VIENNA, 22 November (UN Information Service) -- Living on Mars is a risky activity that does not allow for mistakes, says one of the teams that participated in the project "Design of a Base on Mars". The project was organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), in cooperation with the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna, on the occasion of World Space Week 2005 (see UNIS Vienna press release dated 3 October 2005).

School classes were asked to build a model of a Mars base that is suited to the conditions on Mars and that includes everything researchers need to survive and work on the planet. A very innovative and diverse range of projects was submitted by teams from Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia and the United States, including photographs, video material, technical descriptions, and specially developed websites. The best projects are now on display on the OOSA homepage at the following link: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/wsw/index.html.

World Space Week celebrates the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of life on Earth. Endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1999, it marks the anniversary of two milestones in the human exploration and use of outer space: the launch of the first artificial satellite, SPUTNIK I, on 4 October 1957, and the entry into force of the Treaty Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which took place on 10 October 1967. World Space Week is observed annually 4-10 October.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) implements the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. The Office is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology. Located in Vienna, Austria, OOSA maintains a website at http://www.unoosa.org.

For information contact:

Raechelle Newman
Associate Programme Officer, OOSA
Telephone: +43 1 260 60 4946
E-mail: raechelle.newman@unvienna.org

United Nations Information Service Vienna (UNIS)
P.O.Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: +43 1 260 60 - 3430; Fax: +43 1 260 60 7 5899
Email: UNIS@unvienna.org

Visit our home page: www.unis.unvienna.org