With time, even the extraordinary can become mundane.

A message intercepted from the vacuum of space.

My dearest beloved,

I hope that this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I write to you from another world. I still can’t believe that I’m living and working on the red planet as part of a colony of scientists conducting research and exploration.

The days here are long and difficult, but also exhilarating. We wake up early to start our work, and the sol passes in a flurry of activity as we go about our projects. Our tasks range from analyzing soil samples, cataloging bacteria and attempting to establish communication with other colonies on the planet. Despite the challenges that come with our work, I feel a strong sense of joy every day as I continue to make progress towards our goals.

The Martian landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. The bright red dust that covers the ground, the sharp cliffs jutting out against the sky, the rugged terrain that stretches out before us — these sights take my breath away and make me appreciate the wonders of nature. The sunsets here are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before — they are pure magic.

Although it’s lonely being so far away from you, I am grateful for this unique opportunity to work on Mars. Every sol I think of you and how much I miss you, but it also gives me strength knowing that you are back on Earth safe and sound and thinking of me too.

All my love

Design fiction is a way to extract things from the future in an attempt to analyze and understand the world from which they came.