Terrestrial analogue site

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Terrestrial analogue sites (also called "space analogues") are places on Earth with assumed past or present geological, environmental or biological conditions of a celestial body such as the Moon or Mars. Analogue sites are used in the frame of space exploration to either study geological or biological processes observed on other planets, or to prepare astronauts for surface extra-vehicular activity.

Contents

Definition

Rio Tinto analogue site that gained recent scientific interest due to the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water Rio tinto river CarolStoker NASA Ames Research Center.jpg
Rio Tinto analogue site that gained recent scientific interest due to the presence of extremophile aerobic bacteria that dwell in the water
Antarctic analogue Concordia Station, where temperatures can drop down to -80 degC Convois terrestre vers dome c au matin.jpg
Antarctic analogue Concordia Station, where temperatures can drop down to -80 °C
Underwater lunar surface EVA training by COMEX in Marseilles Small CX GANDOLFE 09 01 12--51.jpg
Underwater lunar surface EVA training by COMEX in Marseilles

Analogue sites are places on Earth with assumed, past or present, geological, environmental or biological conditions of a celestial body. Analogue site studies are necessary because they help to understand geological processes (on Earth) which can be extrapolated to other Solar System bodies in order to interpret and validate the data received from orbiters or planetary rovers. Analogue sites are also important for optimizing scientific and technological needs and exploration strategies in robotic or crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. [2] The definition of space analogues is therefore rather vast, reaching from places on Earth that exhibit geologic or atmospheric characteristics which are close to those observed on other celestial bodies, to sites that are used for space mission simulations to test sampling or drilling equipment, space suits, or the performance of astronauts in reduced gravity.

Some sites are therefore suited to test instruments for exobiological research or to train sampling procedures for field explorations. Other sites offer an extreme environment that can be used by astronauts to prepare for the difficulties in future space missions.

Fidelity

An important notion in the evaluation of analogue sites is that of "fidelity", which describes the resemblance of the analogue to its extraterrestrial correspondent. Fidelity is used in comparative planetary science to express the analogy of a terrestrial site to a target extraterrestrial surface. This classification is possible based on various criteria such as geomorphology, geochemistry, exobiology or exploration conditions.

Geomorphology

Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them. In terms of analogue sites, scientists search for locations on Earth that exhibit similar landforms such as can be found on exploration targets like the Moon, Mars or even asteroids and comets. The idea is to confront astronauts, robots or scientific equipment with sites that resemble in their geologic appearance those extraterrestrial surfaces. Examples are volcanic sites which resemble lunar terrain (regolith), polar locations and glaciers that can be compared to the poles of Mars or of Jupiter moon Europa, or terrestrial lava tubes which can also be found on the Moon or Mars.

Geochemistry

Geochemistry is the science that uses the principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems. The aspect of geochemistry is of importance for analogue sites when locations offer the possibility to test analysis instruments for future space missions (crewed or robotic). Geochemical fidelity is also of importance for the development and test of equipment used for in-situ resource utilization. Examples for such analogue sites are terrestrial volcanoes that offer rocks similar to those found on the Moon or hematite concretions which can be found in Earth deserts and also on Mars (so-called "Blueberries").

Exobiology

Exobiology or astrobiology is the study of the origin and evolution of extraterrestrial life. In terrestrial analogues efforts are put on the identification of so-called extremophile organisms, which are life forms that live and survive in extreme conditions such as can be found on other planets or moons. The objective of this research is to understand how such organisms survive and how they can be identified (or their remnants).

Examples of exobiology analogue sites are the Rio Tinto in Spain, which hosts bacteria that can survive high temperatures and harsh chemical conditions, or black smokers in the deep sea that host colonies of life forms in high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. The cold dry hyperarid core of the Atacama desert is one of the closest analogues for Martian surface conditions and is often used for testing rovers and life detection equipment that one day may be sent to Mars. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Other extreme environments, such as the polar regions, high-altitude mountainous areas, or remote islands are also used in studies to better understanding of life under such conditions. Scientists can test at such analogue sites sampling equipment designed to search and identify lifeforms.

