Iceland review - 2002, Page 74

72 ICELAND REVIEW
MARS IN MÝVATN
- planning a Mars Mission to Iceland
If the plans of the Mars Society go as hoped, photographs from
lake Mývatn (northeast Iceland) will soon picture a ten-metre
tall, tube-shaped spacecraft, researchers wearing silver space-
suits, and friendly robots creeping around the volcanic landscape,
taking samples and investigating the surrounding area for signs
of life.
The Mars Society is a global organisation made up of scientists,
astronauts, engineers, students and other enthusiasts of the
planned exploration of the planet Mars. The Euro-Mars project,
which is planned to be carried out in Iceland, is a step towards
the Society’s main target: “the exploration and settlement of the
Red Planet”. Mars is the closest neighbouring planet to Earth and
has the most Earth-like environment of any planet, making it a
good candidate for future space living. Water deposits have
recently been found on the planet, meaning that humans could
perhaps live in relative comfort there.
The Euro-Mars project will simulate the first human landing on
Mars by mimicking the actual conditions that astronauts will be
expected to face. A simulation spacecraft will be erected and
researchers wearing spacesuits will collect information and carry
out experiments and tests to prepare for the first space mission
to this red planet. The researchers will be testing equipment and
robotics, and investigating how humans cope with the pressures
of space travel, isolation from family members, co-operation with
co-workers and other factors. The Mars Society also aims to intro-
duce the work of the society to the general public and the press
through the Euro-Mars project.
The research unit in Iceland will be the third of its kind, the
other two being situated in Antarctica and the deserts of Utah.
The Mars Society hopes that the unit will be up and running by
the middle of July 2003, at the latest. The spaceship has already
been built and is on display in Chicago until the end of
September, awaiting to be shipped to its new home in the north
of Iceland. Mars Society Chapters from across Europe will be
managing and operating the project, which will be funded by
donations. Icelandic researchers and students will also be given
the chance to take part in the project, and visitors are welcome
during crew rotation if they call ahead to give notice.
Scouting the Volcanic Valleys
Three scouts from the Mars Society, Bo Maxwell, Artemis
Westenberg and Charles Frankel, arrived in Iceland last 24 June
to investigate the area of Mývatn / Krafla, which is the primary
potential site for the new research unit. The area is recognised
By ANDREA ÓSK JÓNSDÓTTIR
x72 IR302 - Mars bs -km 2.9.2002 17:04 Page 72