Thursday, June 27, 2013

How to live on Mars? Practice on Devon Island in the Arctic


MARS ARCTIC 365 
The Mars Society’s one-year Mars surface simulation mission in northern Canada.

"It's been 44 years since we stepped on the lunar surface, and I think the progress since then is a little slow. I've always felt that Mars should be the next destination following our landings on the Moon. I want the next generation to feel as we did back when I was privileged enough to be a part of the Apollo program."
   -- Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Astronaut and Mars Society Steering Committee Member


Website: http://www.marssociety.org/

Mars Society Announces High-Level Science Team for Mars Arctic 365 Simulation

posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:37 AM by Mars Society - PR [ updated Jun 13, 2013, 2:36 PM ]

Several weeks ago, the Mars Society announced that it was initiating a ground-breaking project known as Mars Arctic 365, a special one-year Mars surface simulation mission to take place at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island in northern Canada.



The Mars Arctic 365 program, scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014, will provide scientists with the most extensive testing to date on how a multi-person crew can live and work together under isolated, stressful and harsh conditions as part of a human mission to the Red Planet. 

Given the importance of this scientific endeavor to the planning for a humans-to-Mars expedition, the Mars Society had recruited a high-level team of experts to design and manage the science program that will be carried out during the year-long simulation. Areas of research will include geology, microbiology, human physiology and psychology, nutrition-food studies and field technology studies, to name a few.
Crew Announced for Mars Arctic 365 Mission (Phase 1)
The Mars Society announced today the selection of nine crew members chosen to participate in the Mars Arctic 365 mission (Phase 1) this July at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic. This will be the thirteenth crew to inhabit the FMARS facility since its establishment in July 2000, continuing the Mars Society's pioneering work in organizing sustained field exploration while operating under Mars mission constraints.



Scheduled to be in Canada for two weeks, the new crew will install key equipment and infrastructure and also upgrade systems needed to support the one-year Mars surface simulation expedition (Phase 2), which will begin in the summer of 2014. The visit to FMARS is also expected to include a limited duration Mars simulation exercise to provide crew members with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience with technical and human factor considerations which are likely to be faced by the first human explorers to the Red Planet.
The following nine people will make up the Mars Arctic 365 (MA365) mission crew for July 2013:

Joseph Palaia (Orlando, FL)

Mr. Palaia is the MA365 Crew Commander (Phase 1) and is a FMARS veteran who served as Executive Officer on the most recent Mars Society expedition to Devon Island in July 2009. He is also Chief Operating Officer of Earthrise Space Inc.

Dr. Alexander Kumar (Oxford, UK)

Dr. Kumar is a British medical doctor and experienced scientific explorer, who spent one year at Concordia Station in Antarctica and also organized the White Mars field study for Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Coldest Journey expedition across the southern continent. Dr. Kumar will serve as Principal Investigator of the MA365 mission and is a member of the project’s science team.

Adam Nehr (Orlando, FL)

Mr. Nehr is a veteran engineer experienced in electro-mechanical design and image system operations, who will serve as MA365 Executive Officer and Engineer (Phase 1). He is also Senior Manufacturing Engineer for Earthrise Space Inc.

Justin Sumpter (Orlando, FL)

Mr. Sumpter will serve as IT Specialist for the MA365 expedition (Phase 1). At present, he works as Senior Systems Administrator for Earthrise Space Inc.

Barry Stott (Chadds Ford, PA)

Mr. Stott is a veteran pilot and owner of several aircraft charter firms. He will serve as one of the pilots during the MA365 July mission. He is also a life-time Mars Society member and one of the major sponsors of the MA365 summer expedition.

Dr. Richard Sugden (Driggs, ID)

Dr. Sugden is a family medical doctor and an experienced pilot who owns Teton Aviation. He will serve as one of the pilots during the MA365 July visit to FMARS.

Richard Spencer (Wilson, WY)

Mr. Spencer is an experienced aviator who will fly one of the aircraft during the MA365 summer mission. He is also a former investment banker and headed several major investment firms. In addition, he served as a naval pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Garrett Edquist (Glenwood Springs, CO)

Mr. Edquist will serve as the crew videographer during the summer mission on Devon Island. He is experienced in filming and producing short-form films and documentaries and holds the position of Editor at Summit Films Inc.

James Moore (Farmington, CT)

Mr. Moore is an experienced photo-journalist who serves as Associate Editor of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Mr. Moore is being dispatched by AOPA on editorial assignment to cover the MA365 summer mission.

To read the full announcement, please click here.



No comments:

Post a Comment

Enter your comment(s) here...