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* AllohistoricalAllusion: The Mars landing module, built by the fictional company [[UnderdogsNeverLose Columbia Aviation]], is christened ''Challenger''. The first Mars landing occurs in spring 1986. In our timeline, a major spaceflight accident occured in 1986, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster concerning a certain space shuttle]]...
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* AllohistoricalAllusion: The Mars landing module, built by the fictional company [[UnderdogsNeverLose Columbia Aviation]], is christened ''Challenger''. The first Mars landing occurs in spring 1986. In our timeline, a major spaceflight accident occured in January 1986, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster concerning a certain space shuttle]]...
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Eventually, in March 1985, a semi-improvised mission dubbed ''Ares'' is launched from southern Florida. Aboard are three carefully picked astronauts : Phil Stone, Ralph Gershon and Natalie York. And the [[TitleDrop titular voyage]] to Mars begins...
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Eventually, in March 1985, a semi-improvised mission dubbed ''Ares'' is finally launched from southern Florida.Cape Canaveral. Aboard are three carefully picked astronauts : Phil Stone, Ralph Gershon and Natalie York. And the [[TitleDrop titular voyage]] to Mars begins...
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* SmallReferencePools: Averted in regards to the planned landing site of the Mars mission. The landing is supposed to take place in the valley of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangala_Valles Mangala Valles]]. While known, it is certainly not one of the Martian geographic features that are considered more iconic in the popular imagination.
* SingleBiomePlanet: Justified in the case of Mars, given how, from an Earthtling's point of view, it's an entirely inhospitable red rocky alien desert planet. Subverted in that, outside of Earth, Mars has some of the most varied surface geography of any planet in the Solar System.
* SingleBiomePlanet: Justified in the case of Mars, given how, from an Earthtling's point of view, it's an entirely inhospitable red rocky alien desert planet. Subverted in that, outside of Earth, Mars has some of the most varied surface geography of any planet in the Solar System.
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* ExecutiveMeddling: Occurs both in a negative and ''positive'' sence. The main positive example would be Kennedy's congratulatory speech to the Apollo 11 astronauts. He deliberately peppers it with openly provocative hints of "We need to follow this up with a flight to Mars ASAP !". Partly to help promote the importance of US manned spaceflight even after the Apollo programme and partly to {{troll}} president Nixon in a FriendlyRivalry way...
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* ExecutiveMeddling: Occurs both in a negative and ''positive'' sence. The main positive example would be Kennedy's congratulatory speech to the Apollo 11 astronauts. He deliberately peppers it with openly provocative hints of "We need to follow this up with a flight to Mars ASAP !". Partly He does partly to help promote the importance of continuing US manned spaceflight even after past the end of the Apollo programme and partly because he wants to {{troll}} president Nixon in a FriendlyRivalry kind of way...
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* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: [[ZigZaggingTrope Mostly averted, but also played straight in a few instances]] - particularly with replacing Buzz Aldrin with a certain Joe Muldoon.
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel [[AuthorFillibuster does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline]], the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on another planet]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel [[AuthorFillibuster [[AuthorFilibuster does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline]], the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on another planet]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* GameMod: The novel has enough of a following among the AlternateHistory and ScienceFiction fandoms that it didn't take long for a mod based on the novel to appear - as an addon for the ''{{VideoGames/Orbiter}} Spaceflight Simulator''. You can find it [[http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3393 here]]. There's also [[http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3865 an addon]] that roughly adapts the [[spoiler:ill-fated]] NERVA-style spacecraft from the novel.
* FanFilm: As an extension of the above ''Ares'' mod, ''{{Orbiter}}'' fan Seferino Rengel has used it to make an intriguing {{machinima}} adaptation of the mission's entire flight. In under 10 minutes, complete with a stirring soundtrack. You can watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbvM5HuQRE here]].
* FanFilm: As an extension of the above ''Ares'' mod, ''{{Orbiter}}'' fan Seferino Rengel has used it to make an intriguing {{machinima}} adaptation of the mission's entire flight. In under 10 minutes, complete with a stirring soundtrack. You can watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbvM5HuQRE here]].
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* GameMod: The novel has enough of a following among the AlternateHistory and ScienceFiction fandoms that it didn't take long for a mod based on the novel to appear - as an addon for the ''{{VideoGames/Orbiter}} ''{{VideoGame/Orbiter}} Spaceflight Simulator''. You can find it [[http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3393 here]]. There's also [[http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3865 an addon]] that roughly adapts the [[spoiler:ill-fated]] NERVA-style spacecraft from the novel.
