Post-atomic horror

The Post-Atomic Horror was a term historians would use for the period following 2053 until 2079 and shortly thereafter, on Earth. 

While humanity had made contact with two extraterrestrial species -- the Vulcans and the Centaurians in the 2060s -- and environmental damage was being repaired with their help, there were many areas of the planet that were reduced to anarchy and lawlessness.

The renewed depredations of this period -- which, in later centuries, would be referred to as a new "Dark Ages" -- helped motivate many to pursue extrasolar colonization efforts.

The Terra 10 expedition was among many launched during this era.