Make Mars Home

Establishing the Mars Universe

Nearly half a year before the series premiere, a “pre-teaser” mission tracker site appeared online that only hinted at the full mission to come. Early site visitors found a live clock counting down to the Daedalus crew’s projected landing date, a 3D model of the ship and its landing site on Mars, a visualization of where the ship was in relation to Mars, and tantalizing questions about whether the mission was real. Were six people really flying to Mars? Was humanity about to become a two-planet species? Weeks later, additional information about the mission appeared, including an archival video showing the launch of the first crewed mission to Mars.

During this initial phase, daily mission update posts began appearing on Facebook and Twitter (@marsimsf, @marsdaedalus). The IMSF’s posts offered scientific facts and mission background, while the Daedalus crew’s posts gave followers a more personal, behind-the-scenes look at the human side of the mission. By the end of the active experience, approximately 200 unique posts from the IMSF and the Daedalus crew had enhanced the series narrative tidbits and kept followers informed about the latest content enhancements to the site.

Launching the Colonist Recruitment Program

With the Daedalus crew well on their way, the world got a chance to meet the six people who bravely left Earth behind forever. Crew biographies and interview videos helped visitors to empathize with Ben, Hana, Javier, Marta, Robert, and Amelie, while details about mission partners and the plans to establish a permanent base on Mars laid the foundation for the narrative of the television series to come. “Live” video feeds from two cameras attached to the Daedalus spacecraft kept site visitors apprised of the mission’s progress.

Even before the Daedalus finished its historic journey, the IMSF began searching for the next wave of Mars colonists by announcing a forthcoming recruitment drive. One month before the Mars series premiere, the colonist recruitment campaign launched, and a flood of exciting, mission-inspired interactive simulations and assessments transformed site visitors into active mission participants.

Participants were able to log in with Facebook to create their own unique colonist application profile and upload a photo to see what they would look like in the iconic space suits featured in the series.

In-browser virtual reality simulations instantly transported colonist candidates to the Red Planet, where they were able to test their abilities in spacecraft piloting, surface rover driving, life support repair, rocket landing, and robotic manipulation. For those without VR equipment, all simulations still provided responsive, engaging experiences on desktop computers and mobile devices.

Colonist candidates were also ranked by their performance in 2D interactive evaluations. Mission-critical skills, including stress endurance, Martian botany, ice purification, and others were tracked alongside important physical and mental attributes that could affect mission compatibility.

How often to you exercise? How comfortable are you in confined spaces? Do you know how the speed of light is affected by an increase in ambient temperature? Responses to scientific, mathematical, and behavioral questions, combined with performance ratings from other activities, were used throughout the experience to determine ideal mission roles.

Recruits were able to track their progress through the entire experience via a persistent achievement gallery tied to their profile. Interplanetary online leaderboards showcased the “best of the best” and enabled participants to recruit their friends and form their own Facebook crew.

National Geographic celebrated the launch of the Mars series and the Make Mars Home online experience at a multi-day interactive exhibition in New York. Prospective colonists who attended the event were rewarded with customized Google Cardboard VR headsets to get the most out of their recruitment experience.

Exploring Humanity's New Home

After the IMSF had recruited its next wave of Martian colonists, the focus of the experience shifted. Prospective colonists were still encouraged to apply for future missions, but the site began to broadcast “live” video feeds directly from the growing Mars base. As the series progressed, these video feeds changed in tandem with key episodes to reinforce various plot points.

Curious Earth-bound explorers were also given unrestricted access to various areas of the base via a 3D tour that highlighted the many hazards of Mars and the innovations that contributed to the successful colonization mission. Archival videos featuring the top scientific minds of 2016, including Elon Musk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and many others, were declassified and released to the public to explain some of the early challenges that had to be overcome to make the mission possible.

Our Multi-Planet Destiny

In the end, the experience was so convincing that National Geographic commissioned an additional content piece to explain to unabashed dreamers and hopeful futurists that the mission, the series, and the recruitment campaign were, in fact, fictional… for now.

Filled with forward-looking adventurers, the Neo-Pangea team is already training for the rigors of space travel in hopes of launching the first interplanetary digital agency. We look forward to serving you from Mars.