Project Goals

• To demonstrate the benefits to science of long-term research planning for the international Mars Society’s Mars Analog Research Program.
• To provide training opportunities for Canadian MS members in the Mars-analog program in order to better plan future MSC activities.
• To provide the opportunity for international MS members involved with planning for the other Mars-analog stations and Mars-analog projects to learn from our methods.

1. Conduct a 30-day expedition to the Mars Desert Research Station in early 2003, with a year of advance planning. Planning began in February of 2002.
2. Phase the expedition according to specific research needs:

• Two weeks of focused missions of investigations. Use the station as a base of operations rather than for fully-holistic mission simulations. The first week, Phase One, would study EVA tools (spacesuits, rovers, data-logger, etc.) and exploration strategies while the second week, Phase Two, would focus on EVA science operations (performing geological and biological studies with appropriate instruments while suited).

• Phase Three would be one week of missions of opportunity (meaning dependent on available qualified scientists with their own funded research), focusing on Mars-analog geological and biological investigations, telemedicine, and investigations into Earth-Mars mission science interactions. This uses the station as both a base of operations and a research lab.

• One week of a mission of discovery . This assembles the lessons learned over the previous three weeks into a mission scenario which includes the best EVA strategies used to conduct real science. This uses the habitat as a base of operations, a research lab, and as a test-bench for habitability studies and crew social-psychology studies.

3. Maximize the amount of science activities performed during the expedition and the amount of scientific results.
1. For missions of investigation, use more than six scientists as crewmembers. The crew complement does not need to be realistic to a Mars mission as holistic mission simulations are not being done in these phases. House the overflow in the pressurized rovers (Canadian and U. Michigan teams) and in nearby Hanksville motels if necessary. Six crewmembers would be dedicated to the field research, while another six crewmembers would be supporting them.
2. For the mission of discovery use a crew complement realistic to a Mars mission, with appropriate number of scientists, engineers, medically trained personnel, and a commander. Since crews of five, six, and seven have been tried before, it would be interesting to try this with eight crewmembers, two of whom would sleep in one of the pressurized rovers.
3. A Principal Investigator on site would coordinate the investigations for the first two or three weeks, and a Commander would coordinate the missions for the final one or two weeks.
4. Minimize the amount of non-science activities performed by the Field Research Crew during the expedition by having a Mission Systems Crew available for those tasks. During current simulations up to a quarter of crew time is spent writing reports and dealing with circumstantial problems.
1. During the first three investigative phases, do not use scientist-crewmembers to upkeep the station. Have a Mission Systems Crew available for station maintenance and repair, daily chores, helping crew suit up for EVA, and circumstantial events.
2. A large amount of science report writing can be done in advance of the expedition by having a comprehensive expedition plan detailing each experiment that will be performed, leaving only details of circumstances and results to be added right before communicating with mission support. This also allows mission support to know what they need to support and how to publicise it as well.
3. During investigative phases, Mission Systems Engineers up-keeping the station, the suits, and the computer hardware can write the engineering reports.
4. Use Mission Systems Crew videographers to document by videotape all investigations for later study and upload to mission support.
5. Use Mission Systems Crew videographers to record audio debriefings of the crew (individually and as a team) post-EVA, and upload to mission support.
6. Restrict visitors and outside media access to two specific days. Hold two day open houses for educational and promotional purposes.

5. Recruit crewmembers and support personnel by outlining the expedition plan on the web, and advertising for specific experience or skills needed. Crewmembers are selected based on a combination of experience, educational background, answers to a personality questionnaire, and any proposed research plans or specific specialized equipment (robotics, geophysical instruments) that might be offered. Any volunteer must be willing to do work before the expedition to prepare for their phase:
1. Volunteering geologists must look over maps of the MDRS area to be made available on the MSC website and suggest an exploration plan. The individuals to suggest the best plans will be the most likely to be selected, pending personality tests.
2. Volunteering biologists must help look over maps of the MDRS area and identify likely areas to conduct studies. The individuals to suggest the best plans will be the most likely to be selected, pending personality tests.
3. Volunteering engineers must suggest ways to conduct operational tests of exploration equipment and habitat facilities. The individuals to suggest the best plans will be the most likely to be selected, pending personality tests.
4. Volunteering medical practitioners must suggest telemedicine/telehealth experiments to perform. The individuals to suggest the best plans will be the most likely to be selected, pending personality tests.
5. Volunteering videographers/support personnel will be required to be available for training, or otherwise submit to the selection committee a videotape demonstrating their ability to non-obtrusively video-document people engaging in work activities, as well as their skills to debrief scientists and engineers about their observations. Support personnel may be required to volunteer as test subjects in telemedicine/telehealth experiments.

6. Use volunteering crewmembers of one phase as part of the remote mission science support team of other phases, or at least as consultants that the mission support team can call for advice.