Mars

Basic Information

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System. Often called the "Red Planet" due to its reddish appearance caused by iron oxide on its surface. Mars is a primary target for human colonization in the game, with 25 habitation sites available.

Gallery

HemisphereProjectionHab surfacePhoto

Additional Information

Exploration Tech

The Global Technology Mission to Mars is required research to enable sending probes to this planetary system.

Mission to Mars

Scientists study exploration and colonization of the red planet.

---

"It takes so very little for one tribe of humanity to look upon a second tribe as The Other. Think of what will happen once hundreds of millions of kilometers lie between us."

Chancellor Li Qingzhao, the Academy

"Distributed Humanity"

Though it is scarcely an appealing home, there is no better prospect within our solar system for eventual colonization than our crimson neighbor, Mars. It lacks a breathable atmosphere, the radiation risk from both galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles is extreme, the soil is flooded with toxins, and the low gravity will weaken both bones and muscles and cause cardiovascular problems. Then there is the cold, and the minimal supply of water... And with travel each way also taking months, at least until such time as we have made profound progress in spaceflight technology, only the bravest and hardiest pioneers would dare take this chance. Yet if humanity is ever to explore the stars, or settle on further-out planets, or to trace our alien visitors to their own homeworld, there is simply no choice other than Mars. In terms of temperature, sunlight, and simple proximity, no other planet in our system comes close. Our scientists are now confident that the settling of a limited number of highly-trained personnel will be possible, thanks to a combination of highly complex life-support systems and certain cyanobacteria capable of photosynthesis even on Mars' hostile surface. The latter, grown at sufficient scale, can generate both food and oxygen locally, and allow the propagation of more complex organisms. It is from these starting blocks that long-term life on Mars will begin.

–Allows sending probes to Mars and inner-system asteroids and the construction of habitats at those locations
–Allows exploration and construction at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Points and asteroids in the Earth orbital region
–The number of habitat mining modules we can support without paying a Mission Control cost increases by 6
–Factions that contributed more to this tech will complete scans of the space body faster

Mining Sites

Notes:

• Negative values are not a bug, the game actually sets the median to a negative value to make it incredibly unlikely for the site to have a positive mine output. But note that the actual mined amount cannot actually be negative.
• Blank values indicate that the site can never produce this resource. In contrast, 0 indicates that there is still up to 50% chance for the site to produce the resource.
• Values shown do not take into account the final capping of the Noble Metals output to just 1/2 or 1/3 of the Base Metals output.
• Top 50% Mean is the average value of the top 50% of possible rolls. It is also a much looser estimate than the median because it cannot handle edge cases such as where the mininum value is too close to the median value.

MedianTop 50% Mean

Site Name	Parent Body	Mining Profile	Max Hab Tier	Median Resources (after Mass/Density Modifiers)
Schiaparelli Crater	Mars	Martian Lowlands	4	10	15	30	5	0
Terra Sabaea	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Argyre Planitia	Mars	Martian South Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0
Noctis Labyrinthus	Mars	Martian Lowlands	4	10	15	30	5	0
Xanthe Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Daedalia Planum	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Tempe Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Scylla Scopulus	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Olympus Mons	Mars	Martian Volcanic	4	10	25	40	15	0
Aonia Terra	Mars	Martian South Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0
Arcadia Planitia	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0.2
Tyrrhena Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Terra Sirenum	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Noachis Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Arabia Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Hellas Planitia	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Promethei Terra	Mars	Martian South Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0
Utopia Planitia	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0.2
Valles Marineris	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Tantalus Fossae	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0.2
Isidis Planitia	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Elysium Planitia	Mars	Martian	4	20	20	20	0	0
Acidalia Planitia	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	50	20	10	0	0.2
Ares Valles	Mars	Martian Lowlands	4	10	15	30	5	0
Tharsis Montes	Mars	Martian Volcanic	4	10	25	40	15	0
Total: 25 Hab Sites				660	495	500	45	0.8

