This redesign takes the original tricolor (see here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_… ) which represents Kim Stanley Robinson's popular science-fiction trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars. Thin yellow bands are added to separate the colors not only for aesthetic reasons but as to symbolize the energy needed to transform the planet from one stage to the next. In the upper left corner Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos are represented in an estimated real life size difference.