* FanFilm: As an extension of the above ''Ares'' mod,''{{Orbiter}}'' ''{{VideoGame/Orbiter}}'' fan Seferino Rengel has used it to make an intriguing {{machinima}} adaptation of the mission's entire flight. In under 10 minutes, complete with a stirring soundtrack. You can watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbvM5HuQRE here]].
* FanFilm: As an extension of the above ''Ares'' mod,
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----
!!Adaptations of the novel :
* The aforementioned 5 part radio play, presenting a somewhat abridged adaptation of the novel. Produced in 1997 by BBC Radio 4.
* GameMod: The novel has enough of a following among the AlternateHistory and ScienceFiction fandoms that it didn't take long for a mod based on the novel to appear - as an addon for the ''{{VideoGames/Orbiter}} Spaceflight Simulator''. You can find it [[http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3393 here]]. There's also [[http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3865 an addon]] that roughly adapts the [[spoiler:ill-fated]] NERVA-style spacecraft from the novel.
* FanFilm: As an extension of the above ''Ares'' mod, ''{{Orbiter}}'' fan Seferino Rengel has used it to make an intriguing {{machinima}} adaptation of the mission's entire flight. In under 10 minutes, complete with a stirring soundtrack. You can watch it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbvM5HuQRE here]].
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* AudienceSurrogate: Natalie York, who's also the closest thing to a main protagonist in the novel. She's not a professional astronaut, just the mission's geologist and is the only civilian in the three member crew of the ''Ares''. In the chapters showing her student years and early fascination with planetary geology, she often plays the role of a DeadpanSnarker that it critical of overambitious and risky spacecraft projects, such as NERVA.
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* AudienceSurrogate: Natalie York, who's also the closest thing to a main protagonist in the novel. She's not a professional astronaut, just the mission's geologist and is the only civilian in the three member crew of the ''Ares''. In the chapters showing her student years and early fascination with planetary geology, she often plays the role of a DeadpanSnarker that it critical of overambitious and risky spacecraft projects, such as NERVA.[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NERVA NERVA]].
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* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Averted all the way, since the novel tries to accurately portray what a realistic mission to Mars would be. Especially one that utilizes mostly reused older equipment and avoids opting for overly high-tech solutions.
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* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Averted all the way, since the novel tries to accurately portray what a realistic mission to Mars would be.be like. Especially one that utilizes mostly reused older equipment and avoids opting for overly high-tech solutions.
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline, the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on another planet]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel [[AuthorFillibuster does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline, timeline]], the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on another planet]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads to an unfortunate consequence : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[TakeThatAudience indeed]]'' !
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* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads to an unfortunate consequence : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[TakeThatAudience indeed]]'' ! !
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* ExecutiveMeddling: Occurs both in a negative and ''positive'' sence. The main positive example would be the provocative little hints of a "We need to follow this up with a flight to Mars !" message in Kennedy's congratulations speech to the Apollo 11 astronauts.
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* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Averted all the way, since the novel tries to accurately portray what a realistic mission to Mars would be. Especially one that utilizes mostly reused older equipment and avoids opting for overly high-tech solutions.
* ExecutiveMeddling: Occurs both in a negative and ''positive'' sence. The main positive example would be Kennedy's congratulatory speech to the Apollo 11 astronauts. He deliberately peppers it with openly provocativelittle hints of a "We need to follow this up with a flight to Mars !" message in Kennedy's congratulations speech ASAP !". Partly to help promote the importance of US manned spaceflight even after the Apollo 11 astronauts.programme and partly to {{troll}} president Nixon in a FriendlyRivalry way...
* ExecutiveMeddling: Occurs both in a negative and ''positive'' sence. The main positive example would be Kennedy's congratulatory speech to the Apollo 11 astronauts. He deliberately peppers it with openly provocative
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Neil Armstrong, John Young and many more...
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Neil Armstrong, John Young and many, many more...
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* ShownTheirWork: Baxter really did try to do his premise justice and it shows. The technology used for the flight to Mars is, for the most part, based directly on cancelled 60s and 70s projects that were well in the range of economic and technological plausibility. The only parts of the ''Ares'' spacecraft that are largely fictional and based on conjecture are the habitation module and ''Challenger'' landing module. And even then, [[AllohistoricalAllusion it is hinted at]] that the habitation module was designed in a manner similar to the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab Skylab]]'' space station's living quarters from our timeline.
