Mars Society Desert Research Station

Mars Society Desert Research Station is the second of four planned simulated Mars surface exploration habitats built in the on the north west of Hanksville, Utah, Western United States owned and operated by the Mars Society. The Mars Society, an international non-profit organization dedicated to furthering Mars exploration, selects crew and manages the research station.

At Mars Desert Research Station, small crews of people live in a confined spacecraft-like environment, conduct scientific research, use robots, perform extra-vehicular (space walk) activities in mock spacesuits, plan and schedule their work with support from scientists and engineers on Earth, analyse their data and write daily reports to inform Earth support teams of their progress. As their work is conducted, their actions are recorded and their experience is analysed, providing useful information to refine crew operations and mission designs. The research station consists of three buildings, the Habitat, the Greenhab, the Musk Mars Desert Observatory and a remotely located Engineering Support Equipment Area. As of February 2011, 99 crews have served rotations at MDRS over a period of ten years studying and researching simulated mars environment for future exploration and progress of mankind.