RyansWorld: Humans on Mars

'''Special Note: Please note that this scenario is meant to be read as entertainment, not as an accurate prediction of the future. Also note that the viewpoints and opinions that may come across in this scenario are not necessarily the viewpoints and opinions of the author.'''

Having a colony of humans on Mars will be a possibility around the year 2030. During the colonization of Mars, the planet will be gradually terraformed over the course of 100 years, turning Mars into a green paradise, like Earth. Martian outposts will gradually evolve into more Terran cities as the progress of the terraforming turns carbon dioxide into oxygen, barren craters into oceans and lakes, and an extremely thin atmosphere into a blueish reddish though Earth-like sky. The soil and sand will mostly remain a red color. Formation of deserts will be prevented due to their link to global warming and fossil fuel use will also be banned on Mars. Proposals to create deserts have been blocked by the planet's legislature since its founding.

Due to the fact that flying to Mars is more hazardous than a five-hour flight from Toronto to Vancouver is in the year 2015, people will be boarded in special cabins, and cannot freely walk about the plane even after reaching a stable flight path. However, flights will be faster with the quicker space shuttles and it will only take 5 days to get to Mars by the mid-2050s. Once the passengers arrive on Mars, there will be a recreational facility just one block away from the motel district (where the tourists dream of exciting adventures in outer space - humanity's last true frontier).

History
Back in 2006, then-current American president George W. Bush vowed to put men on Mars by the year 2020 using fossil fuel-powered spaceships. However, the plan never came to frutition until after the because the politicians kept cutting back funding for NASA to the point where it could have declared chapter 11 bankruptcy had it been a private-sector corporation. A group of prominent businesswomen managed to buy out all the surplus equipment from the public sector NASA program in only six days; intending to create a space program free from political interference. As a result, less than 1% of Martian colonists would practice Christianity by the year 2050 thanks to religion called Radio Del Mundoism.

These factors would delay the colonization of Mars until later in the 21st century. Under the watchful eye of a conglomerate of multi-billionaires, the privately-funded "people's space program" would restore a sense of scientific pride and educational ideas for the young people. Space tourism would eventually become affordable by the 2050s; citing the falling price of hydrogen fuel on the market as compared to oil-based fuels such as diesel and petroleum gasoline. The predominant cuisine on Mars for non-vegetarians/non-vegans will be sushi due to its abundant water once the planet is terraformed. Mars' ocean (the North Ocean) just barely do not qualify as fresh water (instead being Brackish water). The ocean is not salty because the rivers have not had enough time to carry much salt to the ocean.

After a 14-year conflict, the people of Mars would declare their independence from the United States of Earth in the year 2144 to become the independent United States of Mars. Until then, the colonists of Mars enjoyed the same political status as the Lunar Protectorate.

Natural resources and religion


Fish will be genetically altered to easily adjust to Mars' atmosphere will be imported to Mars from Earth until the population can reproduce self-sufficiently. Sushi was also chosen to be the predominant cuisine on Mars because of the liberal-minded atheist and agnostic scientists who move their scientific equipment to get away from the "planet of right-wing conservatives" known as Earth (later officially renamed Sol III with the casual name remaining as Earth).

While atheism will dominate the Earth's religious train of thought in the 21st century, Martian colonists will discover something that will change their theology forever: a beautiful goddess with three breasts. A religion called Radio Del Mundoism (based on a faux radio station in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories) that would pop up there revolving around slapping the face of non-believers and gagging them to a undisclosed location. Fortunately, this religion is only legal to practice on Mars (through the shortwave radio station called Radio Del Mundo) and no other planet that humans ever colonize.

Most people on Mars became vegetarians and vegans; the few people that enjoy meat on the planet would prefer synthetic in vitro meat to authentic animal meat due to its lower price and greater availability. Producing meat from dead animals without using artificial hormones is one thing; but being able to grow meat without killing animals would be an outstanding accomplishment for human civilization.

Colonies of Mars will probably be matriarchal and ultimately rely on male pregnancy to realize the goals of their society.

Would you live in Mars? Yes, if there are the right kind of jobs for me. Yes, but only if my friends came along with me. Not until I win the lottery again win millions of dollars. No, because I don't want to lose my friends and I don't want to have to start over in a strange planet.