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Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Members of the Crew 125 EuroMoonMars B mission return after collecting geological samples for study at the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert on March 2. The mission is meant to simulate what explorers will face during an eventual mission to the Red Planet.
NASA says it could be another 20 years before humans touch down on Mars, but in a sense, the Mars Society has been exploring the red planet for more than a decade — in Utah.
The nonprofit society's Mars Desert Research Station, near Hanksville, Utah, has been home to 126 crews since the Mars-style habitat was erected in 2002. The idea behind the experimental station is to test the tools and techniques that could come into play during eventual human expeditions to the real Red Planet. Each expedition crew consists of roughly a half-dozen volunteers who spend about two weeks in the Utah desert, conducting real research on a make-believe Mars.
Utah's desert is one of several locales around the world that are thought to be sufficiently Mars-like to teach researchers about the far more extreme conditions on the cold, dry planet. Other locales for Mars simulations include the Canadian Arctic, Antarctica, Norway's Svalbard Peninsula, caves on the Italian island of Sardinia, and even a lab in Russia.
The crew members for such simulations range from NASA researchers to students who hope to walk on Martian soil someday. Another would-be Marsonaut is Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart, who has long yearned to take pictures of the Mars Desert Research Station and its crew. "I had tried for years to go, but my story pitches never made the cut," he said Monday in a blog posting. This month, Urquhart finally got the green light from his editors, in part because "science and space exploration have become sexy again," he said.
Urquhart came away impressed by the volunteer astronauts. "I kept thinking to myself that this group of six embodies so much of what I wish I could become," he said. "They were passionate and chasing their dreams."
Check out these pictures — and Urquhart's blog posting — for more about his visit to Mars in the Utah desert.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
The night sky whirls above the Mars Desert Research Station outside Hanksville, Utah, in a long-exposure photo. The station is designed to reflect the type of habitat that would be constructed on the Red Planet for future explorers.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Csilla Orgel, a geologist, collects samples for study in the Utah desert.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Members venture out in their simulated spacesuits to collect samples.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Crew members return to the Mars Desert Research Station after a simulated Marswalk.
Jim Urquhart / Reuters
Crew members prepare a meal inside the Mars Desert Research Station. The mock astronauts wear simulation spacesuits when the venture outside, but work in shirt sleeves when they're inside the habitat.
Get a look at the moon's glories, interplanetary vistas and other outer-space highlights from February 2013.
Leave a Comment:
Why hasn't this become a reality TV program? Seems like a natural. Throw in a couple of pointless competitions, a little love and Honey Boo Boo and you've got a hit.
They might need the space-suits to show a little more skin, though.
Why Utah? They should be practicing in the deserts of Antarctica where the climate is closer to the summer weather conditions on the Martian equator. And, something to think about: What if someone needs an emergency airlift off Mars when we can hardly evacuate from Antarctica? This is just another super expensive rabbit hole to waste our resources on when there are some many more dire needs for our efforts to be focused upon. Seriously, why--why?
But wouldn't it cost more in Antarctica? I'm confused.
Of course it would. But this would be just a drop in the bucket compared to the total cost of such an enterprise--an exercise in futility? But then, the US has to waste all of its money somewhere on useless projects, fraudulent wars, policing the world, bridges-to-nowhere, etc and then cut social programs to provide even more money for these porkers.
Well, it doesn't look like they're living too high on the hog in that photo. But I agree that the idea of setting up even that many of the comforts of home on Mars seems very far-fetched. I'm not sure why some people invest so much hope in what looks like a fantasy to many others.
Gil - as stated in the article, this is PRIVATELY funded - no monies taken from the mouths of war nor bridges to anywhere.
Nice rant, tho.
Michael (Astronomy.FM)
Not a rant, just simple reality.
But it is tax deductible and uses resources that could be better used else where in a meaningful way.
Wow. You're being critical of THIS type of private spending? It's sure a hellava lot more useful than what's spent on lipstick and football. (Or lipstick on a pigskin.)
Private money, being spent in a way that is forward-looking. You spend your private money how you wish. Some of us like a bit of our hard-earned cash to be used on projects such as this.