Exploration conditions

Another criterion to search for analogue sites are locations where the exploration conditions of future astronauts can be simulated. Future explorers of the Moon or Mars will have to handle various conditions, such as reduced gravity, radiation, work in pressurized space suits and extreme temperatures. Preparing astronauts for these conditions calls for training on sites that exhibit some of those conditions. The operations that can be simulated reach from living in isolation, to extra-vehicular activity (EVA) in reduced gravity to the construction of habitats. Examples for analogue sites that offer such exploration conditions are research stations at the poles or underwater EVA training as it is done at NEEMO by NASA, at the Marseilles subsea analogue by COMEX, or by using parabolic flights to simulate lower gravity for shorter durations. [8] Underwater analogue sites allow for the training of astronauts in neutral buoyancy conditions (such as is done in test pools at NASA, ESA or Star City in Russia) while operating on a natural terrain. Potential targets for such training are missions to the Moon and Mars, to test sampling, drilling and field explorations in 1/6th or 1/3rd of Earth's gravity, or asteroids, and to test anchoring systems in microgravity.

History of the space analogues

The notion of space analogues is not new. NASA has used such sites for a long time to train its astronauts for space missions. The following data are taken from the official website of NASA. [9]

The first analog mission was undertaken in 1997 in Arizona. Since then, NASA leads annual missions there to evaluate and test EVAs and outpost systems and operations. This site was chosen to test the materials in a desolate environment with rugged terrain, dust storms, extreme temperatures...

In the same year, the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) was started on Devon Island in the Arctic. Since then, 14 missions have been conducted there to test technology and operations in a remote, extreme environment and conduct science research on the Mars-like terrain.

In 2001, NASA conducted the mission named NEEMO near Florida, 62 feet (19 m) underwater, that was supposed to be a simulation for six aquanauts living in a confined space. It was also the way to test the exploration equipment in an extreme and isolated environment. Since 2001, 14 missions have been undertaken there in a multi-organizational environment.

Since 2004, two-week missions are conducted every summer in Pavilion Lake in Canada. This analogue site allows astronauts to train in searching for evidence of life in an extreme environment with reduced-gravity conditions. This is an international and multi-organizational project conducted underwater.

The last analogue site used by NASA is at Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, after which an analogue base under the name of HI-SEAS was founded on Mauna Loa. In total, six NASA missions have started in this base between 2013 and 2018, until the sixth HI-SEAS mission was halted due to a medical emergency. This project was led to test technologies for sustaining human exploration on desolate planetary surfaces like the Moon or Mars and explore social wellbeing and crew dynamics on long-duration missions. HI-SEAS is currently under management of the International Moonbase Alliance, founded by Henk Rogers.

Keen interest for space analogues has emerged through the student community, the 2017 NASA Ames Grand Prize Winning entry Anastasi [ dead link ], explores the possibility of an underwater settlement as a preliminary to space settlement infrastructure.

Objectives

The history of the use of terrestrial analogues shows the importance attached to using analogue sites in validating spatial technologies and scientific instruments. But analogue sites also have other uses:

Training

Space analogues can help to train personnel in using technologies and instruments, and in knowing how to behave with a spacesuit. Thus two types of analogue sites exist: underwater sites and surface sites.

Exobiology

Space analogues may have potential similarities to environments for exobiology. In some places on Earth the conditions allow only certain types of organisms - extremophile organisms - to live.

Currently used space analogues

Following table lists currently used space analogues on Earth.

List of currently used analogue sites
Location nameCoordinates (decimal)DescriptionGeomorphological FidelityGeochemistry FidelityExobiological FidelityExploration Conditions Fidelity
Space Analog for the Moon and Mars (SAM), Oracle, Arizona, USA




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SAM at Biosphere 2
SAM at Biosphere 2 (the United States)
32.579490,
-110.848042
Located at the base of Santa Catalina Mountains, on the campus of the University of Arizona Biosphere 2 at 3800 feet elevation. A hi-fidelty, hermetically sealed and pressurized research vessel consisting of airlock, engineering bay, crew quarters, greenhouse, and system for pressure regulation. Indoor and outdoor Mars yard are in development.

Mars icon.jpg Mars
12,000 sq-ft (1115 sq-m) outdoor Mars yard sculpted per mission; 3200 sq-ft (300 sq-m) indoor Mars yard and terrain park with fine-grained basalt and varied terrain beds and features for pressure suit, rover, and drone tests and exploration; synthetic lava tube being constructed fall of 2023.

Basalt bed is geologically accurate.

Additional sedimentary and metamorphic terrain provide varied topology and navigation challenges.

