Words in context
The glossary.
A short guide to the terms used in the novel.
- Carrier
- A long-range spacecraft that carries passengers and cargo between Earth and Mars orbit.
- Commissioning
- The staged testing and acceptance of a system before it enters regular service.
- Ferry
- A reusable surface-to-orbit vehicle that carries people between Mars and the orbiting carrier system.
- Fission
- Energy released when the nuclei of heavy atoms split.
- Fusion
- Energy released when light atomic nuclei combine. Concord’s fusion units supply part of its electricity alongside independent fission generation.
- Nuclear-Thermal Propulsion
- Rocket propulsion that heats propellant in a nuclear reactor to produce thrust.
- Perchlorates
- Salts found in Martian soil that complicate water treatment and require careful handling.
- Pressure Zone
- A sealed section of a habitat whose air pressure is controlled separately from adjacent areas.
- Protected Water Reserve
- Treated water held for homes and essential services, separate from raw ice and expansion capacity.
- Sol
- A Martian solar day, slightly longer than an Earth day.
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