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* ShownTheirWork: Baxter really did try to do his premise justice and it shows. The technology used for the flight to Mars is, for the most part, based directly on cancelled 60s and 70s projects that were well in the range of economic and technological plausibility. The only parts of the ''Ares'' spacecraft that are largely fictional and based on conjecture are the habitation module and ''Challenger'' landing module. And even then, [[AllohistoricalAllusion it is hinted at]] that the habitation module was designed in a manner similar to the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab Skylab]]'' space station's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab#Habitability living quarters quarters]] from our timeline.
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* ShownTheirWork: Baxter really did try to do his premise justice and it shows. The technology used for the flight to Mars is, for the most part, based directly on cancelled 60s and 70s projects that were well in the range of economic and technological plausibility. The only parts of the ''Ares'' spacecraft that are largely fictional and based on conjecture are the habitation module and ''Challenger'' landing module. And even then, [[AllohistoricalAllusion it is hinted at]] that the habitation module was designed in a manner similar to the Skylab space station living quarters from our timeline.
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* ShownTheirWork: Baxter really did try to do his premise justice and it shows. The technology used for the flight to Mars is, for the most part, based directly on cancelled 60s and 70s projects that were well in the range of economic and technological plausibility. The only parts of the ''Ares'' spacecraft that are largely fictional and based on conjecture are the habitation module and ''Challenger'' landing module. And even then, [[AllohistoricalAllusion it is hinted at]] that the habitation module was designed in a manner similar to the Skylab ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab Skylab]]'' space station station's living quarters from our timeline.
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The novel then follows - both in chronological and anachronic order - the various spaceflight developments of the 70s and 80s, through the eyes of a diverse cast of primary and secondary characters (some historical, some fictional). In the late 1970s, NASA launches a test flight of a promising and much-hawked Mars spacecraft. However, things go awry... The American space programme is then forced to work quickly on a new solution for the Mars mission, or else it's curtains...
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The novel then follows - both in chronological and anachronic order - the various spaceflight developments of the 70s and 80s, through the eyes of a diverse cast of primary and secondary characters (some historical, some fictional). In the late 1970s, NASA launches a test flight of a promising and much-hawked much-touted Mars spacecraft. However, things go awry... The American space programme is then forced to work quickly on a new solution for the Mars mission, or else it's curtains...
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Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. It is set in a timeline with [[ForWantOfANail a simple divergence from our history]] : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and, by accident, shot his wife instead.
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Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter.StephenBaxter. It is set in a timeline with [[ForWantOfANail a simple divergence from our history]] : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and, by accident, shot his wife instead.
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* Spinoff: Baxter also wrote the short story ''[[http://web.archive.org/web/20050310032846/http://www.cix.co.uk/~sjbradshaw/baxterium/prospero.html Prospero One]]'', which is set in [[TheVerse the same universe]] but focuses on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen alternate developments of the 1960s]] [[HeroOfAnotherStory British]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen space programme]]. Several {{Shout Out}}s are given to the main novel and there are even more {{Allohistorical Allusion}}s towards the history of spaceflight in our timeline - in this case, the stillborn [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_space_programme#British_space_vehicles_1950-1985 British spaceflight programme]] that seemed promising for a certain amount of time in the 1960s, before its cancellation by Harold Wilson. The name of the eponymous manned spacecraft in the short story is a nod at the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_X-3 Prospero X-3 satellite]] launched in our version of the 1960s.
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* Spinoff: {{Spinoff}}: Baxter also wrote the short story ''[[http://web.archive.org/web/20050310032846/http://www.cix.co.uk/~sjbradshaw/baxterium/prospero.html Prospero One]]'', which is set in [[TheVerse the same universe]] but focuses on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen alternate developments of the 1960s]] [[HeroOfAnotherStory British]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen space programme]]. Several {{Shout Out}}s are given to the main novel and there are even more {{Allohistorical Allusion}}s towards the history of spaceflight in our timeline - in this case, the stillborn [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_space_programme#British_space_vehicles_1950-1985 British spaceflight programme]] that seemed promising for a certain amount of time in the 1960s, before its cancellation by Harold Wilson. The name of the eponymous manned spacecraft in the short story is a nod at the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_X-3 Prospero X-3 satellite]] launched in our version of the 1960s.
