Since the anniversary of the start of World War II in your time stream has come and gone, I've decided on a different subject for today.
In life, I was familiar with a wide range of science fiction authors from your time stream who wrote about the prospect of Martian colonization. Some of them focused on the actual practical scientific problems, while others cared little for the terraforming and more for the human problems of society on the Red Planet.
In reality, though, those will all be (were, from my perspective) problems with the Martian Colonies. A variety of different time streams involve Martian Colonization, and there are practical and important differences in all of them. Still, each colony that I have records from had to deal with scientific, agricultural, political, and many other problems. Hearken back to Jamestown to gather an idea of how it might work. Every colony, no matter how well prepared, faces its "starving time," especially in the early days of a specific form of exploration.
And the growing colonies of course faced political, technological, and economic problems. Mars is not exactly the most practical economic target for colonization. In many time streams, in fact, it's skipped over entirely for more lucrative or less difficult colonization prospects. Asteroids, Venus, Saturn's moon Titan, and others spring to mind immediately.
I have my Friday Seminar for you tomorrow, but next week and over the weekend I plan to feature some of the Martian Colonies of particular interest in my department's research. Professor Earhart, specifically, takes an interest in this sort of thing, and so she may contribute somewhat as well.
Included below is a letter from Governor Aram Sahak Hagopian, of the New Kharkov colony in a particular time stream. This colony, apparently founded by refugees from territorial and ethnic strife, is typical of many early efforts.
Always,
Dr. John Skylar
Chairman
Department of Anachronism
University of Constantinople
The Letter:
Dear Residents of New Kharkov,
It is with heavy regret that I pen the words in this communication. We who have suffered so much do not deserve to suffer further, and it is that fact that compels me to write this, despite my deep reluctance.
We first arrived here, in Earth Time, on March 27th, 2057. It has been approximately one Martian year since that occasion, and unfortunately, one long Martian winter. The use of Vertical Farming operations certainly helped us as our food stocks ran out, but it remains that Martian gravity is exceedingly poor at retaining any oxygen atmosphere to speak of. The magnetic, atmospheric, and geological comforts of Earth put our crops at a severe disadvantage, one which they only now catch up to.
We arrived here with 300 passengers and 30 crew members about our two ships, which we appropriated from abadoned military materiel and stocked heavily with food. Our number is now closer to 160, with four births since landfall. Obviously this means we have all lost friends and family since arrival here.
Given our high rate of death, many have voiced concern that our colony will not survive, and that we should return to Earth, to face the consequences of our flight and the persecution that we fled. Many others have maintained that this is not an option.
I have decided that my last act as Governor will be to settle this question. Our farms are now producing, we have drinking water, and the colony's oxygen levels are sustainable. This situation stands to last for the remainder of the Martian summer, and by that time we should have available a reasonable food stockpile in case we observe similar crop failures under reduced sunlight and atmospheric pressure conditions as we did during our first Martian winter.
Therefore, it is my firm belief that this colony will survive here on Mars if we can put a stop to the infighting over whether or not we will return. By the time this letter is distributed throughout the colony, I will already have exited to our rocket fuel stockpile with a small oxygen supply, limited to 20 minutes so that I do not waste our most valuable resource. The walk there is ten minutes, give or take.
In those twenty minutes, this letter will find its way to each and every threshold in New Kharkov. Its messengers do not know the content, so do not blame them. I imply that as you read this, if I have failed in my task, I shall suffocate to death. Perhaps this is cowardly of me; judge me as you will.
If I have succeeded, however, my success is likely the reason you are awake so early to read this letter. Destroying the fuel stockpile likely killed me, though I've done my best to limit the oxygen consumed in the process. There is no going back, now. You must all work together. Hopefully, one day, this colony will hail what I have done as heroic. Still, I go to my task, prepared even for history's vilification.
With respect,
Governor Aram Sahak Hagopian
New Kharkov
Dear Residents of New Kharkov,
It is with heavy regret that I pen the words in this communication. We who have suffered so much do not deserve to suffer further, and it is that fact that compels me to write this, despite my deep reluctance.
We first arrived here, in Earth Time, on March 27th, 2057. It has been approximately one Martian year since that occasion, and unfortunately, one long Martian winter. The use of Vertical Farming operations certainly helped us as our food stocks ran out, but it remains that Martian gravity is exceedingly poor at retaining any oxygen atmosphere to speak of. The magnetic, atmospheric, and geological comforts of Earth put our crops at a severe disadvantage, one which they only now catch up to.
We arrived here with 300 passengers and 30 crew members about our two ships, which we appropriated from abadoned military materiel and stocked heavily with food. Our number is now closer to 160, with four births since landfall. Obviously this means we have all lost friends and family since arrival here.
Given our high rate of death, many have voiced concern that our colony will not survive, and that we should return to Earth, to face the consequences of our flight and the persecution that we fled. Many others have maintained that this is not an option.
I have decided that my last act as Governor will be to settle this question. Our farms are now producing, we have drinking water, and the colony's oxygen levels are sustainable. This situation stands to last for the remainder of the Martian summer, and by that time we should have available a reasonable food stockpile in case we observe similar crop failures under reduced sunlight and atmospheric pressure conditions as we did during our first Martian winter.
Therefore, it is my firm belief that this colony will survive here on Mars if we can put a stop to the infighting over whether or not we will return. By the time this letter is distributed throughout the colony, I will already have exited to our rocket fuel stockpile with a small oxygen supply, limited to 20 minutes so that I do not waste our most valuable resource. The walk there is ten minutes, give or take.
In those twenty minutes, this letter will find its way to each and every threshold in New Kharkov. Its messengers do not know the content, so do not blame them. I imply that as you read this, if I have failed in my task, I shall suffocate to death. Perhaps this is cowardly of me; judge me as you will.
If I have succeeded, however, my success is likely the reason you are awake so early to read this letter. Destroying the fuel stockpile likely killed me, though I've done my best to limit the oxygen consumed in the process. There is no going back, now. You must all work together. Hopefully, one day, this colony will hail what I have done as heroic. Still, I go to my task, prepared even for history's vilification.
With respect,
Governor Aram Sahak Hagopian
New Kharkov
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