Mars Desert Research Station
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The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is one of four planned simulated Mars habitats (or Mars Analogue Research Station Programme) maintained by the Mars Society. It is the second such research station to be built, after the completion of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island in the Arctic in 2000. The project's goals are to develop field tactics based on environmental constraints (ie, being required to work in spacesuits), to test habitat design features and tools, and to assess crew selection protocols. While much warmer than Mars, the desert location is optimal because of its Mars-like terrain and appearance.
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[edit] Location
The station is in the Canyonlands desert of Utah. It is 11 kilometres (7 miles) from Hanksville, Utah, four miles east along Utah State Route 24, and about three miles north on a dirt road.
[edit] Crews
Crews sign up for two week shifts during the winter months (it's too hot in the summer for pleasant simulation). Crews are not paid during their time at the station, but do get valuable experience. The crews usually consist of a mix of astronomers, physicists, biologists, geologists, engineers and the occasional journalist.
[edit] Campus
The campus consists of three buildings, the habitat, the greenhab, and the observatory.
[edit] Habitat
The habitat is an implementation of a Mars Habitat Unit. Specifically it is a two story cylinder on its end about 10 metres (30 feet) in diameter. On the first floor there are two airlocks, two bathrooms, a room for the space suits, and a combined lab and work area. On the second floor are six rooms with bunks and a combined common area kitchen.
[edit] Greenhab
The greenhab is a greenhouse used for plants. It is a cylinder on its side about five metres (15 feet) in diameter and five metres long. One half is used as a storage area and a location for plants used in some experiments. The other half is taken up by a greywater recycling system.
[edit] Observatory
The observatory houses a 28-centimetre (11 inch) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, donated by Celestron. The telescope is capable of being operated remotely, and is accessible to amateur and professional astronomers via the internet.
[edit] Other
Also on the campus is an electrical generator, a septic tank and an omnidirectional radio telescope.
[edit] Operations
The MDRS is owned by the Mars Society, which selects the crews and handles most of the administrative tasks. Local residents are hired to take care of some of the maintenance tasks. Brigham Young University (BYU) is the closest university to the MDRS, and the BYU Mars Research Group works and takes care of many of the MDRS operational tasks. In exchange, the group has been allocated approximately half of the greenhab space for its own projects.
[edit] See also
- European Mars Analog Research Station
- Australia Mars Analog Research Station
- Mars Analogue Research Station Programme