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline, the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on Mars]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline, the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on Mars]].another planet]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Baxter's works often have a skeptical and cynical outlook on humanity, especially its tendency for short-sighted apathy towards science. While this novel does highlight some of the failings of spaceflight programmes and attitudes towards them in both our and the alternate timeline, the conclusion and final message of the novel [[EarnYourHappyEnding is essentially optimistic]]. [[spoiler:The crew succesfully land in Mangala valley on Mars and Natalie, to her surprise, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming is given the opportunity to be the first human being to walk on Mars]]. She hesitates, but accepts and casts the first footprints in the red soil. After a silent stroll in front of the cameras, she [[UnaccustomedAsIAmToPublicSpeaking hesitates on what to say]]. As a geologist at heart, she feels humbled by the Martian landscape. Finally, she exclaims a happy [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "I'm home."]].]]
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* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads an unfortunate consequence : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[TakeThatAudience indeed]]'' !
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* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads to an unfortunate consequence : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[TakeThatAudience indeed]]'' !
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* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads an unfortunate consequence : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[indeed]]'' !
to:
* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads an unfortunate consequence : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[indeed]]'' ''[[TakeThatAudience indeed]]'' !
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* GoneHorriblyWrong: [[spoiler:The test of the NERVA engine-powered Mars spacecraft in the late 70s ends in complete fiasco. The entire crew is killed and the fallout - both figurative and ''literal'' - casts a HypeBacklash on the project and a shadow over NASA as a whole.]] But the situation improves, NASA gets its act together and launches a replacement Mars mission within less than a decade.
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* GoneHorriblyWrong: [[spoiler:The test flight of the NERVA engine-powered NERVA-style Mars spacecraft in the late 70s ends in complete fiasco. The entire crew is killed and the fallout - both figurative and ''literal'' - casts creates a massive HypeBacklash on against the project and casts a shadow over NASA as a whole.]] But the situation improves, NASA gets its act together and launches a replacement Mars mission within less than a decade.
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* InterplanetaryVoyage: As the title implies. Even though the idea of a flight to Mars seems fairly low-concept, Baxter manages to make it interesting by explaining in depth all the technical, economic and political obstacles and challenges along the way, as well as detailed descriptions of the solutions involved. Best of all, he does it in layman terms and manages to pull it off without the novel coming across as boring or full of {{technobabble}}.
to:
* InterplanetaryVoyage: As the title implies. Even though the idea of a flight to Mars seems fairly low-concept, Baxter manages to make it interesting by explaining in depth all the technical, economic and political obstacles and challenges along the way, as well as giving detailed descriptions of the solutions involved. Best of all, he does it in layman terms and manages to pull it off without the novel coming across as boring or full of {{technobabble}}.
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* Expy / CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFiledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
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* Expy {{Expy}} / CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter [[ShrugOfGod never adequately explains explains]] whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFiledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar to Aldrin personality-wise).
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* AcePilot: Ralph Gershon is a ground attack ace who served in [[TheVietnamWar Vietnam]]. Phil Stone is a subversion, since he's a retired [[TheKoreanWar Korean War]] ace that moved on to being a test pilot of the X-15 suborbital spaceplane in the 50s and 60s.
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* AcePilot: Ralph Gershon is a ground attack ace who served in [[TheVietnamWar Vietnam]]. Phil Stone is a subversion, since he's a retired [[TheKoreanWar Korean War]] ace that moved on to being a test pilot of the X-15 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15 X-15]] suborbital spaceplane in the 50s and 60s.
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* OhCrap: Phil's reaction in one of the retrospective chapters, where the attitude thrusters on his X-15 start malfunctioning due to a technical error.
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* Expy / CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
to:
* Expy / CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff SerialNumbersFiledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
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* AllohistoricalAllusion: The Mars landing module, built by the fictional company [[UnderdogsNeverLose Columbia Aviation]], is christened ''Challenger''. The first Mars landing occurs in spring 1986. In our timeline, a major spaceflight accident occured in 1986, concerning a certain space shuttle...
