May I introduce "Sergio and Ingrid pioneers to Mars".
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Best regards.

from Francois Le Roy, the author of "Sergio and Ingrid"

Questions / answers about "Sergio and Ingrid"

Why did you write that novel ?

I expected that question, so I have given some thought to it. I was convinced that it would interest not only science-fiction buffs, but amateurs of love and adventure stories as well.

Why Mars ?

Mars is a good subject right now, and it will probably remain so for quite a long time. Obviously Mars might very well become an adventure for all humanity. In some way we are already over there through the eyes of our probes and robots. Man will go there, in a not too distant future, because there are things robots cannot do. As you may know, Mars and Earth developed in a similar way for nearly two billion years. Then Mars' evolution stopped whereas Earth continued to develop for 3 billion years until it bore the species that we are. So, Mars still is like the Earth was three billion years ago. It is as if we drove a time-machine back 3 billion years, to unlock the secrets of our origins.

Do you mean to say that we have a chance to find primitive life on Mars, just like there was unicellular life on Earth at that time ?

I wrote Sergio and Ingrid as if this issue did not exist. You will find no mention at all about that subject in my novel. I thought that if I enunciated a pro or con position, my book might be subject to criticism some day, when man will have brought a definitive answer to that.

This is a fascinating issue for all scientists. Once we know for sure if there is life on Mars or not, the place of Man in the universe will change considerably. If there is - or even was - only cellular life on Mars, it will mean that life is everywhere in the universe, as the fruit of necessity, whereas, if we find no life at all, it will mean that we most probably are alone in the universe. Then, we would be the fruit of hazard, and most probably alone, then. Indeed that is an issue for human conscience.

There is a rampant ideology in your novel, i.e. you state that only an elite could go to Mars. Could you comment on that ?

It is true that one could extrapolate from the first part of my novel that only high IQ would be eligible for the first pioneering group. However, it is common sense that you need very gifted persons to cope with the dangers of a first colony. They will encounter permanent dangers in such of a hostile environment. You better be a quick thinker and be able to make the right decisions, or you are dead. After the pioneering stage, people like you and I might be eligible. So, you see, there is no elitism in my novel. It is just common sense.

What could be the reason to colonize Mars ?

Why not, once you set as a condition that there will be technological breakthroughs ( like the elevator to space NASA is working on) that permit to send people in space at a much lower cost, I don't see why we wouldn't. It has always been so since the birth of Man. He always sets his frontiers further. It is innate in Man.

Then, he should have populated the sea. However, there are no underwater cities, that I know.

That is true, but if you consider all the tunnels underwater, like under the British Channel, in Japan, etc, you have to admit that we already spend a lot of time in underwater complex constructions. You can already rent houses that stand underwater. Building cities underwater wouldn't be more difficult. As population grows, that option is not silly. As a matter of fact, about half the surface of The Netherlands are under sea level thanks to the huge Zuider zee damn.

So, supposing that some technical breakthrough makes the trip easier, who would accept to live permanently with an oxygen mask ?

Living on Mars would not be that complicated, once we have the possibility to bring our technical means. You could build hermetic cities like our sealed malls, here on Earth. One big advantage is that the constructions over there wouldn't have to be as strong as here, since everything there weighs only one third of its weight on Earth. Huge transparent domes could be built over cities. That would not really be a problem. You wouldn't have to cover the whole planet with an atmosphere. After all, on Earth, hardly any one lives in the deserts. Eighty per cent of the Earth's population lives in cities now. On Mars, Man could live exclusively in small hermetic oasis. He would leave occasionally out of them to the unprotected spaces, inside air conditioned vehicles. When the pressure in the open would have become sufficient, he could even roam on foot, in his shirtsleeves with only a mask, like underwater divers do here on Earth.

In your novel, you mention a World institution that would federate all states on Earth. Isn't that world government utopic ?

Not at all. In fact, there is already a form of world organisation in many fields, not only in politics (UNO, the G7), but also in economic development (World Bank, World Standards Org., World Trade Org.), health ( World Health Organisation), crime (War Crime Tribunal), and many others. This proves that we are definitely on the way to a complete world government. What is lacking, is the will to really destroy weapons of mass destructions that threaten unnecessarily the fate of Humanity. We should stop saying : "No one would dare start to use them, considering the risk of uncontrolled escalation to Doom's Day". Unfortunately, such foolish head of states do exist. Who would dare to say that one of them won't some day push the button just for the fun of nuclear warfare, like in Stanley Kubrick's movie "Dr Strangelove" ? That is why Man would be wise to place a few eggs in another basket, as soon as possible, if we want to give the human race a chance to survive such a foolish adventure.

In your novel, children are born on Mars and grow up there. How could they ever return to Earth once their body would have adapted to a much lower gravity ? For these children, living on Earth, would be as if you would have to endure permanently three times your own weight. Have you given a thought to that ?

It might sound a bit sour, but who would want to visit planet Earth, could they ever return to Earth once their body would have adapted to a much lower gravity ? For these children, living on Earth, would be as if you would have to endure permanently three times your own weight. Have you given a thought to that ?

It might sound a bit sour, but who would want to visit planet Earth, which will be, by then, most probably quite inhospitable and short of most raw materials ? Judging by the present trend of havoc in most areas, I am not so sure that Earth will really be the ideal place to visit. Anyway, training to a heavier gravity cannot be excluded.

By saying that, aren't you in complete conflict with the idyllic hypothesis of your novel !

Yes, that is true, like most people, I am Janus, both optimistic and pessimistic. I am sponsoring a boy in Vietnam and a girl in Togo, that's for the optimistic side. In "Sergio and Ingrid" as well I am Dr. Jekyll, but in my next novel, I can tell you I shall be Mr Hyde.
August 2004