date : fall , 2055 location : new york , new york comment : space corps announces the colonial lottery date : summer , 2056 location : planet tau ceti e comment : mormon colony founded on planet tau ceti e date : december , 2056 location : planet tau ceti e comment : mormon colony contracts fatal parasites on planet tau ceti e date : april , 2057 location : planet valhalla comment : norse colony founded on planet valhalla date : june , 2057 location : planet melantha comment : bootscrape mining colony founded on planet melantha date : august , 2057 location : planet redemption comment : christian colony founded on planet redemption date : tuesday , january 20 , 2060 location : marine division recruit station ( mdrs ) , san diego , california comment : staff sergeant renquist has a lucid nightmare on the day of first contact .