Off-Trail

Among things I wanted to do for this year's Worldcon, "Anticipation" in Montreal, was a cover for one of the Progress Reports. They asked if I could do number four, and I lept at the opportunity. For some time now I've been doing sketches of Saara Mar on Mars, but have had no reason to finish one, let alone colour it. This was the chance I was hoping for.

The location isn't one anyone has yet seen on Mars, but seems plausible enough. I think of it as a blow-out, where water melting under the surface during the summer has surfaced and begun an episode of rapid erosion. By rapid, I suppose I mean several thousand years. Gradually the surface has collapsed here, and the rubble transported downstream by natural forces. Many features on Mars, observed from orbit, resemble this sort of thing, so why not?

Saara herself needs no space suit. Tangel' in the background does, and wears a conformal silvery "force field" to protect her from the near-vacuum and cold. A human could probably stand on Mars in summer -- for maybe 30 seconds. It isn't the cold that would finish you off. The problem is air pressure that's about 1% what it is at sea level on Earth. It would suck the air out of your lungs. Unconsciousness would follow within seconds. The same thing happens when aircraft above 20,000 feet suddenly depressurize. And that's with higher air pressure than on Mars! But if you held your breath, and wore your long johns, a human being could indeed take in the wonders of Mars with his own two eyes for just long enough to probably think, "this hasn't been worth it."

The progress report this is the cover of is due to be mailed in a day or two.