Toronto, Ontario, July 1, 2004 – The Canadian Space Agency has awarded a contract valued at $20,000 to contribute its support to the Mars Expedition Analog Program conducted by the Mars Society of Canada. Expedition Two will be launched this August in the red desert of Australia. It is the second of a long term series of expeditions using scientists, engineers, and a wide variety of supporting personnel engaged in interdisciplinary studies in Mars analog environments and situations. This program is managed by the international Mars Expedition Research Council, which has selected Mars Society Canada and Mars Society Australia to host Expedition Two. As a co-host, Mars Society Canada welcomes the Canadian Space Agency’s contribution and thanks the agency for its support. This contribution brings the project funds, including cash grants and in-kind donations, to approximately $50k.
The first expedition in this program, Expedition One, was conducted over 30 days in 2003 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. For four weeks, starting on August 2nd, Expedition Two will be conducted in Australia’s Flinders Ranges near Arkaroola, north of Adelaide. A primary purpose of this expedition is to extend the research conducted on Expedition One to another Mars analog environment, and to assist the Mars Society of Australia in selecting a site for their MARS-Oz research station.
Rocky Persaud, Vice President of Mars Society Canada and Program Manager for the Mars Expedition Research Council, describes the purpose of the program: “To prepare for a Martian expedition led by a human crew and assisted by robots, a substantial amount of mission definition can emerge from Mars analog studies on Earth. A series of human Mars expeditions will rely on exploration strategies, human factors solutions, and technologies developed and tested at Mars analog bases where real field science is practised. An international, interdisciplinary research program into field operations, exploration technology, information management, habitability issues, mission support options, and crew social-psychology is needed to integrate all the components necessary for a successful expedition. We need to do these analog expeditions if the space agencies of the world are going to learn how plan an expedition that achieves its goals as effectively as possible.”
Founded in August 1998, the international Mars Society is a non-profit organization with over 3,000 members representing about 40 countries. Its purpose is to further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet via public outreach, political advocacy, and private research. Mars Society Canada formed in 2000 as an autonomous, non-profit organization, but its members have gathered in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and other cities prior to official incorporation. The Canadian organization is very active in Canada with outreach programs, public events, political activism, and scientific research. Contact information is at the top of this release. For more information on the Mars Society of Canada, visit our website at http://marssociety.ca. For more information on the Mars Expedition Research Council and its current and long term programs, visit http://expedition-mars.org.
The Canadian Space Agency has supported Mars analog studies for the past several years, most notably in the Canadian high arctic on Devon Island, Nunavut. A Mars analog is an environment or situation on Earth with characteristics, in nature or by simulation, for which there are, or could be, analogous characteristics on Mars. This definition covers both the physical setting of Mars, as well as design considerations for technological challenges and scenarios for human activity.