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* AllohistoricalAllusion: The Mars landing module, built by the fictional company [[UnderdogsNeverLose Columbia Aviation]], is christened ''Challenger''. The first Mars landing occurs in spring 1986. In our timeline, a major spaceflight accident occured in 1986, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster concerning a certain space shuttle...shuttle]]...
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* AcePilot: Ralph Gershon is a ground attack ace who served in Vietnam. Phil Stone is a subversion, since he's a retired Korean ace that moved on to being a test pilot of the X-15 suborbital spaceplane in the 50s and 60s.
to:
* AcePilot: Ralph Gershon is a ground attack ace who served in Vietnam. [[TheVietnamWar Vietnam]]. Phil Stone is a subversion, since he's a retired [[TheKoreanWar Korean War]] ace that moved on to being a test pilot of the X-15 suborbital spaceplane in the 50s and 60s.
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The novel then follows - both in chronological and anachronic order - the various spaceflight developments of the 70s and 80s, through the eye of a diverse cast of primary and secondary characters (some historical, some fictional). In the late 1970s, NASA launches a test flight of a promising and much-hawked Mars spacecraft. However, things go awry... The American space programme is then forced to work quickly on a new solution for the Mars mission, or else it's curtains...
to:
The novel then follows - both in chronological and anachronic order - the various spaceflight developments of the 70s and 80s, through the eye eyes of a diverse cast of primary and secondary characters (some historical, some fictional). In the late 1970s, NASA launches a test flight of a promising and much-hawked Mars spacecraft. However, things go awry... The American space programme is then forced to work quickly on a new solution for the Mars mission, or else it's curtains...
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Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. It is set in a timeline with a simple divergence from our history : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and shot his wife instead by accident.
to:
Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. It is set in a timeline with [[ForWantOfANail a simple divergence from our history history]] : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and and, by accident, shot his wife instead by accident.instead.
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[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Voyage_Stephen_Baxter_7621.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200:Mars awaits...]]
[[caption-width-right:200:Mars awaits...]]
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Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. It is set in a timeline with a simple divergence from our history : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and shot his wife instead by accident. The 1960s pass mostly in a vein similar to our own history, but subtle little divergences keep popping up. The final, major divergence occurs after the first Moon landing in 1969, when president Kennedy does a little speech Pressure is put
deliberately hints
deliberately hints
to:
Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. It is set in a timeline with a simple divergence from our history : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and shot his wife instead by accident.
The alternate 1960s pass mostly in a vein similar to our own history, but subtle little divergences keep popping up. The final, major divergence of the timeline occurs after the first Moon landing in1969, when 1969. The now-retired president Kennedy does is allowed a few moments of radio contact, in order to do a little congratulatory speech Pressure to the Apollo 11 crew. To everyone's surprise, Kennedy very blatantly hints at the need to focus on making a similar landing on Mars in the coming decade. This eventually forces NASA to cave in to popular pressure from people that were moved by Kennedy's speech. In about two years after the frist Moon landing, the history of American astronautics starts taking a rather different route than the one we know...
The novel then follows - both in chronological and anachronic order - the various spaceflight developments of the 70s and 80s, through the eye of a diverse cast of primary and secondary characters (some historical, some fictional). In the late 1970s, NASA launches a test flight of a promising and much-hawked Mars spacecraft. However, things go awry... The American space programme isput
deliberately hints
then forced to work quickly on a new solution for the Mars mission, or else it's curtains...
Eventually, in March 1985, a semi-improvised mission dubbed ''Ares'' is launched from southern Florida. Aboard are three carefully picked astronauts : Phil Stone, Ralph Gershon and Natalie York. And the [[TitleDrop titular voyage]] to Mars begins...
The novel won the 1997 Sidewise Award for Alternate History and was nominated that same year for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Also in 1997, BBC Radio 4 had adapted ''Voyage'' into a five-part abridged radio play (since then, it has been rebroadcast occassionally, last time in 2009).
The alternate 1960s pass mostly in a vein similar to our own history, but subtle little divergences keep popping up. The final, major divergence of the timeline occurs after the first Moon landing in
The novel then follows - both in chronological and anachronic order - the various spaceflight developments of the 70s and 80s, through the eye of a diverse cast of primary and secondary characters (some historical, some fictional). In the late 1970s, NASA launches a test flight of a promising and much-hawked Mars spacecraft. However, things go awry... The American space programme is
deliberately hints
Eventually, in March 1985, a semi-improvised mission dubbed ''Ares'' is launched from southern Florida. Aboard are three carefully picked astronauts : Phil Stone, Ralph Gershon and Natalie York. And the [[TitleDrop titular voyage]] to Mars begins...