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Basalt dust was built from crushed volcanic rock (northern Arizona) with minimal original organic material for the Biosphere 2 Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) experiment.

n/aSurface EVA. Pressurized space suits engaged for all EVAs. Indoor Mars yard offers "reduced gravity" via gravity off-set rig.

Confinement. Confinement in isolated space habitat. Programmed, delayed communication.

Habitat and LSS.  Installed space habitat simulation for days to months. Hermetically sealed, pressurized. On-site Mission Control Center will include (early '24) officer desks, data and communications monitoring.

Mars Desert Research Station, US




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Mars Desert Research Station
Mars Desert Research Station (the United States)
38.406458,
-110.791903
Located in the Utah desert, close to the road 24 at 11.6 km from Hanksville. Disposes of a space habitat simulator. The research station, a Mars Society's station, consists of three buildings, the Habitat, the Greenhab, the Musk Mars Desert Observatory and a remotely located Engineering Support Equipment Area. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Sand

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground with dust devils

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Marine shales,coals, sulfates, carbonates and quartz rocks
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Extremophile organisms (drought and high temperatures)

Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement in isolated space habitat.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Installed space habitat simulation.
Devon Island, Canada


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Haughton impact Crater
Haughton impact Crater (Canada)
75.383333,
-89.666667
Crater located on the Devon island, the Haughton Crater resembles the Mars surface in more ways than any other place on Earth. It is an international and multidisciplinary site where temperatures are cold. Need of a boat to reach the island and the crater. Mars-like landscape of dry, unvegetated, rocky terrain and extreme for testing planetary exploration strategies, such as safety environmental conditions. HMP (Haughton Mars Project) undertaken by NASA since 1997. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Analogy with Shackleton Crater, a 19-km-wide impact crater at the Moon's South Pole

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Loose rock, craters, ground ice, rock glaciers, ancient hot springs and lakes, gullies, sapping valleys, valley networks, and canyons.
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Quartz rocks, shales and allochthonous breccia
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Permafrost (evidence of water in the past)

Jupiter family.jpg Outer Moons
Permafrost
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions, lack of installations and isolation.
Svalbard, Norway




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Svalbard
Svalbard (Arctic)
78.00,
16.00
Located in Arctic, the environmental and topological geography are very close to Mars. This site is located in a volcanic region with very low temperatures. The Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) was untertaken by NASA since 2003. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Red sandstone

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground, rough field, rock glaciers, volcanic center, hot springs,perennial rivers, gaps and folds
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Volcanic rocks (basalt)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Shale
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Extremophile organisms (extreme temperatures)
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement during an exercise, no communication between the two teams.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions, lack of installations and isolation.
Rio Tinto, Spain

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Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto (Spain)
37.40396,
-6.33576
Located in Spain, this desert crossed by the river Rio Tinto has an environmental and topographical geography close to that of Mars. There is no vegetation, and temperatures are between 10 °C and 20 °C, which allows a certain stability in temperature. This site is very easy to reach, thanks to its proximity with a big road and a town. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Red sandstone

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Meridiani Planum and rocky ground
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Iron (pyrite) and sulfide minerals
Mars icon.jpg Mars
extremophile aerobic bacteria (extreme environment), chemolithotrophic microorganisms
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.
McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica




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McMurdo Dry Valleys
McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica)
-77.466667,
162.516667
Located in Antarctica, those valleys are snow-free valleys. They are located close to the McMurdo base, which is an advantage for the facilities. The environment is extreme because of the very low temperatures (from -50 to 8 °C). This site has been used by the NASA from January 2008 to February 2009 to test an inflatable habitat in an extreme environment. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Dry and cold

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Dry, cold, rocky ground and valleys
Moon icon.jpg Moon
granite

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Iron
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Endolithic photosynthetic bacteria (extreme temperatures)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Anaerobic organism (metabolism based on iron and sulfur)
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement for the team (no communication, isolation).

