Life on Mars Simulation

January 18 – February 1, 2014
“From January 18 through February 1, 2014, I was given opportunity to join the 134th crew to live and work in the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station. As both a film maker and technician (assisting roboticist Ewan Reid), I joined the crew for this nearly full-immersion, 24/7 simulation of living and working on the planet Mars in the high desert near Hanksville, Utah. During my time in-sim I produced six exclusive interviews, one with each crew member, for Space.com” –kai

MarsCrew134 is simulating the life of engineers and scientists in the harsh conditions of Mars. In the first of seven video interviews, Crew Commander Ashley Dale talks about the mission and introduces his team. Watch the video at Space.com | Vimeo

Crew Scientist Michaela Musilová talks about her work in searching for extreme forms of life in the desert of Utah as a means to understand what might exist on Mars. Watch the video at Space.com | Vimeo

Crew Engineer Ewan Reid is testing a rover carrying a terrain mapping pair of stereo cameras and equipment to test long range robotic control during a two week human Mars mission simulation in high altitude Utah. Watch the video at Space.com | Vimeo

Crew Scientist Vibha Srivastava describes extracting hydrogen fuel from soil sampled outside a simulated Mars habitat in Utah, a process called “in-situ resource utilization.” Watch the video at Space.com | Vimeo

Crew Engineer Sue Ann Seah explains the challenges of interaction with tools and the environment due to the barrier presented by the space suit. Watch the video at Space.com | Vimeo

Crew Executive Officer and Medical Officer Dr. Susan Jewell discusses the new world of tele-anesthesia and tele-surgery as practiced at MDRS. Watch the video at Space.com | Vimeo