mdrs.marssociety.orgMars Desert Research Station

Home People Management Team Research Education How to Participate Apply to Become a Crew Member Volunteer Current Crew Reports Previous Field Seasons Media Contact Scroll down to content About the MDRS Help support the MDRS project by Joining the Mars Society ! NOTICE: The is a private research facility, and is not open to visitors. People are allowed to pass the campus from Cow Dung Road, and are welcome to stop and park where allowed, and view the station from that spot. Because of the research being conducted here, the main campus is not open to the public, and we ask that our crews’ privacy is respected. Our Mission Campus MDRS Observatories Management Team The (MDRS), owned and operated by the Mars Society, is a space analog facility in Utah that supports Earth-based research in pursuit of the technology, operations, and science required for human space exploration. We host an eight month field season for professional scientists and engineers as well as college students of all levels, in training for human operations specifically on Mars. The relative isolation of the facility allows for rigorous field studies as well as human factors research. Most crews carry out their mission under the constraints of a simulated Mars mission. Most missions are 2-3 weeks in duration, although we have supported longer missions as well. The advantage of MDRS over most facilities for simulated space missions is that the campus is surrounded by a landscape that is an actual geologic Mars analog, which offers opportunities for rigorous field studies as they would be conducted during an actual space mission. Campus The MDRS campus includes six structures. The habitat (Hab) is a two story 8 meter in diameter cylindrical building constructed in 2001. It can house seven crewmembers at one time. The structure has been undergoing a refurbishment over the last few years. The lower deck houses the EVA prep room with the spacesuit simulators, an exterior airlock, a shower room, toilet room and a rear airlock leading to tunnels, which access other structures. The upper deck houses the living quarters, which include a common work/living area, fully operational kitchen and seven staterooms with bunks. Six of the staterooms are on the main floor, a seventh is housed in the loft. There are two observatories on campus. The Robotic Observatory houses a 14″ Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope on a CGE pro equatorial mount. Attached is a 4″ refractor, which is used as a guide scope. Either telescope can utilize a wide array of cameras for astronomical imaging. The telescope is housed in a 7.5 foot automated dome that can be controlled on site or from the habitat module. The Musk Observatory, formerly the only observatory on campus, has been converted into a solar observatory for use by crews. More about the MDRS Observatories The GreenHab was fully funded by donations. It is a 12” by 24” foot structure, housing both conventional and aquaponic growing systems, in addition to space devoted to crop research studies. It is climate controlled though a propane heater and swamp cooler, and has broad spectrum grow lights of additional light during the winter months. The Science Dome is a 7-meter in diameter geodesic dome that contains our solar system’s control center and is a functional microbiological and geological laboratory. The RAMM (Repair and Maintenance Module) is our newest building, and will be on site before the beginning of 2018. A refitted Chinook helicopter, this spectacular addition to the campus can house an ATV/rover for repairs and will be used for engineering research. All of the structures with the exception of the Robotic Observatory are linked with the Hab via above ground tunnels to allow participants to utilize these buildings while remaining in simulation. The campus is powered by a 15 kW solar system that feeds a 12 kW battery bank that provides power to everything. A 12 kW generator autostarts when the campus uses more power than the solar can provide in the winter months. Crews occupying the station are fully supported. The station is operational with all systems functional during their stay. Shelf-stable foods such as those used on space missions are supplied for each crew. Additional support equipment includes five All Terrain Vehicles and four all electric two person Polaris Rangers for field transportation, as well as a 4 wheel drive SUV. The director lives on site and manages the station and operations. In addition, there are a host of volunteer teams supporting all aspects of the work that is done at the station, including peer review of all research proposals and supporting crews via offsite Mission Support. MDRS began operations in 2001 as a fully volunteer enterprise. Over 1,000 people have participated as crew and many are now involved in other analog studies at different places around the world. Thousands of other people have supported our mission in many other ways, all of them dedicated to the idea of sending humans to Mars. Save Home Welcome to your site! This is your homepage, which is what most visitors will see when they come to your site for the first time. MDRS Facts Founded 2001 Field Seasons Completed 20 Number of Crews Over 270 Analog Mars Operational Days Over 2,730 (that’s 7 ½ years on Mars!) Accumulated Analog Astronaut Training Days 45 years! Contact Us Search for: Search Facebook Twitter Instagram Copyright © The Mars Society. 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