For the very first time, a team made up solely out of Belgians was selected to simulate a manned Mars mission on board of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the dessert of Utah, USA. Arjan van der Star, professor at Group T-Leuven Education College is amongst them.
Mars habitat
The team members will spend 15 days (February 7 to 20, 2010) in the Mars habitat, a structure that is 2 floors tall and 8 meters across. They will have no physical contact with the outside world and need to survive on astronaut food. Each team member receives 3 liters of water per day, for consumption as well as hygiene. They can only leave the station in a space suit.
Mars Analog Research Station
The mars habitat is part of the Mars Society's research program: the Mars Analog Research Station (MARS). It uses 2 simulation stations: the Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) in Canada and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah. Both locations resemble Mars as far as climate and geographical relief are concerned. Teams of volunteers carry out experiments the year round.
Educational objectives
The Belgian astronauts Dirk Frimout and Frank de Winne act as godfathers to the team of 6. Arjan's mission is mainly aimed at the educational component of the research: "The first manned Mars mission is scheduled for 2035. In other words, today's children will be the first ones to actually set foot on the planet. That's why education on Mars is necessary today already." Apart from the Group T professor, 3 other team members work in education. They too will gather as many didactic materials as possible.
- More info:
Arjan van der Star, Geography professor, tel. +32 (0)494 80 55 45,
arjan.van.der.star@groupt.be