The novel won the 1997 Sidewise Award for Alternate History and was nominated that same year for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Also in 1997, BBC Radio 4 had adapted ''Voyage'' into a five-part abridged radio play (since then, it has been rebroadcast occassionally, last time in 2009).
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* Expy/CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
to:
* Expy/CaptainErsatz: ExecutiveMeddling: Occurs both in a negative and ''positive'' sence. The main positive example would be the provocative little hints of a "We need to follow this up with a flight to Mars !" message in Kennedy's congratulations speech to the Apollo 11 astronauts.
* Expy / CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
* Expy / CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
* GoneHorriblyWrong: [[spoiler:The test of the NERVA engine-powered Mars spacecraft in the late 70s ends in complete fiasco. The entire crew is killed and the fallout - both figurative and ''literal'' - casts a HypeBacklash on the project and a shadow over NASA as a whole.]] But the situation improves, NASA gets its act together and launches a replacement Mars mission within less than a decade.
* TheRedPlanet: The main goal of NASA in the novel's timeline is a manned mision to Mars, complete with landing, three weeks of surface exploration and a succesful return trip to Earth. [[spoiler:There is a lot of tension on whether the goal will be achieved, but in the end, the crew returns back to Earth in one piece.]]
* Spinoff: Baxter also wrote the short story ''[[http://web.archive.org/web/20050310032846/http://www.cix.co.uk/~sjbradshaw/baxterium/prospero.html Prospero One]]'', which is set in [[TheVerse the same universe]] but focuses on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen alternate developments of the 1960s]] [[HeroOfAnotherStory British]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen space programme]]. Several {{Shout Out}}s are given to the main novel and there are even more {{Allohistorical Allusion}}s towards the history of spaceflight in our timeline - in this case, the stillborn [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_space_programme#British_space_vehicles_1950-1985 British spaceflight programme]] that seemed promising for a certain amount of time in the 1960s, before its cancellation by Harold Wilson. The name of the eponymous manned spacecraft in the short story is a nod at the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_X-3 Prospero X-3 satellite]] launched in our version of the 1960s.
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* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline eventually leads to the unfortunate consequence that astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System, Mars included. BeCarefulWhatYouWishForIndeed.
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* UnderdogsNeverLose: The design that becomes the final ''Ares'' spacecraft is at first rejected on the grounds that it is far too slow and technologically obsolete. After the [[spoiler:NERVA accident in the late 70s]], NASA and the US government reconsider and decide to try out the original proposal after all, instead of fancier, but risky technology. And ''[[RockBeatsLaser it really works]]''. Also, the fictional company Columbia Aviation is dismissed as not having much of a chance to win the design contract for the Mars lander, but NASA eventually adopts it and strikes a deal with the small company.
* WhatIf: What if NASA had pulled off a manned mission to Mars already in the mid 1980s ? And "1960s-1980s astronautics what ifs" in general...
* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leadsto the an unfortunate consequence that astronomers, : Astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System, Mars included. BeCarefulWhatYouWishForIndeed. System than people in our timeline knew during the same historical period. ''This includes Mars'', due to the cancellation of the ''Viking'' missions. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor ''[[indeed]]'' !
* WhatIf: What if NASA had pulled off a manned mission to Mars already in the mid 1980s ? And "1960s-1980s astronautics what ifs" in general...
* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions are cancelled, the Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline (no ''Mariner 10'', ''Pioneer'', ''Voyager'', ''Viking'' probes) eventually leads
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Voyage is a 1996 AlternateHistory novel by British science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. It is set in a timeline with a simple divergence from our history : Lee Harvey Oswald didn't manage to assasinate US president John F. Kennedy and shot his wife instead by accident. The 1960s pass mostly in a vein similar to our own history, but subtle little divergences keep popping up. The final, major divergence occurs after the first Moon landing in 1969, when president Kennedy does a little speech Pressure is put
deliberately hints
----
!! This novel contains examples of :
* AcePilot: Ralph Gershon is a ground attack ace who served in Vietnam. Phil Stone is a subversion, since he's a retired Korean ace that moved on to being a test pilot of the X-15 suborbital spaceplane in the 50s and 60s.