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions.
Atacama desert, Chile

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Atacama Desert
Atacama Desert (South America)
-24.5,
-69.25
Located in Chile, this desert is the Driest and oldest Desert on Earth. Characterized by different environments that differ in the amount of water available for life (Atacama Coastal Range, the hyperarid core of the Atacama and the Andes Mountains) the hyperarid core contains some of the driest sites on Earth, with some, like María Elena South, been as dry as Mars. The Atacama Desert is also characterized by its highly saline soils, rich in highly oxidizing species such as perchlorates, as well as by being the most UV irradiated region on Earth. Moon icon.jpg Moon
sand

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Otherworldly appearance of the soil
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Perchlorates
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Extremophile organisms (extreme temperatures)
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement during the mission (far from the civilisation)

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions.
Meteor Crater, US

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Meteor Crater
Meteor Crater (the United States)
35.027222,
-111.0225
This crater is a private site that belongs to the Barringer's Family. It is a well-known crater but it access to the site requires to pay a tax to the family. Its location in Arizona near the Highway 40 implies that it is very easy to reach with a truck. It is located at 69 km from Flagstaff. During the 1960s, NASA astronauts trained in the crater to prepare for the Apollo missions to the Moon. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Sandstone

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Dolomite, coesite and stishovite
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Extremophile organisms (extreme temperatures)
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions.
Kīlauea Volcano, US

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Kilauea Volcano
Kilauea Volcano (America)
19.425,
-155.291944
The Kilauea Volcano is located on the Big island of Hawaii. This island is composed of different mountains due to the volcanic activity in this region. The climate is tropical and temperatures are cool and stable (from 10 to 20 °C). Because of the tropical climate, it rains between November and April. The NASA has already tested some technologies on the neighbouring site of Mauna Kea. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Volcanic dust

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Volcanic center and folds
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Volcanic rocks (basalt)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Silica
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Extremophile organisms (extreme environment)
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions, production of oxygen from the soil.
Sudbury Crater, Canada

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Sudbury Crater
Sudbury Crater (Canada)
46.6,
-81.183333
Located in Ontarion (Canada), this crater has a particularity: in its center there is a town called Greater Sudbury. Temperatures in this region are between -5 and 15 °C. This site is very easy to reach and the proximity with the town implies that it is easy to deploy teams there. Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Pseudotachylite

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Nickel and metals
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in cold conditions.
Teide National Park, Spain

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Teide Volcanic Park
Teide Volcanic Park (Africa)
28.263,
-16.616
Located on the island called Tenerife that belongs to Spain. The site itself belongs to the national park which is composed of two volcanoes. The Teide National Park is a well-known park and well-preserved and the temperatures are cool (between 10 and 30 °C). Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground, gaps and folds
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Volcanic rocks (basalt and phonolite)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Same rocks on Mars and on the site
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Test of ultraviolet light to detect life on Mars
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.
LMAS (Lunar Mars Analogue Site) Sainte-Rose, Réunion, France

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Sainte-Rose
Sainte-Rose (Africa)
-21.243622,
55.713751
Located in the Reunion (French island close to Madagascar), the site of Sainte-Rose includes the volcano "Piton de la Fournaise". It is close to the town, east of the island. The volcano is still active. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Plain of sands (Moon-like hills)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Volcanic center, gaps and folds
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Volcanic rocks (basalt)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Iridium
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in volcanic conditions.
Concordia Station, Antarctica




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Concordia station
Concordia station (Antarctica)
-75.1,
123.558
Located in Antarctica, the Concordia Station is a Franco-Italian research center. Its location is very far from any other station (the closest station is about 550 km—Russia's Vostok Station). On the site, temperatures are freezing cold (from −82 °C to −48 °C). This station is operational since 2005 and is used to study medicine, glacology and astronomy. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Ice, meteorite dust
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Extremophile organisms (extreme temperatures)
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity and extreme environment.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Concordia station is particularly useful for the study of chronic hypobaric hypoxia, stress secondary to confinement and isolation.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in extreme conditions and analogue used to train for long duration deep space missions.
Pavilion Lake, Canada

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Pavilion Lake
Pavilion Lake (Canada)
50.86502,
-121.737442
Located in Canada, this site is an underwater space analogue used by different nations (Canada and USA). The project undertaken there is entitled the Pavilion Lake Research Project. This is an international and multidisciplinary project that exists since 2004 every summer. The main mission of this project is to learn from and practice doing science field activities, including searching for evidence of life, in an extreme environment with reduced gravity conditions. [9] The advantage of the lake is that there is no swell and a calm water what makes simulation safer and can be used util 65 meters deep. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Sand

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Carbonate
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Microbialities
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in reduced, zero or negative gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in underwater conditions and stress (problem of oxygen).
Gros Morne National Park, Canada

