To the race to conquer Mars in which companies like SpaceX are immersed, whose main mission is to build ships that are capable of reaching Mars, is added the disadvantage that the people chosen to travel to the neighboring planet for the first time are really prepared to be able to survive and surely never be able to return to Earth. Two factors are involved here: physical and psychological. It is useless to be physically prepared if the extreme conditions of the planet make your mind not capable of assuming them. That is why scientists have been working for years to reproduce the living conditions of Mars on Earth.
NASA 3D space base
The resources available to the first astronauts to be part of the first mission to Mars will be rare. It is not within the plans to waste the slightest amount of food, water or oxygen, and in the event of running out, they will have to manage to cultivate them as the actor Mat Damon does in the science fiction film “The Martian”. To scarce amount of resources it adds that communications with the Earth would be a challenge. Any message the astronauts sent would take about 11 minutes to reach Earth. A lag that does not seem like a long time but if it is a life or death situation it can be crucial.
For all these reasons, NASA technicians have planned three one-year missions each one of them in which the living conditions on Mars will be simulated. All of them will take place at the Johnson Space Center belonging to NASA and located in Houston. The four people selected will have to live in a module manufactured by a printer 3D christened Mars Dune Alpha.
During the missions, in addition to living in their own skin, the scarcity of resources that life imposes on the red planet, they will also carry out scientific experiments, They will use VR devices and simulate spacewalks. One of the great challenges will be to be conditioned by the possible loss of communication with the mission control center.
Mars Dune Alpha
The replica of the space base features 160 square meters with different modules for each astronaut. It has two bathrooms, an infirmary, a gym and several work areas. The space base that is capable of simulating the living conditions on Mars It has been designed by the architects of the firm BIG-Bjarke Ingles Group. The goal is for this habitat to allow astronauts to experience the same conditions and challenges similar to those they might face on Mars. Mars Dune Alpha is capable of adjusting lighting, temperature, and noise levels to the circadian rhythms of its inhabitants.
A city in the middle of the desert
Mars Science City is a project led by the United Arab Emirates that aims to simulate life on Mars. Dubai It has been considered as the first place on the planet where the world’s first alien city where to live like on Mars. In this case, there are countries that are not satisfied with traveling to space or conquering Mars, but their objective is to transfer this experience to Earth. This is the case of Dubai, which is completing the construction of the world’s first Martian city. The country announced their ambitious project in 2017 but it was last year when they have taken it up again with force.
The city Mars Science City It will serve as a training ground for future trips to Mars and has a whopping 176,626 square meters, that is, a space equivalent to 30 football fields. The inhabitants will live the same conditions as on the red planet starting with the isolation in the underground facilities in the form of domes or domes designed with 3D printers. The interconnected biodomes will be prepared to house research laboratories, orchards and advanced mechanisms to generate energy. Unlike NASA, the Government of Dubai does not close the door to give it a tourist purpose, since the sketches have a museum, a theater and an interpretation center.