* AllohistoricalAllusion: The Mars landing module, built by the fictional company [[UnderdogsNeverLose Columbia Aviation]], is christened ''Challenger''. The first Mars landing occurs in spring 1986. In our timeline, a major spaceflight accident occured in 1986, concerning a certain space shuttle...
* AnachronicOrder : The main narrative strand of the novel is the flight to Mars itself aboard the ''Ares'', following the three main characters (Phil Stone, Natalie York and Ralph Gershon). However, each chapter of the main narrative is intercut with a flashback chapter that focuses on the past careers and experiences of the main and secondary characters, in a time span of an alternate quarter century (from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s).
* AudienceSurrogate: Natalie York, who's also the closest thing to a main protagonist in the novel. She's not a professional astronaut, just the mission's geologist and is the only civilian in the three member crew of the ''Ares''. In the chapters showing her student years and early fascination with planetary geology, she often plays the role of a DeadpanSnarker that it critical of overambitious and risky spacecraft projects, such as NERVA.
* AwesomeYetPractical: The ''Ares'' mission in general, particularly when you consider it was cobbled together after the original, technologically far more grandiose Mars mission, failed spectacularly. It is also a kind of subversion, since the ''Ares'' comes across as BoringButPractical at face value.
* Expy/CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
* ForWantOfANail: President Kennedy survived the Dallas assasination attempt and further influences NASA's decision-making throughout the following decade. An early hint of the alternate history aspects of the novel comes from the otherwise throwaway mention of the "Jacqueline B. Kennedy Space Center", instead of the John F. Kennedy Space Center of our timeline.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Neil Armstrong, John Young and many more...
* InSpiteOfANail: The novel's alternate 1960s [[CloseEnoughTimeline aren't that different from ours]] (much of NASA's programme is the same, there is still a Vietnam War, etc.), but the geopolitical and spaceflight divergences start to gradually stack up after the early 1970s.
* InterplanetaryVoyage: As the title implies. Even though the idea of a flight to Mars seems fairly low-concept, Baxter manages to make it interesting by explaining in depth all the technical, economic and political obstacles and challenges along the way, as well as detailed descriptions of the solutions involved. Best of all, he does it in layman terms and manages to pull it off without the novel coming across as boring or full of {{technobabble}}.
* MeaningfulName: While it is based mostly on modified Apollo programme hardware and its derivatives, the spacecraft to Mars is christened "Ares" - after the Greek god of war that the Roman one was based on. In a minor instance of NamesTheSame, the name "Ares" [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ares_%28rocket%29 has been pretty popular for various proposed rockets and spacecraft from our history]].
* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness: So hard, it ''physically hurts''. The most impressive thing about the spacecraft described in the novel is that it is built purely from existing spaceflight technology that was feasible and not overly expensive already in the 1970s and 1980s, both in our timelines and the alternate one. It's not even much of a classic science fiction novel, but more like a novel about spaceflight events that hadn't occured yet.
* ShownTheirWork: Baxter really did try to do his premise justice and it shows. The technology used for the flight to Mars is, for the most part, based directly on cancelled 60s and 70s projects that were well in the range of economic and technological plausibility. The only parts of the ''Ares'' spacecraft that are largely fictional and based on conjecture are the habitation module and ''Challenger'' landing module. And even then, [[AllohistoricalAllusion it is hinted at]] that the habitation module was designed in a manner similar to the Skylab space station living quarters from our timeline.
* TokenMinority: Ralph Gershon wants to actually avert this trope by proving that he didn't join the ''Ares'' mission just because he's a black astronaut.
* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline eventually leads to the unfortunate consequence that astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System, Mars included. BeCarefulWhatYouWishForIndeed.
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deliberately hints
----
!! This novel contains examples of :
* AcePilot: Ralph Gershon is a ground attack ace who served in Vietnam. Phil Stone is a subversion, since he's a retired Korean ace that moved on to being a test pilot of the X-15 suborbital spaceplane in the 50s and 60s.
* AllohistoricalAllusion: The Mars landing module, built by the fictional company [[UnderdogsNeverLose Columbia Aviation]], is christened ''Challenger''. The first Mars landing occurs in spring 1986. In our timeline, a major spaceflight accident occured in 1986, concerning a certain space shuttle...
