Mars Society & EU-INTERACT Cooperate on Climate Research at FMARS

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (EU-INTERACT) to use the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island in northern Canada, approximately 900 miles from the North Pole, as one of the network’s field stations. FMARS is a unique Mars analog research station established by the Mars Society in July 2000 to serve as a key element in support of various studies of technologies, strategies, architectural design and human factors involved in proposed human missions to the Red Planet. As part of this, the Mars Society announced on Monday that it is initiating an effort to conduct a one-year simulated human Mars exploration mission at the FMARS facility. (Those wishing to support the new FMARS program can contribute online today.)

To lead this effort with EU-INTERACT, the Mars Society has set up a high-level climate research team consisting of Dr. Ghassem R. Asrar (World Climate Research Program/World Meteorological Organization), Dr. Chris McKay (NASA), Dr. Alexander Kumar (Oxford, UK) and Dr. Bruno D.V. Marino (Planetary Emissions Management, Inc.). The team is currently discussing the feasibility of a climate program at FMARS and potential program design.

FMARS has always been a test bed for Mars analog studies. It makes perfect sense to extend our program to terrestrial climate research, from which we may discover important clues as to the history not only of Earth’s climate, but that of Mars as well,” said Mars Society (Acting) Executive Director Susan Holden Martin.

[Latest News: Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin will speak publicly about the planning for the new FMARS program at the 32nd International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in San Diego, California on Saturday, May 25th at 10:00 a.m.]