Bowie Base One 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 human s : 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 . 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 . Original timeline . Seventeen months into the mission , on 21 November 2059 , The Flood reached the base thanks to a broken filter . It started infecting the crew through Andy Stone when Andy ate a carrot he had washed in the infected water . Ultimately , Captain Adelaide Brooke initiated Action Five , destroying the base , its personnel and the Flood in the resulting nuclear blast in order to save Earth . Many on Earth mourned their deaths , not knowing why Adelaide decided to take such drastic action . However , this inspired her granddaughter , Susie Fontana Brooke to follow in her grandmother ' s footsteps and lead humanity out among the stars . ( TV : " The Waters of Mars " ) New timeline . Seventeen months into the mission , on 21 November 2059 , the Tenth Doctor arrived on Mars and was apprehended for trespassing by Gadget . Though initially excited to meet the crew of Bowie Base One , the Doctor realised that he had to leave after learning of the date as the events that would follow were a fixed point in time . However , while the Doctor was on the base , Andy was infected by The Flood due to a broken filter while eating a carrot in the Bio Dome . Despite his reluctance , the Doctor got caught up in the subsequent investigation and battle with the Flood , but refused to interfere too much due to the fixed nature of the moment . Following the base ' s shuttle ' s destruction , the Doctor declared himself the Time Lord Victorious and attempted to save the surviving crew members . With Gadget ' s help , the Doctor transported Mia , Yuri and Adelaide back to Earth in the TARDIS . Having warned Adelaide how history was meant to play out , she initiated Action Five just before they left which detonated a nuclear device under Bowie Base One , destroying it , the infected crewmembers and the Flood . Following her return to Earth , Adelaide defied the Doctor ' s right as the sole surviving Time Lord by committing suicide to keep the timeline on track . Mia and Yuri eventually spread the story of Bowie Base One and Adelaide ' s heroism , inspiring Adelaide ' s granddaughter to lead humanity into the stars . ( TV : " The Waters of Mars " )