* AnachronicOrder : The main narrative strand of the novel is the flight to Mars itself aboard the ''Ares'', following the three main characters (Phil Stone, Natalie York and Ralph Gershon). However, each chapter of the main narrative is intercut with a flashback chapter that focuses on the past careers and experiences of the main and secondary characters, in a time span of an alternate quarter century (from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s).
* AudienceSurrogate: Natalie York, who's also the closest thing to a main protagonist in the novel. She's not a professional astronaut, just the mission's geologist and is the only civilian in the three member crew of the ''Ares''. In the chapters showing her student years and early fascination with planetary geology, she often plays the role of a DeadpanSnarker that it critical of overambitious and risky spacecraft projects, such as NERVA.
* AwesomeYetPractical: The ''Ares'' mission in general, particularly when you consider it was cobbled together after the original, technologically far more grandiose Mars mission, failed spectacularly. It is also a kind of subversion, since the ''Ares'' comes across as BoringButPractical at face value.
* Expy/CaptainErsatz: Joe Muldoon instead of Buzz Aldrin. Baxter never adequately explains whether Muldoon is Buzz Aldrin with the SerialNumbersFilledOff or whether he is meant to be a wholly fictional character (though one that is similar personality-wise).
* ForWantOfANail: President Kennedy survived the Dallas assasination attempt and further influences NASA's decision-making throughout the following decade. An early hint of the alternate history aspects of the novel comes from the otherwise throwaway mention of the "Jacqueline B. Kennedy Space Center", instead of the John F. Kennedy Space Center of our timeline.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Neil Armstrong, John Young and many more...
* InSpiteOfANail: The novel's alternate 1960s [[CloseEnoughTimeline aren't that different from ours]] (much of NASA's programme is the same, there is still a Vietnam War, etc.), but the geopolitical and spaceflight divergences start to gradually stack up after the early 1970s.
* InterplanetaryVoyage: As the title implies. Even though the idea of a flight to Mars seems fairly low-concept, Baxter manages to make it interesting by explaining in depth all the technical, economic and political obstacles and challenges along the way, as well as detailed descriptions of the solutions involved. Best of all, he does it in layman terms and manages to pull it off without the novel coming across as boring or full of {{technobabble}}.
* MeaningfulName: While it is based mostly on modified Apollo programme hardware and its derivatives, the spacecraft to Mars is christened "Ares" - after the Greek god of war that the Roman one was based on. In a minor instance of NamesTheSame, the name "Ares" [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ares_%28rocket%29 has been pretty popular for various proposed rockets and spacecraft from our history]].
* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness: So hard, it ''physically hurts''. The most impressive thing about the spacecraft described in the novel is that it is built purely from existing spaceflight technology that was feasible and not overly expensive already in the 1970s and 1980s, both in our timelines and the alternate one. It's not even much of a classic science fiction novel, but more like a novel about spaceflight events that hadn't occured yet.
* ShownTheirWork: Baxter really did try to do his premise justice and it shows. The technology used for the flight to Mars is, for the most part, based directly on cancelled 60s and 70s projects that were well in the range of economic and technological plausibility. The only parts of the ''Ares'' spacecraft that are largely fictional and based on conjecture are the habitation module and ''Challenger'' landing module. And even then, [[AllohistoricalAllusion it is hinted at]] that the habitation module was designed in a manner similar to the Skylab space station living quarters from our timeline.
* TokenMinority: Ralph Gershon wants to actually avert this trope by proving that he didn't join the ''Ares'' mission just because he's a black astronaut.
* WishFulfillment: ''Subverted massively'', since Baxter [[GenreSavvy was well aware]] of the limitations of supporting a large-scale space programme, even in an alternate timeline. His ultimate point seems to be : "If you want to go to Mars in the 70s or 80s, fine. But you'll have to make some harsh sacrifices." Yes, the Apollo programme hardware is further expanded upon and is eventually used for a manned flight to Mars. Yes, research into NERVA rockets gets further than in our history due to increased funding. ''But'', on the downside : The Space Shuttle project is completely stillborn, American space station projects are shorter-lived and, worst of all, most of the useful planetary space probes from our history were cancelled in this timeline. This is all done so the manned flight to Mars can have a larger and better budget. The lack of sufficient space probe exploration in ''Voyage'''s timeline eventually leads to the unfortunate consequence that astronomers, common people and even the crew of the Mars mission know far less detailed information about the planets of the Solar System, Mars included. BeCarefulWhatYouWishForIndeed.
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