Big day tomorrow, as I start preparations for the race on Mars. It’s the fourth championship, it’s held every four years, and I promised myself I’ll not miss it this time. Ok, not only I have to write about it, as it’s my business, but I also have to take this trip – it would be my first time on Mars.

Two words about this race: it’s taking place within a controlled environment, under a huge plastic canopy that blocks harmful radiation, and ensures the same breathing conditions that would normally exist at 6000m altitude (near Everest highs). So the competitors are dressed only in slim space suits, allowing them a normal pressure and everything.

Of course, now and then an accident happens – they compete in SATVs, so they bump into each other at times – and the poor guy depressurizes, but they’re pretty quick to lend assistance, so nobody actually died until now.

The real nice thing is to see the Martian soil, to go nuts in those all-terrain vehicles and to make those huge jumps in the ‘air’. As a reporter, you get a place very near the action, and as a bonus you get a free ride, and such.

Can’t wait for it. I received the invitation at the last moment, so…

OTOH, I have to prepare for three long months, and for SIX consecutive days of acceleration. I’m going to take the train to Berlin, then the high-speedo to Kazakhstan, where all of EurAsia is doing it’s space launching, and then to the Mars departure station, located in a Lagrange point.

I remember the times when people had to travel almost two years to reach Mars… on liquid fuel rockets… Lol.

Now it’s all about electro-magnets and huge rings and passing through (a lot of) them, adding 1G every time, until we reach 62.000km/h(39.000mph), our cruising speed. 85 days later, we’re there.

But more on this, tomorrow, after I dock to the intermediary station.

Me happy