Conquest of Space story
The first interplanetary flight to the planet Mars, manned by a crew of five, and launched from Earth orbit near The Wheel, mankind's first space station. On their long journey to the Red Planet, they encounter various dangers, both from within and without, that nearly destroy the mission.
13 total · 7 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| depletion of a vital natural resource | major | It was necessary to go to Mars to seek out more natural resources for Earth. Sargent Imoto explained that Japan went to war seeking out resources for his small country, and he didn't want to same thing to repeat itself on a global scale in the future. |
| descent into madness | major | Commander Samuel T. Merritt slowly goes dangerously insane from space fatigue on mission to Mars. |
| father and son | major | Samuel T. Merritt and his son Barney Merritt participate in the first mission to Mars. |
| interplanetary space travel | major | The first interplanetary flight to the planet Mars is undertaken. |
| natural resource sustainability | major | It was necessary to go to Mars to seek out more natural resources for Earth. |
| space station | major | A space station, named The Wheel, is used for launching a manned mission to Mars. |
| speculative spaceship | major | A crew of five astronauts flew a land and return rocketship to Mars. |
| Christianity | minor | Samuel T. Merritt reads the Bible on spaceflight as his doubts about the righteousness of the mission grow. Snow falling on Mars on Christmas Day was also seen as a Christmas miracle. |
| Christmas traditions | minor | A crew of five astronauts celebrated Christmas Day on Mars. |
| coping with being separated from someone you love | minor | Barney wished to be with his lover on Earth, rather than command a mission to Mars. |