| Mars Local Bubble/Sol system | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A view of terraformed Mars from one of its moons. | |
| Orbital Distance: | 1.52 AU |
| Orbital Period: | 1.88 Earth Years |
| Radius: | 3,396 km |
| Day Length: | 24.66 Earth Hours |
| Atm. Pressure: | 0.83 atm |
| Surface Temp: | 4.3 °C |
| Surface Gravity: | 0.376 g |
| Mass: | 0.107 Earth Masses |
| Natural Satellites: | 2 |
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in the Sol system and holds the distinction of being the first human colony. After its initial terraformation, Mars saw steady growth in the centuries leading up to the exodus from Earth, however today there are only a few populated areas remaining.
History[]
Terraformation[]
Despite nearly 100 years of sending robotic probes to Mars, it wasn't until the start of 4th century B.R. that humans first set foot on the planet, and even then it took nearly fifty more years before a permanent settlement was established. Mars' first inhabitants were mostly astronauts and later their families, but eventually a civilian population was established.
Initial efforts at terraforming Mars were slow and clumsy as this was the first planet on which humans had ever deliberately tried to change the climate. At the time, Mars had virtually no atmosphere and next to no liquid water, and as such, all structures on the planet were environmentally sealed. However, after nearly 80 years of terraforming efforts Mars had a semi-breathable atmosphere and abundant liquid water.
Recent History[]
Prior to humanity's first attempts at faster than light travel, Mars was well populated and provided many raw resources for Earth. Its abundant mineral resources were used substantially by Earth based companies to supplement dwindling local supplies, and eventually many corporations set up their head offices on Mars.
One thing that Mars could not do for Earth was to alleviate the overpopulation issue. Due to it's limited organic resources, Mars could only support a small population of humans and as such, positions on Mars were scarce and highly sought after. When the exodus occurred, Mars lost it's primary market and many Martian companies either folded or moved on to other worlds, leaving the planet in the state it's in today.
Mars Today[]
Currently, Mars has a relatively small population of only a few million people, most of which are concentrated in several cites centred around the main spaceport. Those that stayed on the planet were either too poor to afford off-world transit or simply decided to stay for their own reasons.