A manned mission to Mars could happen by the end of this century.
The Mars Desert Research Station, located in a remote region of Utah, is helping scientists prepare for this challenging deep space expedition.
The desert landscape has been used to simulate the conditions on Mars because of its striking resemblance to the Red Planet's terrain.
Scientists and students come from all over the world to spend two weeks exploring canyons, cliffs, and rockscapes, while dealing with the constraints they would face on Mars.
There are no supermarkets, repair shops, or hardware stores. The only available resources and tools are what each team brings into the desert with them.
The variety of experiments conducted by different crews adds to the growing body of research and knowledge that will be used to send the first humans to a world that so far, only robots have known.
The Mars Desert Research Station is located in a remote region of south-central Utah known as the San Rafael Swell.
The Swell is a 2,000 square mile area of public land, known for its canyons and sandstone formations — a terrain that is very similar to Mars.
The Mars-like environment makes this area the perfect spot to carry out simulated Mars missions.
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