Trace Project

The story

In the late 2030s, as Earth's ecosystem continues to collapse, humanity launches the Mars Footprints Program, sending astronauts from every nation to establish a new civilization on Mars. Lin Jia Jun, an ordinary young man raised in Singapore's public housing, becomes the country's first astronaut to set foot on Mars. Through a cognitive brain-link, he shares every emotion in real time with his companion, Chen Hui Min, who remains on Earth. As the mission unfolds, Lin discovers that Mars is far from the promised land—it is a brutal test of resources, survival, and human nature. Meanwhile, Hui Min quietly watches over him from Earth. As ideals collide with reality and national duty conflicts with the longing to return home, Lin must confront one ultimate question: Is humanity's future found in escaping Earth, or in learning to protect the home we already have?

• #space