If people are planning to colonize Mars, they will need a flag to mark their presence on this planet. What could it be like? Adam Proctor and Chris baraniuk presented their own versions of the Martian flag. If we can explore space, one day we will need to differentiate extraterrestrial colony from his native Land — like modern countries on the planet.
What flag could represent the future of Mars? One of the most widely known, unofficial flags were proposed in the 90s on the basis of the idea of terraforming — the colors were supposed to display the path of a planet to be habitable; from red and lifeless in the beginning to blue and wet in the end.
India interesting, but this flag is different from the usual earth tricolor?
Unofficial flag of Mars, designed by designer Pascal in the 1990s
Adam Proctor and Chris baraniuk decided to think about what the flags would be extraterrestrial colony. As a guide they take the internationally recognized rules of flag design, known as vexillographica. The basic rules say that flags must be bold, special, recognizable on the background of their natural environment and have carefully adjusted proportions. Further explanation — on behalf of the authors.
Red dot
Red planet. So people of the eye is called Mars. From here we took inspiration for this version. The problem is that this flag, ahem, similar to Japanese. Japan is on Earth. And although the similarities between the flags can not be called unusual (look at the flags of Romania and Chad or the Republic of Ireland and côte d’ivoire, for example), the need to present a completely different planet requires more ingenuity.
Orbital satellites
Mars has two small moons — Phobos and Deimos (meaning “fear” and “horror”). In the second attempt we tried to capture the fullness of this system and presented two moons orbiting a red sphere. But this flag does not take into account the lifetime of the satellites. According to a recent publication in Nature, Phobos will fall apart and forms a ring of debris around the planet — though not sooner than in 20 million years.
Space age
Before humans colonize Mars, it is important to remember that this planet already has a long geological history, full of events that changed the landscape of Mars and made it what it is today. This option tries to capture the history of the planet, splitting it three colored bands, emphasizing three main geological era of Mars: Nouska, Kaspereskey and Amazonica.
Scientists have identified these periods, studying the image of the surface of Mars, sent to us from orbiting satellites. During these three eras, asteroids, volcanoes and liquid water contribute to the creation of the valleys, rock formations and high mountains.
Fourth from the Sun
If the Earth is often referred to as third from the Sun the planet Mars, of course, will be the fourth. Its position in our Solar system: the Sun is at the right end. This design should reflect the gradual progress of mankind as the distance farther and farther from our origins.
So far, we have followed vexillographica tradition. But what if we reject a set of rules for a minute?
Hand development
This funny and less strict flag includes two satellites, crosses, indicating the presence of three planets closer to the Sun than Mars, and the Crescent in strips, pointing to the sunsets and sunrises of the Martian sun. Five lanes are an abstract reminder of the human hand, noting important discovery of humanity and his responsibility toward the red planet.
Mighty mountains
If I had to name a distinctive feature of the surface of Mars that stands out in the Solar system, it definitely needs to be mount Olympus. This largest mountain and the largest volcano among all the mountains of all the planets and moons. With a height of 26 kilometers, it is three times higher than mount Everest.
These two options represent Olympus in the form of a simplified triangle. Here on Earth, Slovenia and Saint Lucia portrayed their mountain features on their flags, the Triglav mountain and volcanoes, respectively, in the form of colorful triangles. It follows the rules of vexillographica who say that a simple graphical representation of proximity is preferable to overly detailed images.
The triplet design
For the latter option were chosen three motives. They fill the glorious flag complex is divided into a free part (the half furthest from the pole), bottom edge (half the pole pieces) and the most important part called the Canton (top quarter next to the flagpole).
The Canton depicts the position of Mars in the Solar system. This area is important because it is easier to see when the flag is lowered, and therefore contains the most important information. Mount Olympus is depicted in the lower part near the shaft, and in the freestyle part is the representation of Mars, the red planet.