Dramatis Personae
Columbus 1 Crew: (6 crew: 2 Americans, 2 Europeans, 1 Russian, 1 Japanese)
David (Daoud) Alaoui (GoC1) (Moroccan French): Field geologist, Muslim, wife and kids in Fez, politically very liberal, plays guitar, half French by background, writes novellas, was French Air Force pilot,
Will Elliott (American): Inactive Bahá'í, master field geologist; the “Moonman”; divorced because of excessive work and time from home; turns 35 in 2021 (born 1986); multiracial
Mother Katherine Elliott (born 1954): Mexican, Scottish, other ancestry
Sister Molly Nuri (born 1984)
Sister’s husband Taraz Nuri (Iranian Bahá'í)
Sister’s son Paul (born Jan. 2015)
Becomes acting Commissioner, April 2035; permanent Commissioner, May 2036
Sergei Alievitch Landsberg (GoC1) (Russian of German Jewish and Kazakh Muslim and Russian orthodox backgrounds): Asst Commander, mechanic/engineer/pilot, plays violin, grown family; wife divorces him on flight out. Mid forties. Gets drunk; brings vodka supply.
Ethel MacGregor (Scottish): engineer, computer specialist, some physicians training, divorced, poet, agnostic Presbyterian but had a very Presbyterian grandmother, not a good cook. Was a British Air Force pilot.
Marshall Stephen, born Feb. 1, 2025 (first child on Mars)
Elizabeth, born Oct. 12, 2027 (third child on Mars)
Sister: Gina; her daughter, Karie
Father: James Ian, born 1950
Shinji Nagatani (Japanese): biologist, paleontologist, horticulturalist, physician (MD), warm personality, hates to lose face, never married. Added to the flight at the last minute; had never been to the moon. Born 1982 (38 in 2020)
Laura Stillwell (GoC1) (American): Commander, Air Force pilot, conservative Protestant (Presbyterian), a bit inferior on flight, hard to work with, Republican, plays piano, divorced.
Vehicles: Elysium, Olympus; Cimmerium, Ausonia. Pavonis was already there and flew back to Earth with the Cimmerium.
Columbus 2 Crew: 8 total (3 Americans, 2 Europeans, 1 Russian, 1 Brazilian, 1 Canadian)(2023)
Madhu Gupta-Anderson (Indian-American): Hindu background, food preparation, dietician, horticulture. Knows classical Indian dance, flute, and sitar. Artist and aesthetician. Cuts hair very well. Organizes plays and artistic performances. Age: 41 (early 2023)
Samuel, born January 30, 2026 (second child on Mars)
Roger Anderson (American; Texas): serious evangelical, geologist, lots of lunar experience, friend of Will but a bit of a rival. Republican, politically very conservative, religiously conservative. From Texas. Plays guitar. Age: 42
Armando Cruz (American; Latino) Physician, nominal Catholic, experienced in space medicine. Dentist as well. Age: 44 (GoC2)
Sebastian Langlais (German): Geologist. lapsed Christian/post-Christian. Commander of Columbus 2. Plays violin well. German Air Force pilot, engineer, geology secondary expertise, can repair rocket engines. Hates the idea of colonizing Mars. Doesn’t like being told he’s wrong. Overly fastidious and anal about record keeping and organizing things. Age: 46 (born 1977) (GoC2)
two sons: Helmut (born 2007) and Kristoff (born 2010)
Érico Lopes (Brazilian): agnostic, geophysicist, good at repairing fancy scientific equipment and computers. Neo-Socialist. Has a temper. Clashes with Roger politically. Dark skinned and quick to feel discriminated against. Orphaned, from a poor background. Good singer. Age: 29
Carmen Segovia (Spanish): Spanish Air Force pilot, engineer, expert with communications equipment. Reconciler, compassionate, friendly. Age: 28
Corazon, born Oct 12, 2027 (fourth child on Mars)
Paolo, born Jan. 15, 2033
Paul Renfrew (Canadian): United Church of Canada, but not devoted. Engineer, TROV expert, can do horticulture as well. Age: 33 (Died C3)
Monica Yevtushenko (Russian): Exobiologist and geochemist. Pilot training. Age: 33. (GoC3)
Vehicles: Hadriaca, Apollonaris; Solis, Syrtis; flown back to Earth: Hadriaca, Olympus, Ausonia, Syrtis. [Left at Mars: Solis in orbit; Elysium, Apollonaris on surface.]
Columbus 3 Crew (14 total; 4 Americans, 3 French, 2 other Europeans, 1 Canadian, 1 Japanese, 1 Russian, 1 Brazilian, 1 Indian) Five initially committed to two-cycle stay (2025)
Dr. Neal Stroger (American, 29), expert lunar geologist, committed to two-cycle stay
Dr. Rosa Stroger (American, 29), nuclear engineer, committed to two-cycle stay
Richard Allen Stroger, born March 2028 (fifth child on Mars)
Sarah, born Jan. 2031
Rick Page (American), director of ISS Garage, expert on fixing shuttles (GoC3)
Dr. Jerome “Jerry” McCord: Long-time lunar geologist, potential commander of all of Mars; commands the Columbus 3 flight; pilot; can fix TROVs, knows mechanics. Can do anything. Has been Will’s gentle critic on Earth and now is an alternate power center. (GoC3)
Eve Gilmartin (French, 36), physician, committed to two-cycle stay
Juliette, Jan. 2033
Gaston Gilmartin (French) horticulturist, animal care specialist, committed to two-cycle stay
Lisa Kok (Dutch) craftsman, food specialist, horticulturalist
Anna, born March 2029
Koyo Takenaka (Japanese) TROV operator and repairer, computer repairman (Go C4)
Karol Havlicek (Czech) mechanic, mechanical engineer, metallurgist
Linda Dubois (Canadian) exobiologist (Go C3)
Patrice Domkowski (French) paleoenvironmentalist, climatologist, meteorologist (Go C3)
Lal Shankaraman (Indian, 35): geologist (glaciologist, sedimentologist; has not been to the moon), committed to two-cycle stay
Pavel Rudenkov (Russian) civil engineer, construction expert (GoC3, then directs Mars Construction Institute, Moscow)
Maria Cardoso (Brazilian) geochemist, chemist (GoC3)
Vehicles: Pavonis, Alba; Ihabs: Cimmerium, Noachis, Amazonis (Fr). Elysium and Apollonaris, Solis and Noachis fly back to Earth; Amazonis already flew back.
