The Story of Mars Colony: 1 (United Nations Frontier Service) - Hardcover

Six young men and women, probably the most intelligent, educated, brightest and fittest people in the world take on the challenge of building a Martian colony. Can they succeed?2008: Earth is over-populated and recovering from mass pollution caused by excessive de-forestation. The result is an unreliable climate, leading to droughts that has caused food shortages not seen since the 1940s. Energy use has been restricted to preserve stocks. This has caused Arab states to become disgruntled. With UN funding, Russia and the USA have succeeded in building earth-orbiting and moon-orbiting stations and colonised the moon. Next stop, Mars.Ken, Ivan, Jack, Wendy, Michelle and Jane, all graduates of the United Nations Frontier Academy, have skills ranging from Nuclear Physics through to Witch Doctoring. They have been selected to colonise Mars. Do they have the skills and the ability to triumph, or will Mars be unconquerable?

The author was born in 1937, Bromley, when it was Kent not another London suburb. Evacuated to Canada at 2, then he came back to England at 4 ½. Ships were torpedoed in both directions but neither sank.John attended Infant School, St. Olaves, New Eltham and then Cannock House, Eltham. The Headmaster learned his mother was a leading Spiritualist medium so nearly every time he walked past him he would come out with the Gilbert and Sullivan song ‘My name is John Wellington Wells, I'm a dealer in magic and spells.'He was transferred from Cannock House to Dartford Technical School on the headmaster's recommendation. So John started at Tech, 2 years later than anyone else. Not easy as turning from Classical Latin, etc. to Physics, Chemistry, Tech-drawing, Woodwork, Metal-work, etc, 2 years late was hard work.The author went into engineering design on leaving school as a draughts-man. Designing power stations, oil rigs, ethylene plants, breweries, distilleries, sewage plants, etc. The only book he produced at that stage was a design manual for York International at Basildon (Industrial Refrigeration Division) John believes it is still used. Draughting then was turning from pencil and paper to computer so he had trouble finding work. This English teacher at Dartford Tech rubbished all his essays, so when the author was between jobs about 50 years after leaving school, he thought ‘I'll show him' and started writing his first book.