Mars is within reach. A world with a surface area the size of the combined continents of the Earth, the Red Planet contains all the elements needed support life. As such it is the Rosetta stone for revealing whether the phenomenon of life is something unique to the Earth or prevalent in the universe.

Moreover, as the nearest planet with all the required resources for technological civilisation, Mars will be the decisive trial that will determine whether humanity can expand from its globe of origin to enjoy the open frontiers and unlimited prospects available to a multi-planet, spacefaring species. Offering profound enlightenment to our science, inspiration and purpose to our youth, and a potentially unbounded future for our posterity, the challenge of Mars is one that we must embrace.

In order to help develop key knowledge needed to prepare for human Mars exploration, and to inspire the public with the realities presented by such exploration, the Mars Society has initiated the Mars Analogue Research Station (MARS) programme. This is a globe-spanning programme of research into what it will mean for humans to live and work on the surface of Mars for up to 18 months at a time. As such, the MARS programme comprises a number “habitat units” located around the world which provide a combination of living and working facilities for teams of scientists, engineers and researchers.

Located in Mars-like environments, the habitat units are used as centres of study for a programme of extensive long-duration geology and biology field exploration operations conducted in the same style and under many of the same constraints as we will find on the Red Planet. In addition, each of the MARS habitat units will provide valuable insight into the human factors associated with Mars exploration, enabling us to explore various combinations of living / working space in order to determine the optimum mix of both vital to providing the balance between work and relaxation as well as helping us explore where and how the need for individual privacy can be balanced against the very confined nature of living and working in an enclosed environment.

As they are located in Mars-like locations around the world, each MARS habitat offers unique opportunities for collaborative research projects between the Mars Society and other organisations, allowing specific research projects into such diverse areas as geology, extremophile biology, glaciation, volcanism, etc., to be carried out as joint ventures between the Society and research organisations, universities and the like. The stations also offer unique opportunities to test equipment and technologies vital to the success of human exploration activities both on the surface of other worlds and here on Earth. By initiating and managing the MARS project, the Mars Society, in association with those organisations that both support use and participate in the programme, will start the process of learning how to explore and live on the surface of Mars.

You can find out more about the MARS project by visiting the following Mars Society websites:

The Euro-MARS project
The Flashline Mars Artic Research Station
The Mars Desert Research Station
Watch a video about the MARS project

 

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