Site Name	Parent Body	Mining Profile	Max Hab Tier	Estimated Top 50% Mean Resources (after Mass/Density Modifiers)
Schiaparelli Crater	Mars	Martian Lowlands	4	11.25	17.5	40	6.111	0.429
Terra Sabaea	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Argyre Planitia	Mars	Martian South Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	0.429
Noctis Labyrinthus	Mars	Martian Lowlands	4	11.25	17.5	40	6.111	0.429
Xanthe Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Daedalia Planum	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Tempe Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Scylla Scopulus	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Olympus Mons	Mars	Martian Volcanic	4	10.556	27.5	46.429	17.5	0.429
Aonia Terra	Mars	Martian South Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	0.429
Arcadia Planitia	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	1.057
Tyrrhena Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Terra Sirenum	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Noachis Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Arabia Terra	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Hellas Planitia	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Promethei Terra	Mars	Martian South Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	0.429
Utopia Planitia	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	1.057
Valles Marineris	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Tantalus Fossae	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	1.057
Isidis Planitia	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Elysium Planitia	Mars	Martian	4	20.556	22.5	33.333	2.5	0.536
Acidalia Planitia	Mars	Martian North Polar	4	52.5	22.5	12.5	0.556	1.057
Ares Valles	Mars	Martian Lowlands	4	11.25	17.5	40	6.111	0.429
Tharsis Montes	Mars	Martian Volcanic	4	10.556	27.5	46.429	17.5	0.429
Total: 25 Hab Sites				689.583	557.5	733.69	89.722	14.621

