Martian Coalition of Theoretical Life Origins
Speculative Designer
Published in the first Biennial of Micronations
This year long, critical design project attempts to challenge the narratives surrounding our current exploration of Mars. In this speculative future, Mars has been through a period of failed attempts to colonize and is littered with scraps of failed landings, stalled rovers, and exploded habitats. As a result of their damage a group of scientists have joined together as The Martian Coalition for Theoretical Life Origins, living in floating habitats for fear of further harming Mars. Each team has its own ship and its own theory of life origins. They have two goal: discover life and clean up their past destruction.The ships are all outfitted with trollers and magnets which collect scraps from the surface. As the scraps from the surface are cleaned up they are then upcycled as new sections of the ships. Scrap, energy and water are traded amongst the various ships, although it is mostly done autonomously through an artificial intelligence which governs a lot of the mundane decisions.
Theoretical Parties
Panspermic Looper
Believe that life has been going back and forth between Earth and Mars since the beginning of time. Humans destroy one planet but just in time they figure out how to move to the other planet. It has been this giant loop.
Westheimerian
Prompted by the theories of Steven Benner of the Westheimer Institute of Science and Technology in Gainesville, Florida the Westheimerian’s believe that life on Earth began on Mars. They say that this can be proved by microfossils found in meteors which have landed on Earth from Mars. This theory is called Panspermia.
SpaceX14
These are the assholes of the bunch who don’t believe there is anything on Mars. They think the only reason to be there is to mine it and/or recreate Earth. They are just waiting til the scientist finally give up and then they are going back down to the surface to terraform the planet.
Bradenburger
One of the fringe groups, often labeled as being darkly pessimistic, the Brandenburger crew follows the theories of Dr. John Bradenburger who believe that there used to be a complex society living on Mars but thermo nuclear explosions wiped them out. This is what some of the giant craters are and they say all they need to prove it is the presence of nuclear isotopes.
Giant Impact
Believe that the Earth and Mars have collided in the past and that is how the Moon was made. Searching for life is somewhat secondary to proving that this happened. This are the most fringe group of scientists in fact almost everyone else believes they are simply wasting resources.
