The Life on Mars miniseries explores all the difficulties that colonists might encounter.
The National Geographic channel made a short Life on Mars miniseries in which it explores possible situations that the colonists might encounter. The show tried to think of everything from housing to the costumes that the humans will wear while roaming the Red Planet, to the hygiene solutions that NASA and SpaceX found. The set is currently being built in London.
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich will shelter the recreation of the Martian habitat for one week, starting November 10th and ending November 16th. The igloo is the result of a collaboration between Stephen Petranek, the Royal Observatory, and a consultant on the show.
Wild Creations, a Cardiff building company, proposed that the dome should be constructed from recycled spacecraft parts and Martian soil. The architecture features plenty of safety elements that protect the colonists from the low temperatures, thin atmosphere, and occasional micrometeorite showers.
The exterior of the housing structure will feature a transmitter large enough to allow the colonists to communicate with Earth, a transparent dome, and a couple of stability elements. The 10 feet thick walls will offer enhanced protection to the settlers, sheltering them from radiation.
The show is built on the premise that the original settlers will build an underground habitat on the foothills of Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain on the Red Planet. The underground lava tubes that go through the mountain offer sufficient protection against radiation and the sub-zero temperatures.
The Life on Mars miniseries will have a documentary style. The action will take place both in present day where experts will talk about the science featured in the show and in 2033, depicting the settlers during routine operations.
The cast that will enact the scripted elements is made from a diversified group. The mission commander is American, the pilot is Korean American, the geochemist and hydrologist is Spanish, the roboticist and mechanical engineer is Nigerian, and the biochemist and physician is French.
The first settlement bears the name of Olympus Town, while the spacecraft that will get the colonists to the Red Planet is called Daedalus.
The writing team has invested a lot of effort into the scripted portion, trying to build scientifically accurate situations. Experts like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk, and Andy Weir are consultants for the show.
If you are excited about the new show that will air in two months, you can check out this behind the scenes footage.
Image source: Wikipedia
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