In the summer of the year 2000, a unique experiment will commence in the Arctic Circle when the Mars Society starts-up its Mars Arctic Research Station, theworld's first fully-simulated Mars Base.

Costing some $1.2 million, the MARS project will enable scientists, engineers and even astronauts to test the equipment and technology (habitation, transportation, life support, recycling, etc.), that may be deployed during a manned mission to Mars. © Richard W. Miller, 1999

Mars Arctic Research Station1 2 3 4

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Richard W. Miller, 1999

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MARS Project OverviewIf humans are to live on Mars - even for brief periods - they are going to have to be supported by a wide range ofinfrastructure. They'll need a place to work, rest and live. They'll need power, light, food, water, heat. They'll needrobust transportation, equipment able to operate in low temperatures and "hostile" environments. The Mars Society's

Mars Arctic Research Station (MARS) project is the first practical attempt to solve many of the problems facingthose wishing to build habitats that will one day be deployed on Mars.

As it's name suggests, the project aims to set up a simulated Mars base inthe Arctic Circle on Devon Island, in Canada's Queen Elizabeth group ofislands. The base will be modeled on a Mars Hab unit, as featured in theMars Direct mission plan, supported by a garage/workshop used to house

all-terrain rover vehicles, a solar panel array and a small greenhouse.Further elements may be added as the project progresses.

The primary aim of the project will be to test the usability of the habitatunit and to provide insight into the optimum design and layout of habitat

modules in future missions to Mars. The project will also be anopportunity to test everything from water recycling methods through to

all-terrain "buggies" and equipment and technology crucial to surviving on the surface of Mars.

Why Devon Island?Pascal Lee, a NASA engineer who has lead two expeditions to Devon Island in 1997 and 1998, and who is theMARS project leader, best sums up the reason for selecting Devon Island, "By setting ourselves up in this polar

desert, we will experience an environment that most closely resembles the surface of Mars."

Located approximately 75 degrees North, Devon Island forms a part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands groupedbetween Baffin Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Not only does the island exhibit geological and glacial features whichresemble features found on Mars, it's daytime temperatures are similar to those of a "summer" day on Mars, and it islargely snow and ice free in summer - something the Antarctic, another popular Mars analogue, cannot offer so easily.

While the atmosphere may be 100 times as dense as the atmosphere on Mars it is hardly an issue. Everything elseabout the island makes it an ideal proving ground for technology and equipment that may one day be carried toMars. Another consideration in using the island is that while it is remote, it is still close enough to medical facilities

to make evacuating anyone suffering an injury or illness during the experiment relatively easily.

Haughton CraterThanks to the work carried out by two NASA expeditions to Devon Island in 1997 and 1998, Pascal Lee, the MARSProject Leader has been able to locate an ideal site for the base. It is a large impact crater called Haughton Crater.

The crater is ideal for a number of reasons. Firstly, itremains snow and ice free for most of the year; it has asuperficial resemblance to the surface of Mars; it has aplentiful supply of water (although the base will use its

own water recycling systems) and finally, the hillsaround the crater (formed by ejecta from the originalimpact) are areas of significant geological interest.All-in-all, Haughton Crater and Devon Island willallow every aspect of a simulated Mars base to betested in everyday activities that simply cannot berecreated with any degree of accuracy anywhere else

in the world.

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Devon Island

The Habitat UnitThe core element of the MARS Project is the habitat unit. Measuring

approximately 8.4 metres (27ft) in diameter, the habitat unit will provide 2floors of living space for up to 6 people at a time. The habitat is designedas a multi-function facility incorporating living an sleeping quarters, workspaces, clean-room laboratories, an exercise area, galley and a sick bay.

The two decks of the unit will be linked by a central shaft and ladder,which will also connect to the main airlock in the lower deck. The lower

deck of the unit will also provide storage facilities.

Supporting the main habitat unit will be an inflatable greenhouse and agarage / workshop for storing ATVs and rovers. Both the greenhouse andthe garage will be linked to the habitat unit by airlock tunnels. Power willbe supplied by solar panels arranged a short distance from the habitat unit.

This in itself will be an interesting test - the panels will receive lesssunlight than they would if they were situated on the Martian equator, thetheory being that if they can provide sufficient power for operations in the

Arctic, they will be suitable for use on Mars.

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Mail To: The Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454.info@marssociety.org www.marssociety.org

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Parts ListPart Number Part Source Notes

1 Habitat white plastic pail top dia. 22 cm bottom dia 28 cm, height 24 cm2 Habitat Dome medicine bottle top diameter 3.8 cm3 Com Antenna kit part diameter 5.0 cm4 Mars Society Logo Mars Society brochure5 Crane fabricate from pine length 7.5 cm6 Cargo Hatch international coffee lid 7cm wide X 8 cm high7 Cargo Hatch Lock medicine bottle top 3 cm dia8 Cargo Ramp stiff card board 25.5 cm X 5 cm9 Landing Strut fabricate from pine see detail10 Cargo dental floss container11 Main Hatch medicine bottle cut in half 4 cm dia X 4.5 cm deep12 Viewing Port large silver sequin 2 cm dia13 Personnel Tunnel plastic dryer vent hose 8 cm dia14 Rover Garage Rubbermaid Container 16.5 cm wide X 22.5 cm long X 10 cm high15 Garage Ramp stiff cardboard 10 cm wide X 7 cm long16 Strut Pod fabricate from pine see detail17 Greenhouse Rubbermaid Container 14.5 cm dia 9 cm high18 Reaction Control System fabricate from pine and map pins see detail

14 mm dowel

7 mm dowel

38 mm wooden wheel

Brass rod

20 mm plywoodbottom in pail

edge of bucket

Landing Strut Detail

map pins

map pins14 mm wooden block

Reaction Control System Detail

20 mm dowel

50 mm

Landing Strut Pod Detail

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Mars Arctic Research Station

1 Kilometre

N

Contour Interval 10 m

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