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Gros Morne National Park
Gros Morne National Park (Canada)
49.621667,
-57.752778
Located on an island in Canada, this site belongs to the Gros Morne National Park, which is a well-known park. The park is quite isolated and far from any town. Temperatures are between -13.3 and 19.6 °C. Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground, rough field and glacial valleys
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Oceanic crust (basalt and gabbro)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Quartzite
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity.
Laguna des Tirez, Spain




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Laguna des Tirez
Laguna des Tirez (Spain)
39.538238,
-3.357825
Located in Spain, this site is a lagoon with a depth of 20 meters and is at a distance of 110 km from Madrid. Temperatures there are cool (-0,4 to 25,8 °C) and the site is near the town of Villacañas and is easy to reach thanks to the roads around. Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground and hot springs
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Iron, sulfates and magnesium
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Acetoclastic Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria and Hydrogenotrophic Methanogenic Archaea
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in reduced, zero or negative gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in underwater conditions.
NEEMO, US



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NEEMO
NEEMO (the United States)
24.95,
-80.453611
Located in the US, at 5,6 km off Key Largo in Florida, this site is an underwater space analogue and is 19 meters deep. NEEMO, which means NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a project undertaken by the NASA to allow six aquanauts to live and worke in a cramped, submerged laboratory to simulate crewed exploration in a hostile environment, with support from surface infrastructure. This mission exists since 2001. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Sand
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in reduced, zero or negative gravity.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement up to three weeks in the laboratory.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in underwater conditions and isolation.
Marseille Bay, France

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Terrestrial analogue site (France)
43.263956,
5.330772
Underwater analogue sites for the simulation of surface EVA in reduced gravity. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Sand

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground, vertical cliffs and caves
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in reduced, zero or negative gravity.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in underwater conditions.
HI-SEAS, US19.602091, -155.487224Volcanic analogue site for human and robotic EVA. HI-SEAS was designed to house a crew of up to six people for long duration missions (1 year+), although is currently mainly used for short to mid-duration human missions (2 weeks to 1–2 months). This base is run by the International Moonbase Alliance since early 2019. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Sand, lava flows, lava tubes.

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground, lava flows, lava tubes,
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Basalts, extrusive flows

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Basalts, extrusive flows, (inside lava tubes; carbonates and gypsum)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Fresh volcanic soils, tholeiitic basalts, lava tubes, high-radiation.
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in terrestrial gravity, but 'extraterrestrial' surface.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement up to a year (366 days) in the habitat.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS Simulation in remote location and stress and environmental monitoring.
CHILL-ICE, Iceland 64.7869, -20.7144Volcanic analogue site to test human robotic (co)operation inside a lava tube. Set as a research-based mission, two missions have been held thus far, of several days each. Its main purpose is to define the feasibility of portable systems and their deployment inside lava tubes. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Rocky ground, lava flows, lava tubes.

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Rocky ground, lava flows, lava tubes,
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Basalts, extrusive flows

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Basalts, extrusive flows, (inside lava tubes; carbonates and gypsum)

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Fresh volcanic soils, tholeiitic basalts, lava tubes.
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
EVA in extreme environments, subsurface, and in complete dark.

Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement in a cave system, without access to sunlight.
Asclepios, Switzerland -

(several locations)

Student-led project from the EPFL to study human survival and demonstrate the different roles and tasks concerned with an (analogue) space mission. The first mission was held underground in 2021 in the Swiss Alps. Moon icon.jpg Moon
Mars icon.jpg Mars
(Depends on the location)
Moon icon.jpg Moon
Mars icon.jpg Mars
(Depends on the location)
Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg Confinement Confinement for short duration missions.

Mars Desert Research Station.jpg Habitat and LSS

Underground facility.

LunAres, Poland 53.1745, 16.7261A privately owned research facility close to Pila, Poland. Hosting researchers for mid-duration missions (typically 2 weeks) inside their simulation habitat, with an indoor EVA area. Moon icon.jpg Moon

Soils, rocks.
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Soils, sand, rocks.

Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
Indoor EVA capabilities to support crew dynamics.
Analog Astronaut Training Center, Poland, www.astronaut.center(several locations)Educational and scientific internships related with development and testing of new technologies for human spaceflight and commercial space tourism. FullMoon2010.jpg

Deep space analog research in isolation (regolith simulant)

Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy
Location of Mt. Etna, Italy. Etna-map-bjs.jpg
Location of Mt. Etna, Italy.
37.73,15.01 - 37.76, 14.99 (larger area)Volcanic analogue site with fresh volcanic soils, lava flows, and pristine environments. ESA and DLR have tested several rovers and robotic operations here. Moon icon.jpg Moon

Soils, rocks, volcanoclastics.
Mars icon.jpg Mars
Sand, soils, fresh volcanic rocks.

Mars icon.jpg Mars
Microbialities, extremophilic life forms
Aldrin Apollo 11 original.jpg Surface EVA
Volcanic systems, lava tubes, fresh volcanic soils

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonization of Mars</span> Proposed concepts for human settlements on Mars

Colonization or settlement of Mars is the theoretical human migration and long-term human establishment of Mars. The prospect has garnered interest from public space agencies and private corporations and has been extensively explored in science fiction writing, film, and art. Organizations have proposed plans for a human mission to Mars, the first step towards any colonization effort, but thus far no person has set foot on the planet, and there have been no return missions. However, landers and rovers have successfully explored the planetary surface and delivered information about conditions on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pascal Lee</span> American planetary scientist

Pascal Lee is co-founder and chairman of the Mars Institute, a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, and the Principal Investigator of the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. He holds an ME in geology and geophysics from the University of Paris, and a PhD in astronomy and space sciences from Cornell University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Research and Technology Studies</span> Field trials of technologies for manned planetary exploration

NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies is a group of teams which perform an annual series of field trials seeking to demonstrate and test candidate technologies and systems for human exploration of the surface of the Moon, Mars, or other rocky bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LOCAD</span>

The Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development (LOCAD) element is a set of related lab-on-a-chip projects at NASA. The projects develop integrated lab-on-a-chip products in three areas related to space exploration: Environmental Control and Life Systems Support (ECLSS), Medical Systems, and Remote Exploration. NASA conducts activities related to these projects both at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human mission to Mars</span> Proposed concepts

The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the planet. Proposals for human missions to Mars have come from agencies such as NASA, CNSA, the European Space Agency, Boeing, and SpaceX. Currently, only robotic landers and rovers have been on Mars. The farthest humans have been beyond Earth is the Moon, under the Apollo program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space architecture</span> Architecture of off-planet habitable structures

Space architecture is the theory and practice of designing and building inhabited environments in outer space. This mission statement for space architecture was developed at the World Space Congress in Houston in 2002 by members of the Technical Aerospace Architecture Subcommittee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The architectural approach to spacecraft design addresses the total built environment. It is mainly based on the field of engineering, but also involves diverse disciplines such as physiology, psychology, and sociology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets</span> Former NASA program

Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) was a program established by NASA to sponsor research projects that advance the technology and techniques used in planetary exploration. The objective was to enable the study of astrobiology and to aid the planning of extraterrestrial exploration missions while prioritizing science, technology, and field campaigns.

Interplanetary contamination refers to biological contamination of a planetary body by a space probe or spacecraft, either deliberate or unintentional.

Human analog missions are activities undertaken on Earth in various environments to simulate aspects of human missions to other worlds, including the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. These remote field tests are performed in locations that are identified based on their physical similarities to the extreme space environments of a target mission. Such activities are undertaken to test hardware and operational concepts in relevant environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary science</span> Science of planets and planetary systems

Planetary science is the scientific study of planets, celestial bodies and planetary systems and the processes of their formation. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation, interrelations and history. It is a strongly interdisciplinary field, which originally grew from astronomy and Earth science, and now incorporates many disciplines, including planetary geology, cosmochemistry, atmospheric science, physics, oceanography, hydrology, theoretical planetary science, glaciology, and exoplanetology. Allied disciplines include space physics, when concerned with the effects of the Sun on the bodies of the Solar System, and astrobiology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martian lava tube</span> Volcanic caverns on Mars, believed to form as a result of fast-moving basaltic lava flows

Martian lava tubes are volcanic caverns on Mars that are believed to form as a result of fast-moving, basaltic lava flows associated with shield volcanism. Lava tubes usually form when the external surface of the lava channels cools more quickly and forms a hardened crust over subsurface lava flows. The flow eventually ceases and drains out of the tube, leaving a conduit-shaped void space which is usually several meters below the surface. Lava tubes are typically associated with extremely fluid pahoehoe lava. Gravity on mars is about 38% that of Earth's, allowing Martian lava tubes to be much larger in comparison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlene Lim</span> NASA geobiologist and exobiologist