Columbus 4 Crew (18 total; 4 Americans, 2 French, 3 other Europeans, 2 Russians, 1 Canadian, 1 Japanese, 1 Brazilian, 1 Indian, 1 Chinese, 1 Mexican, 1 South African)(2027)
Yevgeny Lescov (Russian) pilot, geologist
Alexandra Lescov (Russian), civil engineer, architect, mechanic
Boris Lescov, June 22, 2036
Tang Enlai (Chinese) exobiologist; President of MarTech as of Jan. 2031; first classes, fall 2031
Olaf Norlander (Swedish) TROV driver (GoC4)
Charles Vickers (American), 31, TROV driver, repairman, and expert on meteorites
Martha Vickers (American), 30, psychiatrist
Caitlin, March 2030 (ninth child on Mars)
Jennie Dunbar (American) child care person, cleaner, general stuff
Jake, August 2029 (sixth child on Mars)
child, born Dec. 2034
Kevin Dunbar (American) nuclear engineer
Louise Tremblay (Canadian) chief mechanic, rocket engineer
child, born Sept. 2034
Michiko Suzuki (Japanese) meteorologist, born 1994; 12 years younger than Shinji
Yuki, late Aug. 2030 (tenth child on Mars)
boy, Jan. 3034
Jacques Deschanel (French) eobiologist/paleontologist
Therese Deschanel (French) environmental specialist (plants, mammals, birds, fish)
baby, Nov. 2029 (seventh child on Mars)
baby, May, 2032 (fourteen child on Mars)
Francisco Almeida (Brazilian) TROV driver, cook, horticulturist (GoC4)
Andries Underwood (South African) geologist/Petrologist
Sridhar Pradhan (Indian) geochemist (GoC4)
Eammon O’Hare (Irish) electrical & software engineer
Irina Lesz (Polish) laboratory assistant
Patrick, late Dec. 2029 (eighth child on Mars)
Twins, late March 2031 (11th and 12th children born on Mars)
Mary, born Aug. 25, 2033
Theresa, born Aug. 2034
Enrique Delrio (Mexican) welder/construction specialist, craftsman
Vehicles: Olympus, Hadriaca; Amazonis, Ausonia, Syrtis, Daedalia; Amazonis and Cimmerium fly back to Earth immediately. At end of Columbus 4, Pavonis, Alba, Ausonia and Syrtis fly back. Left at Mars: Hadriaca, Olympus, Daedalia.
Columbus 5 Crew (18 total; 4 Americans, 1 French, 4 other Europeans, 2 Russians, 1 Canadian, 1 Japanese, 1 Brazilian, 1 Indian, 1 Chinese, 1 Korean, 1 Iranian). Population on Mars rises to 47 adults (2029)
Radha Bhatt (Indian), biologist/ecologist, Lal’s bride, age 32.
Aditi, Downs syndrome, Apr. 2032 (13th child born on Mars)
Thierry Colmar (French), TROV specialist, gay
Silvio Diponte (Italian), lawyer, businessman, accountant, age 35
Julia Diponte (Italian), robotics expert, age 34
child, born Jan. 2034
Gregory Harris (American), inactive Catholic priest, 40 (born 1989), nurse, hair dresser, “mission generalist,” chaplain, housecleaner
Zachary Hersey (American), TROV specialist, gay
John Hunter (Lakota, American): chemist/geochemist, Lakota dancer, and flautist, brings tobacco and peace pipe. Age 37 (born 1992).
Ruhullah Islami (Iranian): Geophysicist/geochemist, born in 1982 and named for Khomeini; uncomfortable with a Bahá'í Commander (47 in 2029)
Pete Theodoulos (Canadian-Greek); Commander of Columbus 5 to Mars; Geologist/Volcanologist; 45 in 2029 (Go C5)
Tina Hvitmer: Danish, journalist who is a geologist
child, born Mar. 2034
child, 2037
Boris Ivanov: Russian, sociologist who is a geology lab technician
Tatiana Ivanov: Russian, Architect/interior designer who is a half-time construction technician, and also is a poet/artist
child, born Mar. 2033
Kimberly Irion: American, eobiochemist
Married Ananda, Dec. 2032
Mahidol, born June 2035
Sirikit, 2038
Yasuo Matsuzawa: male, Japanese, fabrication specialist (GoC5)
Taehun Kim: Korean, metallurgist and waste handling technician (GoC5)
Ernesto Alves: Brazilian, male, horticulturalist, cook’s assistant, oil painter and artist
Li Qingtian: Chinese, male, field geologist and geology lab technician (leave C6)
Christina Csakany: Hungarian, horticulturalist and construction specialist
Vehicles: Apollinaris, Elysium; Solis, Cimmerium, Ophir, and Hellas; Solis, Daedalia fly back to Earth immediately. At end of Columbus 5, Hadriaca, Olympus, Cimmerium, Ophir fly back. Left at Mars: Apollinaris, Elysium, and Hellas.