The Mastodon Convoy - How Aging American Trucks Traverse the Martian Frontier

Icarus
May 16
2 min read

📍 Welcome to Mars, 30 Years Later

In the world of ICARUS, humanity has held on to Mars for three decades. Four major settlements remain, each backed by an Earth superpower:

🇷🇺 Vostok Outpost (Russia)

🇨🇳 Tianyuan Base (China)

🇺🇸 Minos Settlement (USA)

🇪🇺 Asteria Habitat (European Union)

Each lies thousands of kilometers apart, mirroring the rivalries of Earth’s great powers.

Officially, cooperation is restricted.

Earth HQs enforce limited contact, wary of strategic leaks. But on Mars, settlers think differently.

They share tools, stories—and even encrypted messages on their own local comm network. Asteria serves as a neutral recreation hub. Emergency trades happen. Quiet friendships form. Still, the shadow of Earth’s tensions looms over every exchange.

But everything changed when a storm nearly destroyed the aging Russian outpost.

Despite orders to stay out of foreign affairs, crews from all settlements rushed to help. And that’s where the real problems began—because the American vehicles weren’t built for that kind of journey.

A massive six-wheeled Martian transport truck, designed for rugged terrain and heavy cargo. The vehicle features a reinforced cockpit, modular cargo bay, and oversized all-terrain tires. Though outdated in design, it remains in active use across long-distance convoy routes between Mars outposts. The truck’s surface is dusty and worn, highlighting its continued operation in harsh planetary conditions. — The American convoy vehicles—Minos Class-7 Haulers - **The “Mastodon”**

🛠️ What They Drove: The “Mastodon”

American convoy vehicles—Minos Class-7 Haulers—were never meant to travel 3,200 km. Built nearly 20 years ago, they were designed for short-range supply missions to nearby mining sites. Sturdy, yes—but deeply outdated.

Key Specs:

Power: Hybrid solar-electric, with backup fuel cells
Range: ~150 km without recharge
Crew: Autopilot exists, but human supervision is always required
Dust Resistance: Weak—filters clog quickly
Top Speed: Up to 80 km/h on flat terrain
Typical Convoy Speed: 30–35 km/h, due to rough terrain, maintenance stops, and frequent sandstorms

🫧 Life Support: Just Enough to Survive

Unlike the advanced Chinese TY-C9, the American Mastodon hauler was never meant to sustain long expeditions. But it gets the basics right:

Pressurized Cabin: Keeps internal pressure and temperature stable, typically holding at 18–20°C.
Basic Radiation Shielding: The outer hull includes a single-layer composite with embedded shielding foam—enough for short exposures.
Oxygen Supply: Fixed-tank O₂ reserves support up to three crew for 5–6 sols under normal use.
CO₂ Scrubbing: Basic chemical scrubbers (lithium hydroxide canisters) replaceable at resupply stations.
Thermal Control: Resistive heating elements and passive insulation; no phase-change materials or smart insulation.
Water: Stored in static tanks. No recycling beyond basic condensation catchment.
Emergency Mode: Manual lockdown with backup oxygen and power for ~12 hours. No independent core or sealed survival pod.