The Haughton–Mars Project (HMP) is an international

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

field research Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduct fi ...

project being carried out near the

Haughton impact crater Haughton impact crater is located on Devon Island, Nunavut in far Northern Canada. It is about in diameter and was formed 31–32 million years ago during the Early Oligocene. The impacting object is estimated to have been approximately in diam ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's northern

Devon Island Devon Island (, ) is an island in Canada and the largest desert island, uninhabited island (no permanent residents) in the world. It is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the largest members of the Arctic Ar ...

. Human-centered computing (HCC) studies are aimed at determining how human explorers might live and work on other planetary objects, in particular on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. Conducted jointly by

SETI Seti or SETI may refer to: Astrobiology * SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. ** SETI Institute, an astronomical research organization *** SETIcon, a former convention organized by the SETI Institute ** Berkeley SETI Research Cent ...

and the Mars Institute, the project's goal is to utilize the Mars-like features of Devon Island and the impact crater to develop and test new technologies and field operating procedures, and to study the human dynamics which result from extended contact in close quarters. This knowledge will be used in planning missions by both humans and robots to other terrestrial bodies. The HMP came about as a

postdoctoral research A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

proposal by Pascal Lee, then a

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

graduate student. The proposal was approved by the National Research Council and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

in 1996. By 2000, the science and exploration research goals had been set, and a number of features which could serve as Mars analogs had been found. The core module of the NASA HMP Base Camp, the HMP X-1 Station, had been built. It serves as a hub, connecting a number of tents in a star-like configuration. The project is funded primarily by NASA, but draws nearly half of its support from other sources. A large number of governmental and non-governmental organizations and agencies worldwide contribute annually to the project's activities. As well as financial contributions, the project has also been the recipient of gifts such as the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse, donated by SpaceRef Interactive, and a specially-equipped

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

, donated by

AM General AM General is an American heavy vehicle and contract manufacturer, contract automotive manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer H1, Hummer and the military Humvee that are assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana. ...

. The active period of the project is in the summer, when tens of researchers, students, support staff, and media arrive on site. A core group of about ten stays the summer, while other individuals stay for shorter periods. Local high school students are hired to assist with field activities. Ten participants in the project voluntarily underwent comprehensive field immunology assessments. The purpose of the study was to evaluate mission-associated effects on the human immune system, as well as to evaluate techniques developed for processing immune samples in remote field locations.

References

External links

Haughton-Mars ProjectHaughton-Mars Project Website
* ttp://www.space.com/adastra/adastra_haughton_050208.html NASA Haughton-Mars Project - Summertime on a "Planet" Close to Home {{DEFAULTSORT:Haughton-Mars Project Economy of Nunavut Mars Scientific organizations based in Canada Human analog missions Science and technology in Canada Devon Island

See also

References

External links