
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (Mars Society PR) — The Mars Society announced today the selection of nine crew members chosen to participate in the Mars Arctic 365 mission (Phase 1) this July at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic. This will be the thirteenth crew to inhabit the FMARS facility since its establishment in July 2000, continuing the Mars Society’s pioneering work in organizing sustained field exploration while operating under Mars mission constraints.
Scheduled to be in Canada for two weeks, the new crew will install key equipment and infrastructure and also upgrade systems needed to support the one-year Mars surface simulation expedition (Phase 2), which will begin in the summer of 2014. The visit to FMARS is also expected to include a limited duration Mars simulation exercise to provide crew members with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience with technical and human factor considerations which are likely to be faced by the first human explorers to the Red Planet.