D.
The Nall Vox, Gris of Hatch Koth, becomes the first Parallax leader in history to visit Mars. Shortly after her arrival, an Ungstiri possessed by the Kamir Vodam - disguised as Oswald Cottington IV of Concordance Station - tries to assassinate her to provoke a war. Osiris, the Hiver assigned to the VES Minerva, neutralizes the Kamir. The Vox is saved and war is averted.