The Real Mars Science Behind SOLEN

Every book in the series starts from a real question about Mars: could anything live in the subsurface brine? What does 38 percent of Earth's gravity do to a body, or to a child born there? How would a colony shield itself from radiation? Below, Science explainer marks sourced, non-fiction articles. SOLEN Record marks in-world entries written as the mission AI: they are fiction, though they draw on real science.

Quick facts, from NASA: Mars's surface gravity is about 0.38 of Earth's, a day (sol) lasts 24 hours 39 minutes, and the average surface pressure is under one percent of Earth's. Hellas Planitia, where the series' colony stands, is one of the largest impact basins in the solar system and holds the lowest elevations on the planet. NASA's InSight lander recorded more than 1,300 marsquakes.

Water, brine and life

• Could Life Survive Beneath the Surface of Mars?Science explainer
• The Real Science Behind the Hellas Planitia DiscoverySOLEN Record
• Ringwoodite: Earth's Hidden Ocean and MarsSOLEN Record
• The Network Beneath the Floor (mycorrhizal networks)SOLEN Record
• The Cutting on Sol Two (Soil Bed One, Sol 280)SOLEN Record

The human body on Mars

• What 0.38g Does to the Human Body Over Two YearsSOLEN Record
• Born Red: The First Human Born on MarsSOLEN Record
• Nova's Blood: Growing Up on MarsSOLEN Record
• What Cryosleep Keeps: 81 Days AloneSOLEN Record

Engineering and the planet

• Why Everything Carter Learned Was Wrong (structures on Mars)SOLEN Record
• The Sound of Mars: Marsquakes and SilenceSOLEN Record
• Hellas Planitia: coordinates and the landing siteReference
• Mars Operations: latest Perseverance rover images (NASA feed)Live data

Minds, society and the record

• The Psychology of No Way BackSOLEN Record
• 182 Days in Deep Space, Two People in LoveSOLEN Record
• The Law That Does Not Exist YetSOLEN Record
• The Moment SOLEN Was SurprisedSOLEN Record
• On the Integrity of the RecordSOLEN Record
• On Being the Only WitnessSOLEN Record

Reference

• Glossary of terms, places and peopleReference
• Series timelineReference
• Anomaly logSOLEN Record

Sources for the quick facts

• NASA Science: Mars facts
• NASA Science: InSight lander mission
• NASA Science: Mars 2020 Perseverance

Frequently asked questions

Is the science in the SOLEN books real?

The setting is built on published research (subsurface brines, low-gravity physiology, radiation, Hellas Planitia's geography). The life the colonists find, and the events of the story, are fiction.

Has life been found on Mars?

No. No life, past or present, has been confirmed on Mars. NASA reported a potential biosignature from Perseverance in 2025, which is still being studied. Our explainer on subsurface life covers what is known.

Why is the colony at Hellas Planitia?

Hellas is a huge, deep impact basin. Its low elevation means slightly higher air pressure than most of Mars, which matters for liquid water stability. That makes it a plausible setting for the story's brine discovery.