Euro-MARS Background

The European Mars Analogue Research Station (Euro-MARS) will commence field research in 2004/5 and will be the third MARS unit to become operational. It will be managed by a consortium of European Mars Society Chapters including the United Kingdom, and is designed to greatly extend the range of research and study already being undertaken at the F-MARS and MDRS.

As such, Euro-MARS will operate both independently of the F-MARS and MDRS and as a contributing element in the overall MARS programme. Once operational, the Euro-MARS will provide a base of operations from which a wide range of scientific and engineering research can be undertaken, involving a wide range of private sector organisations, academic centres and research bodies.

In this, the Euro-MARS will seek to not only meet the aimsand goals of the MARS programme; it will seek to extend them in key areas. As such, areas for Euro-MARS research will include:

• The MARS unit / mission support interface - investigating how the crews aboard the Euro-MARS relate to a properly manned Mission Support Centre (MSC), how information / instructions / requests can be comprehensively passed between the two, etc.
• Human Factors - undertaking more in-depth human factors research as "on board" times for crews are extended in the Euro-MARS. Initial studies have been undertaken in the F-MARS 2001 season, studying crew interactions and living conditions research, and these will be extended with the MDRS in 2002. The Euro-MARS offers the potential, again combined with a properly-structured MSC, to extend this research to include relationships between the "crew" and "mission control" AND include relationships / feelings of individual crewmembers cut off from their families and friends for up to (potentially) 6-12 months at a time. Again, such research would include transfer of personal news, etc.
• Technology integration - human operations on Mars will be technology-dependent. Elements of the technology may conflict with one another. others may require varying degrees of human interaction. The Euro-MARS will be used to investigate, on a progressive basis, means by which technologies can be integrated for elements such as: efficiency of use; ease of use; safety, etc.
• Technology development - the Euro-MARS offers a unique opportunity to test supporting technologies required for successful human missions on Mars in an environment that closely mimics their use on the Red Planet. Such supporting technologies include:

  • In-situ propellant production (ISPP) - what is the optimum means of producing fuel for the vehicles being deployed with a MARS unit? What is the best means of fuel storage? What are the safest / most efficient means of transferring fuel from storage to vehicle that minimise wastage, etc.
  • Use of solar panels (possibly coated to mimic the effects of Martian dust) to supply additional power - what is the best layout for such units? How easy can they be maintained? How efficient are they likely to be overall (power produced v. maintenance / support input, etc.)? What is the best means of utilised / storing the power obtained from these units?
  • Investigating the use of tele-operated vehicles - human missions will initially be small-scale, with limited human resources. The use of remote vehicles - both ground and air-based - will greatly extend operations. The Euro-MARS offers an ideal platform for investigating the use of such vehicles, especially in those areas not currently under consideration in the MARS project as a whole (e.g. the use of airships)
  • Use of ancillary units to support human operations - garage / repair units, greenhouses, etc. Investigation the best means for constructing such units (should they be inflatable? Semi-rigid? Pressure contrast structures? Can they be utilised for other purposes (emergency airlock extensions for getting injured crew back into the habitat, as extendable "docking ports" to connect with rover vehicles, etc.)
  • Inclusion of specialised life-support systems vital to the success of an actual human mission to Mars (e.g. water recycling systems, waste management systems, etc.).