Imagine a world where Mars was just another tourist hot spot; a place we visited to get away from the hustle and bustle of Earth. French photographer Julien Mauve believes this idea isn’t too far fetched. Thanks to NASA and Space X, he imagines humans will walk on Mars in the next 50 years. He sought out to create a series that considers the idea of space exploration and the uncovering of a new world, just like Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America some 500 years ago. Greetings from Mars investigates what it might be like for the average person to visit new and uncharted territory in the 21st century.

Mauve shot the images in during an eight-day, 4,000-mile road trip from California to Utah. Carefully selecting appropriate, seemingly untouched landscapes, that could easily resemble the terrain of the Red Planet.

Armed with selfie sticks, iPads and predictable photo-ops, Mauve imagines a tourist not unlike those here on Earth. “It’s interesting to observe the way we act in front of the camera, how we include ourselves in the landscapes, how those landscapes trigger the desire to affirm our presence. And how the way we take pictures exposes the vanity involved in our endless pursuit of self-definition,” he says.

All images © Julien Mauve