FH challenge

[Yossarian]

Can anyone make a future history where by the year 2050 (or earlier) there is a permenant human population on mars or one of the other planets?

[BTD]

I don't see a martian colony this century, but rather a permanently manned lunar base. In my opinion in order to reach mars with enough resources to get their stay a while and get back without over burdening the ISS we would have to launch from an established moon base.

[ljofa]

I'm going to pick my POD and say how things might develop.

1951 - Alan Turing isn't arrested under the UK's anti-sodomy laws. He continues his work on development of computers and his theories in quantum mechanics and Britain & the west are able to make astounding advances in computer technology.

Naturally the Soviets are also picking up bits and pieces of the research which streamlines inefficient Soviet bureaucracy. As a consequence, there's move available resources to throw into their space programme and they are able to land cosmonauts on the moon. With a rise in living standards, the USSR under Gorbachev in the 1980's becomes more like 1990's China in OTL introducing more free market reforms and helping to reduce the effect of the 1987 stock market crash.

With an increased level of technology and no death of the USSR in 1991, the space race eventually extends to landing people on Mars with a view to a permanent human presence on the red planet.

I know, a bit short but Turing was a genius who could have spurred the electronic revolution 20 years before OTL and technology curves being what they are, could see much greater advances by 2004.