The Mars Desert Research Station

The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is the second of four planned simulated Mars surface exploration habitats (or Mars Analogue Research Stations) owned and operated by the Mars Society. Built in the western United States in the early 2000s, it is typically manned by small crews who visit the site for short periods of time to conduct scientific research. Besides a large building that serves as the center of activities, the complex includes a greenhouse, an observatory, and assorted open areas. The MDRS station is situated on the San Rafael Swell of southern Utah, located 11.63 kilometres (7.23 mi) by road northwest of Hanksville, Utah. It is the second such analogue research station to be built by the Mars Society, following in the foot steps of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station or FMARS, which was deployed on the northern slope of Haughton Crater (at N 75° 25' 52.75" W 89° 49' 24.19") on Devon Island in Canada's high Arctic in the summer of 2000.