Background
The MDRS station is situated on the San Rafael Swell of southern Utah, located 11.63 kilometres (7.23 mi) by road north west of Hanksville, Utah. It is the second such analogue research station to be built by the Mars Society, following in the foot steps of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station or FMARS, which was deployed on the northern slope of Haughton Crater (at N 75° 25' 52.75" W 89° 49' 24.19") on Devon Island in Canada's high Arctic in the summer of 2000.
The third station, the European Mars Analog Research Station or EuroMARS was funded and built in the early 2002. It was shipped to the UK in the mid 2000s in preparation for deployment to the selected research site (approximately N65° 46' 7.18" W16° 45' 30.50") which is located next to the Krafla Rift Volcano, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north east of the village of Myvatn, Iceland.
The fourth station, the Australia Mars Analog Research Station / MARS Oz is currently in the planning stages and it will be deployed to the selected research site (S 30° 18' 13.91" E 139° 26' 39.55") east of the Arkaroola Sanctury, which itself is roughly 521 kilometres (324 mi) north of Adelaide, South Australia.
The Mars Society launched the Mars Analog Research Station (MARS) Project in order to develop key knowledge needed to prepare for the human exploration of Mars. The project's goals are to develop field tactics based on environmental constraints (i.e., being required to work in spacesuits), to test habitat design features and tools, and to assess crew selection protocols. Although much warmer than Mars, the desert location was selected because of its Mars-like terrain and appearance.
From the moment they arrive at MDRS, crews enter a "living on Mars" simulation. Crew members must wear an analogue space suit simulator or a "sim suit" when completing tasks outside the Habitat (HAB) to simulate the protection they would need from the harsh Martian environment. Complete analogue space suit simulators include a helmet, jumpsuit, boots, gaithers, gloves, an air supply pack, Platypus water pack, and a radio. Hand held radios mounted on the suits' helmets (with externally mounted push to talk switches) are used to communicate with Habitat communication base (Hab-com) and with fellow analogue Mars surface explorers on the same EVA. For safety reasons, there is always one crew member in the HAB to act as Hab-Com in case anything goes wrong on the extra-vehicular activity (EVA). In the event that crew's vehicles break down or one of their members becomes injured in the field, being able to communicate with the HAB is crucial to protect the safety of the people partaking in the analogue Mars surface exploration simuation mission.
Destinations for EVAs can be chosen from an established waypoint database and traveled to either on foot or by ATV.
MDRS is owned and operated by The Mars Society, which selects the crews and handles most of the administrative tasks. The Mars Society is an international, non-profit organization, with chapters world wide, that is dedicated to convincing governments and the public of the benefits of Mars exploration. They accomplish this goal through various projects such as M.A.R.S., the Mars Analogue Pressurized Rover Competition, and the ARCHIMEDES Mars balloon mission.
Students interested in participating in the project receive a $500 travel stipend from the Spaceward Bound Program run out of NASA Ames Research Center. The Spaceward Bound Program aims to train the next generation of space explorers by allowing students and teachers to participate in projects in extreme environments that can serve as simulations for the moon or Mars. By providing students and teachers the opportunity get involved in projects like MDRS, Spaceward Bound gives participants valuable first-hand scientific experience.
A Local Manager has been hired to take care of some of the maintenance and support services.
Read more about this topic: Mars Desert Research Station
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