1. In the summer of the year 2000, a unique experiment will commence in the Arctic Circle when the Mars Society starts-up its Mars Arctic Research Station, the world's first fully-simulated Mars Base. Costing some $1.2 million, the MARS project will enable scientists, engineers and even astronauts to test the equipment and technology (habitation, transportation, life support, recycling, etc.), that may be deployed during a manned mission to Mars. © Richard W. Miller, 1999

2. Mars Arctic Research Station 1234 5 6 7 8 9 101112131415 16 17 18  Richard W. Miller, 1999 2

3. MARS Project Overview If humans are to live on Mars - even for brief periods - they are going to have to be supported by a wide range of infrastructure. They'll need a place to work, rest and live. They'll need power, light, food, water, heat. They'll need robust transportation, equipment able to operate in low temperatures and "hostile" environments. The Mars Society's Mars Arctic Research Station (MARS) project is the first practical attempt to solve many of the problems facing those wishing to build habitats that will one day be deployed on Mars. As it's name suggests, the project aims to set up a simulated Mars base in the Arctic Circle on Devon Island, in Canada's Queen Elizabeth group of islands. The base will be modeled on a Mars Hab unit, as featured in the Mars Direct mission plan, supported by a garage/workshop used to house all-terrain rover vehicles, a solar panel array and a small greenhouse. Further elements may be added as the project progresses. The primary aim of the project will be to test the usability of the habitat unit and to provide insight into the optimum design and layout of habitat modules in future missions to Mars. The project will also be an opportunity to test everything from water recycling methods through to all-terrain "buggies" and equipment and technology crucial to surviving on the surface of Mars. Why Devon Island? Pascal Lee, a NASA engineer who has lead two expeditions to Devon Island in 1997 and 1998, and who is the MARS project leader, best sums up the reason for selecting Devon Island, "By setting ourselves up in this polar desert, we will experience an environment that most closely resembles the surface of Mars." Located approximately 75 degrees North, Devon Island forms a part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands grouped between Baffin Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Not only does the island exhibit geological and glacial features which resemble features found on Mars, it's daytime temperatures are similar to those of a "summer" day on Mars, and it is largely snow and ice free in summer - something the Antarctic, another popular Mars analogue, cannot offer so easily. While the atmosphere may be 100 times as dense as the atmosphere on Mars it is hardly an issue. Everything else about the island makes it an ideal proving ground for technology and equipment that may one day be carried to Mars. Another consideration in using the island is that while it is remote, it is still close enough to medical facilities to make evacuating anyone suffering an injury or illness during the experiment relatively easily. Haughton Crater Thanks to the work carried out by two NASA expeditions to Devon Island in 1997 and 1998, Pascal Lee, the MARS Project Leader has been able to locate an ideal site for the base. It is a large impact crater called Haughton Crater. The crater is ideal for a number of reasons. Firstly, it remains snow and ice free for most of the year; it has a superficial resemblance to the surface of Mars; it has a plentiful supply of water (although the base will use its own water recycling systems) and finally, the hills around the crater (formed by ejecta from the original impact) are areas of significant geological interest. All-in-all, Haughton Crater and Devon Island will allow every aspect of a simulated Mars base to be tested in everyday activities that simply cannot be recreated with any degree of accuracy anywhere else in the world. 3 Devon Island

4. The Habitat Unit The core element of the MARS Project is the habitat unit. Measuring approximately 8.4metres (27ft) in diameter, the habitat unit will provide 2 floors of living space for up to 6 people at a time. The habitat is designed as a multi-function facility incorporating living an sleeping quarters, work spaces, clean-room laboratories, an exercise area, galley and a sick bay. The two decks of the unit will be linked by a central shaft and ladder, which will also connect to the main airlock in the lower deck. The lower deck of the unit will also provide storage facilities. Supporting the main habitat unit will be an inflatable greenhouse and a garage / workshop for storing ATVs and rovers. Both the greenhouse and the garage will be linked to the habitat unit by airlock tunnels. Power will be supplied by solar panels arranged a short distance from the habitat unit. This in itself will be an interesting test - the panels will receive less sunlight than they would if they were situated on the Martian equator, the theory being that if they can provide sufficient power for operations in the Arctic, they will be suitable for use on Mars. JOIN THE MARS SOCIETY Membership Form NAME ______________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS______________________CITY________________PROV/STATE_________ZIP________________ COUNTRY_____________________ PHONE______________EMAIL__________________________________ MEMBERSHIP LEVEL(Please select one) Individual ($US50)Family ($US100)Corporate ($US1000) Please Select Method of Payment: ChequeMoney Order Credit Card: Visa, MC, Amex, Discovery, #______________________Exp. Date__________________ Signature____________________________________________________________________________ Mail To: The Mars Society, PO Box 273, Indian Hills, CO 80454. info@marssociety.org www.marssociety.org 4

5. Parts List 14 mm dowel 7 mm dowel 38 mm wooden wheel Brass rod 20 mm plywood bottom in pail edge of bucket Landing Strut Detail map pins 14 mm wooden block Reaction Control System Detail 20 mm dowel 50 mm Landing Strut Pod Detail 5

6. Mars Arctic Research Station 1 Kilometre N Contour Interval 10 m 6