This Diorama is of the first true colonial outpost on Mars, population 22-25 Martians. Manufactured on Earth in sections by the Ukrainian Nauchno-Proizvodstvennoye Objedinenye (research and production unit). NPO Yuzhnoye (Which translates as South-Tech.). While the occupation of the residents is almost exclusively planetology and these scientists and their families are here to stay.

The colony consists of five habitat modules: the Freeman House, Freewoman House, with five occupants each and three family habs with a couple and 2-3 children each. All of the five habs has a greenhouse to provide food and some oxygen. The greenhouses are inflatable and tied to pegs in the ground. Some of the colonists can be seen working or hanging out in the greenhouses. The central hab is a vertical communications tower, the central node. The inside of the third story of the tower is detailed and shows two of the scientists, computers, notebooks etc. and even a desktop bonsai tree. To either side of the Com Tower are a Recreation Hab with a theatre, hot tub, sauna and gym and a Hall Hab with a dining room/class room and a multi-purpose open area.

On the opposite side of the habs are the labs. In the center is the Office, a general purpose set of individual work-stations, Medlab the medical center, bio-lab and chemistry center and the Atmospheric Processor, designed and manufactured by Proizvodstvennoye Objedinenye Youzhmash, another Ukrainian company. The atmosphere processor uses molecular sieves and electromagnetic filters to sift and distill oxygen and water from the thin Martian atmosphere. On each side are two Airlocks, a Geolab, a Workshop and a pressurized storage module. All of the well-used habs have been covered with a layer of Mars rubble for thermal insulation and radiation shielding.

Outside of the colony is a playground with a cute little colonist in a pink Mars-suit. There is also a coupe of grown up colonists in pressure suits and a Marsokhod nuclear powered Mars rover by the Russian Barmin Design Bureau for General Machine Building (Barmin-KBOM). The rover can support a crew of three on a ten-day mission and can tow several trailers with supplies, samples or a caravan forming a sort of train.

The Diorama

The modules are made from various sizes of beer, cola and energy drink cans, the surface is made up from home made paper mache mixed with stones and gravel on a wood board 116cm X 110cm. The figures are from O scale railway scenery. The inflatable greenhouses are cut out from large plastic cola bottles. The plants in them are also railway scenery grass and scrub painted various shades. The Com Tower is a pill jar and distilled water bottle for the windows plus plastic cup for the roof. The interior is mostly cut card from a box of Rice Crispies. All the low gain antennas are from the bottom of cola cans. Two more pill jars and a paint tin went in to the construction of the atmosphere processor and the Barmin Marsokhod, which consists of two pill jars a pill cup and wheels from some McDonalds happy meal toys.

The adult Astronauts were from the Revell Lunar Lander 1/48th Model and the little girl astronaut is from the Airfix 1/72 Astronauts (Well we know she is a little girl because it’s a pink pressure suit.). The kids’ playground is made exclusively of plastic card and stem wire.

Three major ingredients in this diorama are cardboard, stem wire and junk from the spare parts box. I had the Mars surface paint mixed at Sears. The decals were printed out on an Inkjet Printer shows flags depicting the various nationalities of the colonists: Canada, Ukraine, India, Ireland, France, Britain, USA, Russia. Printouts include the names and logos of the companies involved in the design and production of the colony and its equipment and the red-green-blue Mars flag flying above the tower and the Mars Society logo since all of the colonists are active members.

Image: South-west view

Image: Above, south-east

Image: Barmin Masokhodb

Image: Greenhouse, closeup