Summary of the 2009-2010 Season at the Mars Desert Research Station. J. V. Nelson1 and A. Westenberg

2, 1

University of North Dakota, Clifford Hall Room 512, 4149 University Ave Stop 9008, Grand Forks, ND. 58202,

USA. joshua.v.nelson@gmail.com, 2 Explore Mars Inc., 576 Cabot Street, Beverly, Ma 01915, USA, arte-

mis@exploremars.org

Abstract: Terrestrial Martian analogs are a vital

resource for training mission scientists, and engineers

for the rigors of surface operations on Mars. The Mars

Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah is the most

accessible, cost-effective martian analog station avail-

able. Each year the station is host to dozens of re-

search projects from multiple disciplines including

biology, engineering, geology, hydrology, meteorol-

ogy, and psychology.

Introduction: The Mars Desert Research Station

(MDRS) was established in 2002 as an affordable al-

ternative to the analogs in the Arctic and Antarctic.. Its

founding principles of “Safety, Sim, Science” continue

to drive the station to this day.

Image: The MDRS Habitat and Greenhab.

Crews of students and researchers from universities

and research institutions across the world apply com-

petitively for the 10 annual crew rotations. Each crew

consists of 6 “astronauts” who spend two weeks living

and working in Mars simulation

The 2009-2010 field season involved seventy five

participants from twelve different countries. One 2010

participant, Diego Urbina, went on from the MDRS to

participate in the five hundred and twenty day Russian

Space Agency Mars 500 simulation.

Geological Analog: The Hanksville, Utah area is

an amazing geologic analog for many of the geologic

features found on Mars. The Cretaceous and Jurassic

era shales and sandstones, especially the stark red Mor-

rison formation, form a landscape amazingly similar to

the images returned by the mars rovers.

These features include: mountains, canyons, gullies,

lag surfaces, clay plains, inverted river channels, “blue-

berry” concretions, colluvial fans, talus piles, flood

plains, nodular anhydride beds, gypsum fields, and

up/down flow pipes. [1][2][3]

Image: “Blueberry” concretions near MDRS simi-

lar to those observed in MER imagery.

Furthermore a diverse mineralogy provides an ideal

opportunity for field testing of spectrometers and other

instruments.

Signs of Life: One of the key questions driving

Martian exploration is if life ever existed on the planet.

The unique geology of the MDRS area provides many

opportunitiy to test detection methods for past and pre-

sent Martian Life.

Extremophiles: If life currently exists on Mars, it is

likely extremophile in nature. These hearty microor-

ganisms can exist inside and below sedimentary rocks

which provide reasonable protection from sterilizing

UV rays. The Hanksville area has large outcroppings

of porous sandstone and transparent chirt where en-

doliths and hypoliths respectively can be found in large

numbers.

Paleosites: MDRS is located only a few miles from

the Hanksville-Burbee Dinosaur Quarry, one of the

richest dinosaur sites in North America. Fossilized

dinosaurs, shellfish, sharks, and petrified wood can be

readily found throughout the area, some within sight of

the habitat. Recent finds have included Apataosaurus,

Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus and Camarasaurus, Al-

lasourus, and Stegasourus. These fossilized remains

provide challenging targets for robotic and telerobotic

exploration missions.

Cryptogamic Soils: One of the most important de-

sert features are Cryptogamic soils. These biological

soil crusts are formed by colonies of cyanobacteria.

The crusts are important to desert ecology, and while

1690.pdf42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2011)

not likely on Mars due to the intense UV, provide an

interesting test subject for biologicial detection instru-

ments.

Research: Over the past 10 years the MDRS has

supported a wide range of research projects related to

human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars.

These projects have included geological explorations

of the area, psychological studies, food and nutritional

studies, ergonomics studies, field testing of a wide va-

riety of robotic rovers and field equipment, and much

more.

2009-2010 Research: This year saw an unprece-

dented number of professional research projects at the

MDRS. These include: Field trials of the Mars Under-

ground Mole, CRUX Ground Penetrating Radar, and

Terra X-Ray Diffraction Analyzer [4]; Field analysis of

organic matter and minerals in the MDRS area [5]; two

telerobotic exploration field trials [6][7]; field trial of a

wind and solar power system for the analog station [7];

a multi year Mars analog food study conducted by K.

Binstead and J. Hunter, seismologic and electromag-

netic soundings of the area [8]; and many more. The

2009-2010 season concluded with the Mars Society

sponsored University Rover Challenge.

2010-2011 Field Season: The current field season

began on January 2nd and will run through May 7th .

Organizations sponsoring crews include: The Mars

Society, NASA Ames, ESA, Georgia Institute of Tech-

nology, The Catholic University of Louvain, and the

Romanian Space Agency. The first crew alone includes

research projects in the areas of hydrology, geology,

psychology, telerobotics, and exo-biology. Research

proposals are still being reviewed as of the writing of

this abstract, but include dozens of projects ranging

from undergraduate to docrtoral level research.

2011-2012 Field Season: The Mars Soceity is cur-

rently seeking research or educational groups interested

in using the MDRS station during the 2011-2012 sea-

son. Crew slots are available from October 2011 – May

2012. Preference to groups with publishable and multi-

mission research projects (especially those in line with

the NASA Grand Challenges), but all are welcome.

Future Upgrades: For the 10th anniversary of

MDRS The Mars Society will be hosting a refit of the

station. Donations of used but working scientific,

medical, or construction equipment are always wel-

come. All donations to MDRS are tax exempt under

The Mars Society’s 501c3 tax exempt status.

Summary: Ten years after opening the MDRS con-

tinues to serve as the world’s most cost effective Mar-

tian analog station. Researchers interested in participat-

ing in the program should contact Joshua Nelson at:

joshua.v.nelson@gmail.com

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to “DG”

Lusko, Chris McKay, Carol Stoker, Jon Rask, Explore

Mars, NASA Ames, Spaceward Bound, and The Mars

Society (TMS). All photos are property of the authors.

References: [1] Chronic, H. Roadside geology of

Utah. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula,

Montana, pp 93-107. 1990. [2] Clarke, J. Regolith ter-

rain mapping for the MDRS field area. Spaceward

Bound. NASA Ames. 2003. [3] Clarke, J. The regolith

geology of the MDRS study area. Spaceward Bound.

NASA Ames. 2003. [4] Stoker, C.R. et al. Drilling on

the Moon and Mars: Developing the scientific ap-

proach for subsurface exploration with human crews,

The Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March

1-7, Houston, TX, 2010. [5] Ehrenfreund, P. et al. Eu-

roGeoMars Field Campaign: Sample Analysis of or-

ganic matter and minerals, The Lunar and Planetary

Science Conference, March 1-7, Houston, TX, 2010.

[6] Monaghan, E. et al. Highlights from Remote Con-

trolled Rover for EuroGeoMars MDRS Campaign, The

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March 1-7,

Houston, TX, 2010. [7] Crowley, D. et al. Mars Desert

Research Station Crew 93 Final Report. The Mars So-

ciety. April 04, 2010. [8] Shiro, B.R. Ferrone, K.L. In

Situ Geophysical Exploration By Humans in Mars

Analog Environments, The Lunar and Planetary Sci-

ence Conference, March 1-7, Houston, TX, 2010.

Image: Three “astronauts” testing the Terra X-Ray

Diffraction Analyzer in full simulation.

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