Status Report From: Haughton-Mars Project (HMP)
Posted: Sunday, September 15, 2002

Further Information
  • NASA Haughton-Mars Project
  • Mars on Earth coverage
  • Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse
  • MarsToday.com
  • Astrobiology.com
    • In the summer of 2002 I had a unique opportunity: I had the chance to visit another planet - or at least the closest thing to such an experience one can have without leaving this planet.

    I was a participant in the NASA Haughton-Mars Project - a international multidisciplinary research project led by Pascal Lee, managed in cooperation with NASA by the SETI Institute. My company is also a financial sponsor of this project. In addition, I was a journalist documenting the various research projects underway here.

    While I wore many different hats as I set foot on this amazing island, they all soon merged into one: I was a witness to a close approximation of what it would be like to explore another planet: specifically, Mars. As such, the only way to convey my experiences is to do so from a personal perspective.

    To set things in context:

    The location: Haughton Crater, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada - less than a thousand miles from the north pole on the largest uninhabited island on Earth.

    Project task: perform a scientific study of the Haughton impact crater and the surrounding terrain in order to learn about Mars and Earth by comparison - and constrast. Also, to utilize the unique Mars-like terrain of Devon Island as a Martian analog so as to learn how to live, work, and conduct science on Mars.

    My tasks: assemble a greenhouse that will allow space biology research to be done on Devon Island - and communicate to a wider audience what it is like to live and work on Devon Island.

    During my time on Devon Island I took copious notes and over 2,500 photos so as to capture my experiences. Only after I returned home, as I sat back to review and edit the photos and notes I had scribbled, did I truly understand all that had happened.

    So many things went on every day. While I was building a greenhouse at Base Camp, astrobiology, geology, human factors, information systems, and space medicine research was also going on - some of it in nearby tents -- in other cases, many kilometers away in the field. I have tried to capture as much as I can, given my attempts to see - and do it all.

    Herein I present my journals - journals from a place we call "Mars on Earth".

    • Introduction
    • 8 Jul 2002: Arrival
    • 9 Jul 2002: Getting acquainted – and down to work
    • 10 Jul 2002: Mars carpentry
    • 11 Jul 2002: Lexan Kites, shotguns, and Driver's Ed
    • 12 Jul 2002: Building and exploring
    • 13-15 Jul 2002: Building a Mars greenhouse on Earth
    • 16 Jul 2002: Sealing Greenhouses on Earth - and Mars; 6 Wheeled Rovers
    • 17 Jul 2002: Greenhouse Dedication, Fishing, and Mystery Food
    • 18 Jul 2002: Giving Blood, Eternal Light, and an Evening Commute
    • 19 Jul 2002: The Hottest Place on Devon Island, T-shirts, a Star Trek hello
    • 20 Jul 2002: Mars Airplanes and Communicating With Earth
    • 21 Jul 2002: Visiting ministers, missing 'green', and crater tours
    • 22 Jul 2002: The hottest place on Devon Island
    • 23 Jul 2002: Farewells, Birthdays, and Bartering
    • 24 Jul 2002: EVAs, movies - and 'being here'
    • 25 Jul 2002: Russian TV, webcam privacy, and being on Mars for a few minutes
    • 26 Jul 2002: Cold Feet, Chocolate, and Home Cooking
    • 27 Jul 2002: Anchors and anemometers
    • 28 Jul 2002: Drilling into permafrost; leaving footprints for eternity
    • 29 Jul 2002: Showering near the North Pole; one last look around
    • 30 Jul 2002: Departure and arrival
    • 31 Jul 2002: Culture shock and flight delays
    • 1 Aug 2002: Departure into darkness
    • 2 Aug 2002: Green overdose; home at last
    • 2 Sep 2002: Home +30

    // end //

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