July 20, 1969. The astronaut Neil Armstrong He got off Apollo 11 ready to become the first human being on the Moon. He set foot on Lunar territory warily, not knowing what he would find. Now, if we went back, we would know very well what is there. Even the first humans on Mars will have a pretty good idea, thanks to all the robots that have been sent down to its surface. We know what’s up, but we are not sure what it will be like to live there. That is why the work being done in places like astroland, a cantabrian cave in which future astronauts can get very close to the experience of living on the red planet.
It is what is known as a analog experience, since it is located in a terrestrial place with characteristics similar to those of Mars. This is usually done in desert areas or areas that are very rich in minerals typical of the red planet, such as basalt or jarosite. In this case, more than the place itself, what was consciously chosen was the cave in question. And it is that the latest research indicates that if humans want to colonize Mars they will have to do it on their part underground, sheltered from dangerous cosmic radiation. To do this, they will take advantage of the lava tubeswhich would allow them to access places like the cave in which Astroland has been installed.
The company opened its facilities in 2019. hypertextual was able to visit them and find out what would be done in them in 2020. But two years have passed since then, his first studies are about to be presented and the expectations of then are being met perfectly.
five different spaces
Astroland consists of five parts. First of all, it has the Command and Control Center, where all the activities carried out by the crew are monitored. To make the experience even more similar to reality, the transmissions have a delay of 8 minutes, exactly the same as if the messages were from Mars to Earth. So it would be like control center of NASA, ESA or any other space agency or company.
Second, there is the “Origin and destination” pavilion, where an informative work of what is done in Astroland is carried out. This is a very important facet for the company, because they want what they do in this Cantabrian cave it can be known by anyone, but especially by the little ones.
Next, there is a scientific and coworking laboratory. There, various scientific studies are carried out, both with terrestrial applications and with a view to the future colonization of Mars.
In fourth place is the “Augmented Humanity” pavilionan area of thought and sociological study about what that future humanity will be like that will be able to dream of colonizing other planets.
And last but not least, there is the Arredondo’s cave, where it is simulated what the settlements on Mars will be like. Here the crew members live the full astronaut experience: freeze-dried food, pressurized suits, explorations abroad… Not a single detail is missing so that, in the future, future travelers bound for Mars are confident and prepared.
Psychology is essential to travel to Mars
Mars is not as close as the Moon. Both the outward and return trips would take about six months. In addition, once there, it would be necessary to wait for the red planet and the Earth, in their respective trips around the Sun, to be placed in the ideal way to be able to send ships from one to the other. This window period would be achieved in one year, so in total, from when the astronauts leave home until they return, two years would pass. At that time, the astronauts would have to live together in a very small place, surrounded by great uncertainty. For this reason, one of the scientific missions of Astroland is aimed at studying the implications of the trip on a psychological level.
“The technical solution of going to Mars is ambitious, but achievablebecause we know what we have to do”, he reminds hypertextual David Ceballos, CEO of Astroland. “Mars is the only planet that we know of that is entirely inhabited by robots, we have many probes that send us information in real time that allow us to have a clear environment, but the psychological issue is more complicated”. No one has lived there before and so we don’t know what the experience might be like.
For this reason, in all this time an exhaustive work on psychology has been carried out that will be presented soon. It is intended to train astronauts to deal with this high stress situation. “We are talking about two years, with no possibility of return, you are not usually aware, but for your subconscious it is a sword of Damocles that conditions you in everything you do,” says Ceballos. “With our investigation we have learned from the situations of the crew, their reaction, etc.”
Also useful on Earth
This will be useful for future trips to Mars, as it will be possible to improve training strategies, but it also has utility on Earth. And that is another of Astroland’s objectives: that the results of its research can be used to improve the lives of those who live here. After all, throughout our lives we go through many situations of intense and continuous stress, without having to leave the planet.
What microorganisms tell us
Another of Astroland’s strengths are the studies on microbiology and biotechnology that have been held there at this time. The microbes that live underground, in places like the Arredondo cave, are generally extremophiles. This means that they are adapted to living in much more inhospitable conditions than normal. If life were ever found on Mars, it would possibly be this kind of life as well.
For this reason, those who have lived the experience of this Cantabrian Martian analog have carried out missions to go abroad looking for samples. Some samples that have allowed them to find microorganisms with very interesting applications.
Possible antibiotics in the cave
On the one hand, they have found cyanobacteria in the cave with a antimicrobial paper very interesting. They are still under study, but are being analyzed for possible pharmacological potential.
The ideal CO2 dump for Mars
On the other hand, the discovery of other cyanobacteria that are capable of carrying out photosynthesis in almost complete darkness has been very interesting. This is really interesting; because, in the words of Ceballos, “it is a ideal CO2 dump”. These microorganisms take CO2 from the medium and release oxygen. Plants do the same when carrying out photosynthesis. For this reason, the Amazon is known as the lung of the planet. The problem is that for this they need a lot of sunlight. These microorganisms can do it in the dark, as it could not be otherwise, given the place where they have been found. In addition, large quantities can be grown in a very small space.
Therefore, it would have interesting utilities, both on Earth and on Mars. In the latter, the creation of a oxygen generating machine. But it would be much easier to resort to these cyanobacteria, which is why the genes responsible for this convenient quality are being studied in depth.
Disclosure is essential
In Astroland a lot of importance is given to scientific popularization. That is why it has pavilions such as “Origin and destiny” or “Augmented humanity”. You can even visit the Command and Control Center.
They especially receive visits from schools. They stopped doing it during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are going to resume it next September; since, for them, it is a very interesting part of their work. “Children are the true generators of change”, recalls the CEO of the company. “They can already really dream of Mars, because they are going to live that time of traveling beyond the Earth in the first person.”
That is why it is important to show them what that future will be like. “Many children used to want to be soccer players and now dream of being astronauts”. That is one of the consequences of showing them what is done in the Cantabrian cave. But, in addition, the other great objective of Astroland is to propose what that eventual Martian society would be like. “They are taught what should not be done so that we do not make the mistakes we have made here on Earth, such as wars and pollution,” says Ceballos. “We have an opportunity to get it right and come together to have an improved humanity.”
Training the next Mars astronauts
When searching for people to travel to Mars, the analog astronaut lists. These are those who have received training in one of the terrestrial analogs that are distributed throughout the planet. Many of those who have passed through Astroland have already signed up for this list, hoping to travel to the red planet at some point.
In fact, as David Ceballos has narrated to hypertexthim in the company they have their sights set on 2035 and they are already beginning to strengthen ties with agencies and companies around the world. Thus, joining forces, it will be possible to train the astronauts of the future, so that, when the day comes, the first human to set foot on Martian territory can step with more force than Armstrong did.