Bowie Base One was an international base founded on Mars in July 2058. It was built into the Gusev Crater as a research base with a Bio-Dome. The base's shuttle was Apollo 34. The base and shuttle were later compromised by an infectious alien species, as were some of the crew, leading to the base's destruction to prevent the aliens from taking over any more people.
History
The base had a crew of nine humans: Captain Adelaide Brooke, Deputy Ed Gold, Tarak Ital MD, Nurse Yuri Kerenski, Senior Technician Steffi Ehrlich, Junior Technician Roman Groom, geologist Mia Bennett, Margaret Cain, and Andy Stone. The mission was intended to take five years, studying Mars to see if it was suitable for human habitation. According to the Tenth Doctor, the colonists were the "very first humans on Mars", although an obituary of Adelaide claimed a three-person team including Brooke landed on Mars when Adelaide was 42, in 2041.
Seventeen months into the mission, the Tenth Doctor arrived on-site. Six of the crew members were infected by the Flood. Captain Brooke initiated Action 5 on 21 November 2059, destroying Bowie Base One in a nuclear explosion. Adelaide, Mia and Yuri survived when the Tenth Doctor brought them Earth in the TARDIS. Had the Doctor not intervened, none of the crew would have escaped the disaster with their lives.
The mission included the United Kingdom, United States of America, Russia, Germany, Turkey, South Korea, Lithuania, and Australia. The flags of all of these countries (Lithuania's upside-down) but Pakistan were seen on the wall of the control hub. (Pakistan's flag was not shown but the base doctor was a Pakistani national) Mission Control was based in Houston, Texas. (TV: The Waters of Mars)
Behind the scenes
- It was named after David Bowie as a reference to his song "Life on Mars?" (CON: Is There Life on Mars?)