Isn't this being funded by Europeans? Probably no income tax lost anyway, and probably some sales tax gained by the state.
At the rate humankind is destroying the earth we'll have to move to mars in order to have some place to live.
How many space ships would we need to transfer just 1/100th % of earth's population? At that impossible amount, it wouldn't even come close to transporting people enough to cover just the human reproduction rate. Sorry about that. We're all stuck here living out our lives in the mess we have created.
I know that Gil. Only the rich elites would have a golden ticket there. As for the rest of us, my fellow serf, we are indeed stuck here.
Many of us can go. The rich aren't worth anything if they have no one to lick their boots clean. The rich will have to take us serfs with them.
Tony- you might make it if your tongue is like Gene Simmons'
Lick it up.
ProFreedom..... That's just great. Mars, the next planet humans screw up.
It doesn't have to make sense. It is a grand adventure. Most of us will remain Earthbound physically but do you remember the thrill of the first video from the moon? What about Earthrise on the Moon's horizon. Sure it can be called a silly waste...but, what a spectacular silly waste!
I personally would rather see the exploration of the deep oceans and even an experiment in living and farming under the sea.
http://www.seao2.com/undersea/
I would like to see BOTH, undersea AND space experimentation/exploration.
Gee, what a bunch of whiners.
Unfortunately the Spanish did not take a similar reactionary attitude to exploration and stop Columbus 500 years ago because that would have allowed me to avoid having to read all the Yankee whinging about science.
Pop another Bud and get back to your creationist boltholes, Yanks!!
How stupid, please are you kidding me, this country is sideways in many areas, just like are the lost so-called president and his baboon of a moronic VP, who is the biggest LIAR in the history of the US, as every time he opens his lying mouth, stupidity comes out. His latest comments on space was he is cutting ALL military and space NASA programs.. He is the village idiot, BUT, NASA has been a bucket of money and they are a stupid waste of money chasing aliens and water on another planet, how about spending that money on our CHILDREN, not rocks. If and when the sun burns out, we are all ice in less than a week, so hug your kids when it happens... and in the mean time, just enjoy life and the liar in chief needs to not lie lie lie about everything and give OUR tax money to losers to all the other 3rd world countries, give them ZERO... You are witnessing a debacle of great stupidity, the worst loser EVER in the seat and we have nearly 4 more years and could be more if the public are that stupid to not change the regime of the demo maggot control, they are the zombies of the 20 century, brain dead beyond comprehension...
Little anger there DirtyHarry. What do you do for fun? Hit your head against the wall?
I come here for fun and jack with all the leftist morons, It is a blast to mess with sheep that follow the idiot off the cliff and mental midgets!!!
Whine much, Dirty? Oh, wait...
Take your prozac, dear.
Oh Harry, what a sad and wasted life. Click. That's sound of me putting you on "ignore". Who's jacking with whom now?
It must suck to be you.
I'm with the Aussie on this one - you whiny little b$^#$es need to go stick your heads back in the sand. Hey Gil, You obviously know how to best spend other people's money. You would rather everyone in the world make the same amount of money and live in the same 1200 sf flat and eat the same food. No homelessness, no poverty, no hunger, right? Sorry Stalin, but that utopia will never exist. Open your mind to exploration, and the potential improvements to society's ailments it can bring.....
Totally stupidity, gitmo, wars and massive lies by this idiot of a so-called lame president, has he changed a dam thing, NO, a village idiot and he and his moron VP said we are cutting all military and NASA programs, liars, yea lets play games in the deserts of Utah, you leftist idiots are beyond stupid and we are witnessing a crazy loser in chief...
Oops.....wrong turn. The "trash the president" forum is down the block. MmmmmK?
Nattering nabobs of negativism notwithstanding, the Mars Desert Research Station has been contributing to planning and operations research that will materially aid the human exploration of Mars for over a decade now. There is also an older, similar station in the arctic desert doing great work.
Nice job, Alan!
These volunteer crews pay their own way for a two week stay("Mission") in this thing. This is privately funded by volunteers and members of the "Mars Society". It is not government funded. They are currently planning an arctic "base".
Basically you send an application and resume and if you qualify, you may be added to a team. Oh! Did I mention you have to pay your own way!