Bombard Values

Bombardment Values for Earth

Weapon	Damage at Altitude			Anti-PD Value at Altitude			Cost per Ammo
	200km	400km	600km	200km	400km	600km
Heavy Coil Cannon Mk3	99.458	102.56	105.497	212.518	219.146	225.422	0.00075	0.003	0.00375
Light Rail Cannon Mk1	3.334	3.334	3.334	2.279	2.279	2.279	0.0003	0.0015	0.0012
Spinal Railgun Mk1	80.509	84.789	88.835	55.049	57.975	60.742	0.0012	0.006	0.0048
Light Coilgun Battery Mk2	0.486	0.486	0.486	0.864	0.864	0.864	0.0001	0.0004	0.0005
Alien Mag Battery	4.941	4.941	4.941	14.639	14.639	14.639	0.0003	0.0018	0.0009
Spinal Siege Coiler Mk1	1022.633	1050.586	1077.169	681.755	700.391	718.113	0.01	0.04	0.05
Heavy Coilgun Battery Mk2	7.78	8.098	10.571	13.832	14.397	18.793	0.0004	0.0016	0.002
Enhanced Alien Light Mag Cannon	8.534	9.768	12.12	30.01	34.349	42.621	0.0004	0.002	0.0016
Alien Light Mag Battery	1.235	1.235	1.235	4.392	4.392	4.392	0.00015	0.0009	0.00045
Heavy Railgun Battery Mk1	9.847	9.847	9.847	8.753	8.753	8.753	0.00048	0.0024	0.00192
Spinal Siege Coiler Mk2	1156.677	1186.082	1214.056	1101.597	1129.602	1156.244	0.01	0.04	0.05
Enhanced Alien Heavy Mag Battery	53.511	56.882	60.067	165.159	175.563	185.393	0.0006	0.003	0.0024
Coil Cannon Mk2	19.883	22.393	24.76	33.989	38.278	42.326	0.0005	0.002	0.0025
Heavy Coilgun Battery Mk3	17.404	20.041	22.529	38.676	44.535	50.064	0.0004	0.0016	0.002
Light Railgun Battery Mk1	0.615	0.615	0.615	0.547	0.547	0.547	0.00012	0.0006	0.00048
Heavy Siege Coiler Mk1	733.182	754.888	775.515	488.788	503.259	517.01	0.0075	0.03	0.0375
Railgun Battery Mk3	3.351	3.351	3.351	8.935	8.935	8.935	0.00024	0.0012	0.00096
Enhanced Alien Spinal Mag Cannon	383.187	388.518	393.582	561.445	569.257	576.678	0.0016	0.008	0.0064
Railgun Battery Mk2	2.801	2.801	2.801	3.735	3.735	3.735	0.00024	0.0012	0.00096
Light Coil Cannon Mk3	3.151	3.151	3.151	6.733	6.733	6.733	0.00025	0.001	0.00125
Light Coil Cannon Mk2	2.634	2.634	2.634	4.503	4.503	4.503	0.00025	0.001	0.00125
Spinal Siege Coiler Mk3	1408.573	1440.218	1470.335	1878.097	1920.291	1960.447	0.01	0.04	0.05
Heavy Coilgun Battery Mk1	6.838	6.838	6.838	9.118	9.118	9.118	0.0004	0.0016	0.002
Light Coilgun Battery Mk1	0.427	0.427	0.427	0.57	0.57	0.57	0.0001	0.0004	0.0005
Enhanced Alien Mag Cannon	87.229	90.636	93.861	255.615	265.6	275.049	0.0008	0.004	0.0032
Light Rail Cannon Mk2	3.793	3.793	3.793	3.89	3.89	3.89	0.0003	0.0015	0.0012
Coilgun Battery Mk3	2.327	2.327	2.327	5.171	5.171	5.171	0.0002	0.0008	0.001
Heavy Coil Cannon Mk1	46.585	49.615	52.478	59.724	63.609	67.279	0.00075	0.003	0.00375
Alien Mini Mag Cannon	7.612	7.612	7.612	20.076	20.076	20.076	0.0004	0.0024	0.0012
Enhanced Alien Heavy Mag Cannon	208.896	213.24	217.361	408.099	416.586	424.637	0.0012	0.006	0.0048
Alien Heavy Mag Battery	21.793	25.511	29.014	53.809	62.99	71.639	0.0006	0.0036	0.0018
Enhanced Alien Light Mag Battery	1.385	1.385	1.385	6.154	6.154	6.154	0.00015	0.00075	0.0006
Rail Cannon Mk1	13.335	13.335	13.335	9.118	9.118	9.118	0.0006	0.003	0.0024
Rail Cannon Mk3	36.888	39.847	42.64	75.668	81.737	87.466	0.0006	0.003	0.0024
Coil Cannon Mk3	40.455	42.939	45.287	86.442	91.751	96.768	0.0005	0.002	0.0025
Heavy Siege Coiler Mk2	822.744	845.496	867.126	783.565	805.234	825.834	0.0075	0.03	0.0375
Alien Light Mag Cannon	7.612	7.612	7.612	20.076	20.076	20.076	0.0004	0.0024	0.0012
Light Railgun Battery Mk2	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.934	0.934	0.934	0.00012	0.0006	0.00048
Spinal Railgun Mk2	112.244	116.483	120.496	115.122	119.469	123.585	0.0012	0.006	0.0048
Alien Spinal Mag Cannon	215.768	221.059	226.079	237.108	242.922	248.438	0.0016	0.0096	0.0048
Heavy Siege Coiler Mk3	1004.585	1028.889	1052.008	1339.447	1371.853	1402.678	0.0075	0.03	0.0375
Spinal Railgun Mk3	155.554	159.925	164.068	319.084	328.051	336.549	0.0012	0.006	0.0048
Heavy Railgun Battery Mk2	11.204	11.204	11.204	14.939	14.939	14.939	0.00048	0.0024	0.00192
Advanced Alien Mag Battery	47.176	50.272	53.197	204.006	217.393	230.041	0.00055	0.00275	0.0022
Advanced Alien Spinal Mag Cannon	2349.571	2365.659	2380.976	5578.278	5616.474	5652.84	0.00589	0.02945	0.02356
Coilgun Battery Mk2	1.945	1.945	1.945	3.458	3.458	3.458	0.0002	0.0008	0.001
Advanced Alien Heavy Mag Cannon	852.15	860.747	868.925	2731.25	2758.806	2785.016	0.00294	0.0147	0.01176
Advanced Alien Mag Cannon	277.435	282.345	287.007	1249.238	1271.349	1292.34	0.00147	0.00735	0.00588
Spinal Coiler Mk3	163.275	167.002	170.536	348.879	356.843	364.393	0.001	0.004	0.005
Advanced Alien Light Mag Cannon	79.029	82.153	85.11	455.936	473.961	491.017	0.00074	0.0037	0.00296
Coil Cannon Mk1	9.813	12.354	14.749	12.581	15.839	18.909	0.0005	0.002	0.0025
Heavy Rail Cannon Mk2	62.158	65.785	69.212	63.752	67.472	70.987	0.0009	0.0045	0.0036
Light Railgun Battery Mk3	0.838	0.838	0.838	2.234	2.234	2.234	0.00012	0.0006	0.00048
Light Coil Cannon Mk1	2.315	2.315	2.315	2.968	2.968	2.968	0.00025	0.001	0.00125
Advanced Alien Light Mag Battery	4.377	4.377	4.377	23.341	23.341	23.341	0.00028	0.00138	0.0011
Light Rail Cannon Mk3	4.537	4.537	4.537	9.308	9.308	9.308	0.0003	0.0015	0.0012
Light Coilgun Battery Mk3	0.582	0.582	0.582	1.293	1.293	1.293	0.0001	0.0004	0.0005
Heavy Coil Cannon Mk2	63.356	66.408	69.295	108.301	113.518	118.452	0.00075	0.003	0.00375
Alien Mag Cannon	47.079	50.725	54.166	103.471	111.484	119.047	0.0008	0.0048	0.0024
Railgun Battery Mk1	2.462	2.462	2.462	2.188	2.188	2.188	0.00024	0.0012	0.00096
Advanced Alien Heavy Mag Battery	202.959	207.57	211.942	731.384	747.999	763.754	0.0011	0.0055	0.0044
Heavy Rail Cannon Mk3	92.055	95.713	99.174	188.832	196.334	203.434	0.0009	0.0045	0.0036
Enhanced Alien Mag Battery	5.539	5.539	5.539	20.515	20.515	20.515	0.0003	0.0015	0.0012
Coilgun Battery Mk1	1.71	1.71	1.71	2.279	2.279	2.279	0.0002	0.0008	0.001
Heavy Railgun Battery Mk3	13.403	13.902	17.018	35.742	37.073	45.38	0.00048	0.0024	0.00192
Rail Cannon Mk2	18.097	21.141	24.009	18.561	21.683	24.625	0.0006	0.003	0.0024
Alien Heavy Mag Cannon	121.075	125.501	129.692	177.399	183.884	190.025	0.0012	0.0072	0.0036
Spinal Coiler Mk2	110.31	113.919	117.337	188.563	194.734	200.577	0.001	0.004	0.005
Heavy Rail Cannon Mk1	41.763	45.484	48.995	28.556	31.1	33.501	0.0009	0.0045	0.0036
Spinal Coiler Mk1	86.116	89.656	93.005	110.406	114.943	119.237	0.001	0.004	0.005

