SPORTS ON MARS IN EARTH YEAR 5022

By South Wallace and Josh Zimmermann

terraforming process
MARS, 2022 MARS, 5022
How Will We Terraform Mars in 3000 Years?
THE YEAR IS 5022, AND HUMANS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY TERRAFORMED AND COLONIZED MARS. THIS WAS DONE
THROUGH A PROCESS OF ENRICHING THE ATMOSPHERE WITH OXYGEN, NITROGEN, AND CARBON DIOXIDE,
USING PLANETARY WARMING TECHNOLOGY, AND MAGNETICALLY PROTECTING THE PLANET FROM SOLAR
WINDS FOR THREE THOUSAND YEARS. HUMANS HAVE MADE MARS A HOME. HOWEVER, LIFE ON MARS IS STILL
VERY DIFFERENT FROM LIFE ON EARTH. BUT THE DESIRE TO COMPETE ATHLETICALLY REMAINS! . YES, THERE
ARE INDEED SPORTS ON MARS – EVEN AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL! BELOW WE HYPOTHESIZE THE RELEVANT
CONDITIONS OF A TERRAFORMED MARS IN THE YEAR 5022, AND THEN WE EXPLORE HOW AN AEROCENTRIC
SOCIETY WILL CONSEQUENTIALLY ADAPT OUR BELOVED SPORTS. FIRST, LETS ASSESS THE SITUATION.
THE YEAR IS 5022...

How will Mars be Earth-like? How will Mars be different?

Atmospheric Pressure
Atmospheric pressure on Mars is currently 1% of that of
Earth's. Due to Mars' weaker gravitational pull, the gases
released to raised pressure must amount to a mass &
density 2.6 times that of Earth's. Fortunately in 3050,
scientists were able to capture massive asteroids and crash
them into Mars' surface. They then accelerated the
resulting magma's cooling process. The asteroids were rich
in ammonia, which contains Nitrogen. This nitrogen,
coupled with the CO2 released from ice at the polar caps,
and newly produced oxygen, has culminated into an Earth-
Atmospheric Composition
While pressure is at normal levels, the amount of CO2 and
Nitrogen pumped into in the atmosphere outweighs the
relatively little amount of oxygen being produced by the
growing amount of photosynthetic life on Mars. So, athletes
outside must wear oxygen masks (30% oxygen), which have
been technologically developed to be as small as the
disposable masks we use today. Inside, buildings are
pumped with 30% oxygen so athletes can breathe without
masks.

like atmospheric pressure of 100 kPa. Gravity

Surface gravity on Mars is 38% of Earths. Extended research

Magnetic Field
Scientists have created a magnetic field to protect Mars
from solar winds and retain it's new atmosphere. A
massive system of refrigerated, latitudinal super
conducting DC rings create a unique and powerful
magnetosphere. This technology is currently being
pioneered by Japanese scientists at the National Institute
of Fusion Science.
nighttime respectively. Even more differently, Martian years
Temperature
With a rebuilt and thick CO2 atmosphere and using large
by scientists revealed that this degree of weightlessness
was not harmful to the human body, in fact- it reduced the
stress force to athletes' joints. The Mars colonists have been
born into 38% of Earth gravity for generations by 5022.
Days
Mars’ days are sols - 24 hours and 37 minutes. It's not a big
change, but there's ~20 minutes more of sunlight and
last 687 days, in comparison to Earth's 365 day year.

orbital mirrors to redirect more sunlight onto the Martian

surface, the temperature of the Red Planet was able to
reach an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius from
its original average temperature of -60 degrees Celsius.

