Mankind's ongoing search for alien life on Mars will continue in the fringes of our own planet.
Starting this week, scientists in partnership with NASA will begin a series of simulations at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to prepare for future manned missions to Mars.
Specifically, researchers will test technologies and develop procedures that would help identify, collect and protect samples that might host life, according to The Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
"[T]he whole reason of going to Mars is to see if there's life there," said astronomer John Hamilton of the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Research And Contamination
Through NASA's BASALT mission, which stands for Biologic Analog Science Associated with Lava Terrains, biologists, geologists and 20 students from UH-Hilo will hike around Mauna Ulu for two weeks.
One of the group's main concerns is to find efficient ways to prevent the contamination of rock samples that might be home to living bacteria, said Hamilton.
Such an issue is important to address because it can lead to false positives or missed positives, which can tamper with the results of scientific research.
NASA has already created a device named Bio-Indicator Lidar Instrument to spot bio-signals with minimal contamination.
Meanwhile, Hamilton said researchers will not use spacesuits for the mission, but a simulated "mission control" will be set up at Kilauea Military Camp.
And just as it would be on the red planet, communication with mission control will have timed delays of five to 20 minutes to mimic an actual mission, Hamilton said.
Mock Missions In Hawaii
NASA often relies on analog missions in Hawaii because its volcanic ridges are excellent research sites that imitate the volcanic terrain on Mars, Hamilton said.
Places with high elevation hamper growth of plants, he said, and volcanic rock is mostly made up of basalt, which is a mineral found on the surface of the red planet.
Prior to the BASALT project, NASA scientists have already endured 12-month isolation missions on Mauna Loa, where they "shut themselves from the world" and remained inside a dome while wearing spacesuits.
The year-long experiment, which is part of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) project, simulates actual scenarios on Mars, including cooking.
The HI-SEAS experiment was designed to test the psychological limits of astronauts before they set their foot on Mars, NASA said.
The most recent HI-SEAS experiment, which included a six-member crew, ended in August this year. The crew emerged from the dome and safely returned home after 12 months of deep isolation.
Photo: David Fulmer | Flickr