Note the water tank on the trailer behind the shed. They obviously haven't yet figured out how to make water in their camp here, so they will die quickly on Mars without it. Also, the ATV's they use here require two things they will not have on Mars -- fuel and air. The suits appear to be fairly primitive and do not at all look like they would be sufficient to filter out the talcum powder like dust on Mars. They still have a long, long way to go.
On Mars the water tank would likely be replaced or fed by a system of wells into the water ice layer a few meters down that virtually covers the planet — remember when the rover scooped dirt and uncovered ice?
The ATV on Mars would likely run on methane/LOX turbine engines. These compounds can be made from the ambient CO2 atmosphere and ground water or some other hydrogen source, and the same fuel station would be producing your rocket fuel for the return trips!
So, read some of Zubrin's work, we have already come a long way, and stations like MDRS are helping us along!
I'm not sure about the usage of tin can habs, either. For long-term stays, we'll need more protection from the radiation. I rather think they'll be sending up 3D printers that will build more permanent and protective structures. That would also require mobile, mini-factories to process local materials into building materials the 3D printer can use. Nothing will be easy on Mars.
"Nothing will be easy on Mars."
Check that. Dying will be easy--staying alive will be hard.
Well these are a bit more than "tin cans". Even the thin Mars atmosphere protects you against the solar flare proton, and for some added measure they could be lined with polyethylene or water. Cosmic ray loadings are manageable, with does rates so low that a standard 3 yr round trip / 500 day surface stay mission profile would expose you to only about 80 - 100 REM or 0.8 - 1.0 Sv. Half of that exposure would be coming in space transits.
Not too bad.
Okay, the Port-A-Potty thing might be good here, but I'm thinking it won't be an option on Mars. For realism's sake, shouldn't there be indoor plumbing for these folks?
I would assume any habitable installation would be below the surface on Mars. What I find interesting like many here, however, is the URGENCY suddently surrounding our exploration of this planet. What IS that all about? Are we wanting to get there and stake a claim? Are we looking for the place to evacuate to when Earth has been completely trashed? It's astounding to me that we sit on an incredibly beautiful planet covered with rain forests, oceans, valleys, fields, and millions of species and let it spiral downward while we get all excited a cold, barren rock.
Looking for paradise? Look no further than the planet under your feet that you are overpopulating, polluting, and killing off every day.
That urgency is from about 50 years of feckless NASA leadership, producing a lot of folks who are tired of lame excuses.
It also arises because of the vital robotic exploration program, showing more and more evidence that Mars is a place to answer some basic science questions as well as to colonize.
Mars — we must go: for the knowledge of Mars, for the knowledge of Earth, and for our humanity itself!
Karen, get a grip and quit listening to Al Gore and the likes..... Earth is not dying. That polar bear that is standing on that little piece of ice? Don't worry, he's OK. You doom n gloomers lead a sad, pathetic life.
We've already been to Mars. http://www.projectmars.net/
Been to Mars with our rovers and orbiters - yes.
Been to Mars with Little Green Men (which is what the link points to) - no.
What about with LBM (little blue men)?
How about 15 foot tall green men with 4 arms and tusks? John Carter hangs out with a lot of them. ;-)
MDRS is answering a lot of questions that we need to study in depth before we send humans to Mars, and doing it with much less expenditure than NASA would have poured into the same endeavor.
For example, given a suit of the same relative weight and bulk as the kind that will probably be used on Mars, how much actual science can a person do? If you can't take off the gloves even for a second, what should the tools be like? What about the field of vision in the helmet? What about dust--it'll be everywhere; how can people cope with it? Given that you have to sit in the airlock for a while and stow your suit properly before coming inside, how do you plan around that? About the inside--with no way to just step out for a moment, how little space can people put up with? How little privacy? How little water beyond the minimum needed to sustain life? What about smells? Group size? Division of labor? Settlement of grievances? The time lag in communications between Earth and Mars? A lot of this stuff seems penny-ante here, but submariners and members of expeditions here on Earth can testify that often little things snowball into big problems. And if future Mars explorers get into trouble, there can be no rescue.
^^^ Perfectly logical post; thanks Jennifer! ^^^