 SPORTS ON MARS
Basketball
On Mars, basketball is more action packed.
Because of the lower gravity (62% lower than
Earth's), most colonists can jump four feet in the
air, so hoops are raised to 12 feet. Athletes are in
the air longer when they jump, resulting in way
more dunks and in flight adjustments. Mars'
Shooters would put Steph Curry of Earth to shame
with their range if not for basketballs' adjusted
weight. Balls have a mass that on Earth would be
equivalent of 3.5 pounds, compared to the
conventional 1.3 pound ball. This makes shooting
and dribbling comparatively similar. Inside arenas,
oxygen is pumped in at an 'artificially' high 30%
composition level, increasing stamina and giving
players a freakish ability to play all 48 minutes of
the game. The "Six Man of the Year" award does
not exist, teams carry 8 players, and bench players
only play in very specific matchup occasions or as
injury replacements. Players with who rely heavily
on their jumping ability (ex. Derrick Rose) typically
have chronic injury problems on Earth, but do not
on Mars because of the lessened impact on their
joints. Players have longer careers and are able to
surpass all career milestones set on Earth.
Football
Like soccer, early Martian football players
equip weighted cleats to assist in simulating
Earth-like motion. But the excitingly violent
collisions of American football have been
nerfed by Martian mechanics. Players bounce
off one another like pinballs. The added
recovery and reaction time from said
bouncing adds an unpredictability to the
game and takes away from the importance of
agility. Big time hitters are unable to exert
the same force on their opponents as was
once done on Earth. Franchise quarterbacks
hurt their throwing arms far more frequently
due to the weighted balls they use to play on
a similar scale. Consensus became that much
of the skill and and tenacity associated with
increased to 120ft to adapt to the new lead to a single bigger platform in the middle of
the great sport had been lost, and so the
MAFL (Martian American Football League) was
forced to disband due to decreasing
popularity in 4918.
IN EARTH YEAR 5022
Golf
Golf was the first sport played in space
when American Astronaut Alan
Shepheard hit a pitch shot 600 ft. on
the moon. Now, there is not a whole
lot of golf played on Mars in 5022, but
it exists. Near the Victoria crater –
which is a historic site of where the
pioneer rover, Opportunity explored
the equatorial area of Mars – a famous
600 acre 18-hole golf course resides.
Colonists typically have a good long
game; elite golfers can drive the ball
1500 yards. Thankfully they have
sophisticated golf ball tracking
technology!
Baseball
The days of baseball holding the title of
"America's pastime" are long gone.
Baseball is so popular on Mars that it's
remembered as a historically Martian
game. Once thought of as a slower game,
the highlight reel plays now make it
impossible for fans to take their eyes off
the field. 38% gravity means that
outfielders can leap 5 feet into the air to
rob players of homeruns. 400 ft.
homerun bombs on Earth become 1500
ft. on Mars (s. 1)! Six outfielders, wearing
oxygen masks, roam the outfield to cover
the massive field. 90ft bases are
field's area and increased offense. Giant
stadiums can hold hundreds of
thousands of people. At New Fenway
Park, where the Galle Red Sox play, the
Greener Monster is a whopping 130 ft.
tall, and players still club balls over it!
Soccer
Perhaps the most similar to its Earth
counterpart, Martian soccer is played on a
larger pitch, but the same size goal, which
makes it even more difficult to score on. To
replicate earth-like circumstances, players
sport special weighted cleats that enable a
more efficient running motion. This motion,
in comparison to the typical "loping gait"
motion that Mars limits colonists to, allows
players to dribble with controlled precision,
as well as making it easier being able to
come to a stop on the dime. While soccer is
fairly popular on the professional level,
Martians are far more interested in the
action-packed games basketball, baseball,
and summit.
Martian Sport: "Summit"
Martians developed an exciting new sport
played at the professional level. The
competition is only made possible with Mars'
low gravity. Its the highest paid sport in the
solar system. In a collisuem-esque arena, two
opposing players face one another at opposite
ends of the stadium. When the referee whistles
that the match has begun, each player races
their way up, leaping from one small platform
to the next, each over 4 ft. above and 10ft.
away from the next. If they fall, they fall down
into the water below where they must swim
back to the beginning and start again, but the
pro's never have an unforced fall. The platforms
the stadium, the famous "Summit". Here, the
two players meet in an epic climax and wrestle
and push one another to force the other off the
Summit and into the water 80 ft. below. If
you're faster to the top, you gain an advantage
in defending it. Only one can remain at the top
of the Summit.
 SPORTS ON MARS IN EARTH YEAR 5022

SOURCES
https://york-pvl.blogspot.com/2019/11/how-far-can-golfer-hit-drive-on-mars.html

http://entropicparticles.com/climates-of-mars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars

S. 1- https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2021/2/25/22299334/how-far-home-run-travel-on-mars

https://astronomy.com/news/2021/02/alan-shepard-smacked-golf-balls-on-the-moon--and-now-
we-know-where-they-
landed#:~:text=But%20in%20the%20Moon's%20airless,200%20yards%20(600%20feet).

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-exploration-rover-opportunity-mer

Zubrin, Robert, et al. The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must. Free
Press, 2021.

Hawkey A. Small step or giant leap? Human locomotion on Mars. J Br Interplanet Soc. 2004 Jul-
Aug;57(7-8):262-70. PMID: 15856558.