On September 18, 2035 PLAF Major Zhang Hui, commander of
Fenghuang 2's all-female crew, became the first person to step foot on Mars. For thirty days Zhang and four other taikonauts explored the planet and worked on improving the base camp landed by the unmanned
Fenghuang 1. A year later they returned to Earth as national heroes.
The next expedition to Mars would come to stay.