"Mars on Earth" - Devon Island

[lpetrich]

'Mars on Earth' comes to Google | Fox News

Google Street View has added images of Devon Island, the largest uninhabited island on the planet to its images. Known as an "unlivable" island, the desolate area in the Canadian Arctic has been nicknamed "Mars on Earth," as its climate and landscape are the closest environments to the Red Planet on Earth.

Or at least one of the closest, with competition like Antarctica. The Canadian Arctic is closer to home for many researchers, however, and parts of Devon Island look very Mars-like.

Mars Institute | HMP - the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP):

Devon Island and Haughton Crater

Devon Island is located in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. It is the largest uninhabited island on Earth. The environment on Devon Island is best described as “polar desert” (not “tundra”), meaning that it is both very cold and dry. Devon Island presents the single largest continuous area of barren rocky polar desert on Earth.

Devon Island is home to Haughton Crater, a 20 km diameter meteorite impact crater that formed about 23 million years ago, during the Miocene.

That crater looks very eroded and difficult to recognize.

Research at HMP

Research at HMP is divided into two programs: Science and Exploration.

The HMP Science program seeks to learn about the site’s geology and biology, in order to gain insights into the nature and evolution of the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies via (careful) comparisons. In the process, the HMP Science program also contributes new knowledge about Devon Island, the Arctic, and the evolution of our Home Planet through time.

The HMP Exploration program seeks to use the site to develop, test, and validate new exploration technologies and strategies for planning the future human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. Exploration systems studied include habitats, spacesuits, ground vehicles, aircraft - drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) -, robotic rovers, drills, instruments, tools, life support systems, plant growth systems, and communications and other information systems. Human factors and crew management studies are also carried out.

A video in the Fox News page showed a researcher there testing a drone.

 

[steve_bank]

I wonder if that is where the Mars Society set up habitats and went outside in space suits to simulate living on Mars.

 

[James Brown]

I wonder if that is where the Mars Society set up habitats and went outside in space suits to simulate living on Mars.

That is exactly the case, although I think it's been a couple of years since they've had researchers out there. I think they've focused more on their Desert Research Station in Utah now.

 Flashline_Mars_Arctic_Research_Station

 

[skepticalbip]

Close to looking like Mars in a photograph but the experience would be quite different; Mars has about 40% of the gravity, 1/100 the atmospheric pressure, and no oxygen. Standing on that island, it would look somewhat like standing on Mars but would be extremely different for the other four senses.