Darlene Sze Shien Lim is a NASA geobiologist and exobiologist who prepares astronauts for scientific exploration of the Moon, Deep Space and Mars. Her expertise involves Mars human analog missions, in which extreme landscapes like volcanoes and Arctic deserts serve as physical or operational substitutes for various planetary bodies. She has become a leading public figure for Mars exploration, having presented her missions publicly at academic institutions and public events around the world. She has also discussed her work for various media groups such as NPR, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

The World Is Not Enough (WINE) is a US project developing a refuelable steam engine system for spacecraft propulsion. WINE developed a method of extracting volatiles from ice, ice-rich regolith, and hydrated soils and uses it as steam propulsion which allows the spacecraft to refuel multiple times and have an extraordinary long service lifetime. This would allow a single spacecraft to visit multiple asteroids, comets or several landing locations at an icy world such as the Moon, Mars, Pluto, Enceladus, Ganymede, Europa, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space habitat (facility)</span> Facility fulfilling habitational purposes

A space habitat in a basic sense is any facility fulfilling habitational purposes in outer space. It is not to be confused with an extended space habitat, an arrangement of or infrastructure for multiple habitation facilities, in the sense of a space settlement. Space stations or theoretical extraterrestrial stations, such as a Moonbase or Mars habitat, include or are basic space habitats.

The UK Centre for Astrobiology was set up at the University of Edinburgh in 2011 by Charles Cockell. It was set up as a UK node, formally affiliated as an international partner with the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) alongside other national nodes until the NAI's dissolution in 2019. It was established as a virtual centre to sit at the interdisciplinary boundary of planetary sciences/astronomy and biological/earth sciences investigating numerous aspects of life in the universe, specifically 'how habitable worlds form in the Universe and how life emerges, proliferates and leaves traces on these worlds' as well as engaging in work on the robotic and human exploration of space and in space ethics, philosophy and governance.

References

  1. Similar extremophile archaea are Archaeal Richmond Mine Acidophilic Nanoorganisms.
  2. Léveillé Richard, Validation d'instrumentation spatiale dans les sites analogues, Canadian Space Agency
  3. Parro, Victor; de Diego-Castilla, Graciela; Moreno-Paz, Mercedes; Blanco, Yolanda; Cruz-Gil, Patricia; Rodríguez-Manfredi, José A.; Fernández-Remolar, David; Gómez, Felipe; Gómez, Manuel J.; Rivas, Luis A.; Demergasso, Cecilia; Echeverría, Alex; Urtuvia, Viviana N.; Ruiz-Bermejo, Marta; García-Villadangos, Miriam; Postigo, Marina; Sánchez-Román, Mónica; Chong-Díaz, Guillermo; Gómez-Elvira, Javier (2011). "A Microbial Oasis in the Hypersaline Atacama Subsurface Discovered by a Life Detector Chip: Implications for the Search for Life on Mars". Astrobiology. 11 (10): 969–996. Bibcode:2011AsBio..11..969P. doi:10.1089/ast.2011.0654. ISSN   1531-1074. PMC   3242637 . PMID   22149750.
  4. The Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute, The Open University (5 December 2012). "TN2: The Catalogue of Planetary Analogues, section 2.6.1" (PDF). Under ESA contract: 4000104716/11/NL/AF.
  5. Microbial oasis discovered beneath the Atacama Desert, PUBLIC RELEASE: 16 FEB 2012, FECYT - SPANISH FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
  6. "Mars rover tests driving, drilling and detecting life in Chile's high desert". Nasa Astrobiology Magazine. Mar 17, 2017.
  7. "NASA Tests Life-Detection Drill in Earth's Driest Place". NASA Press Release. February 26, 2016.
  8. Weiss; et al. (2012). "Simulation and preparation of surface EVA in reduced gravity at the Marseilles Bay subsea analogue sites". Planetary and Space Science. 74 (1): 121–134. Bibcode:2012P&SS...74..121W. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.06.022.
  9. 1 2 NASA's analog missions, http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/563511main_NASA-Analog-Missions-06-2011_508.pdf