Strategic Value

Mars represents the first major colonization effort beyond the Earth-Moon system. Its numerous habitation sites and relatively hospitable conditions make it a crucial stepping stone for further solar system development.

Narrative Events

Journey to InSight

InSight lander site visited.

With our presence on Mars firmly established, a small research team has taken the time to seek out NASA's InSight lander, which had spent several years studying the red planet's seismography before going dark in December 2022. The data it gathered was instrumental in finding suitable prospective sites for our manned bases.

1. Establish a memorial site.

   Astronauts working for {targetFactionName} have built a memorial to the InSight lander.

2. Clean it up, make a few repairs, and let it continue its mission.

   Engineers with {targetFactionName} have put the InSight lander back to work.

3. Scrap it, and sell the parts to the highest bidder.

   Supporters of {targetFactionName} are selling mementos of the InSight lander.

Lone marine defeats alien infiltration

One marine "fights through hell."

Attempts by the Aliens to infiltrate {targetHabName} on Mars were foiled after a lone marine escaped the preliminary destruction of the barracks there, then went on a one-man rampage through the Alien combat team. As one of the emergency responders commented, "He ripped 'em a new one. Really tore them apart!"

The marine, known to be a fan of heavy metal, declined to comment.

Olympus Mons

A scientific expedition from {targetHabName} has begun exploring Olympus Mons.

More than twice the height of Mount Everest on Earth, Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the Solar System and one of the largest volcanoes. It is so large that an observer standing on the peak would be unable to tell they were on a tall mountain, as the gentle downwards slope extends well beyond the horizon.

The awesome size of Olympus Mons is thought to be due to the lack of mobile tectonic plates on Mars. Fixed over a stationary hotspot, the volcano was able to discharge lava for an extremely long time, creating its massive dimensions.

1. A quick survey is all we need.

   {targetFactionName} endorses a quick survey of Olympus Mons.

2. Set up camp and collect as much information as possible.

   {targetFactionName} endorses a detailed survey of Olympus Mons.

Real world statistics & trivia

• Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system and arguably the tallest mountain (contended by a recent unnamed discovery on Máni and Rheasilvia on Vesta). At nearly 20 km high, it is about 2.5 times the elevation of Mount Everest.
• Mars has distinctive polar ice caps which are not depicted in Terra Invicta. Mars is cold enough to freeze CO₂, which can form layers up to 8m thick at the southern pole. In winter, this measurably depletes the planet's already thin atmosphere.