Editing Mars Society (section)

==Current projects==
[[File:Mars Desert Research Station (10.3897-BDJ.8.e55063) Figure 1 a.jpeg|alt=Picture of a mock Mars base on a vast desert|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Mars Desert Research Station]], with a central habitat, rover hangar, dome, greenhouse and an observatory]]

The Mars Society's premier project is the Mars Analog Research Station Program. The program aims to further the understanding of Mars missions' technical and human factors via its two [[Mars analog habitat]]s: the [[Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station]] (FMARS) and the [[Mars Desert Research Station]] (MDRS)<!-- Link this the second time because this is a primary topic in the article and is relatively far away from the first occurrence -->.<ref name="NYT-20231227">{{cite news |last1=Weinersmith |first1=Kelly |last2=Weinersmith |first2=Zach |title=The Beautiful Desolation of Life on Mars — On Earth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/opinion/mars-simulation-desert-mdrs.html |date=27 December 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20231227103516/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/opinion/mars-simulation-desert-mdrs.html |archivedate=27 December 2023 |accessdate=27 December 2023}}</ref> The FMARS is located on Devon Island in Canada and near the [[Haughton impact crater]],<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last1=Häuplik-Meusburger |first1=Sandra |title=Space Habitats and Habitability: Designing for Isolated and Confined Environments on Earth and in Space |last2=Bishop |first2=Sheryl |last3=O’Leary |first3=Beth |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-3030697396 |editor-last=Vakoch |editor-first=Douglas A. |editor-link=Douglas Vakoch |edition=1st}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=98,101}} above the [[75th parallel north]] where the island is uninhabited and barren. The MDRS is located near Hanksville, Utah, where the habitat is isolated from civilization. Both stations' locations are chosen for the landscape similarities with Mars.<ref name=":4">{{Cite conference |last=Cusack |first=Stacy L. |date=January 1, 2010 |title=Observations of Crew Dynamics during Mars Analog Simulations |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100003040/downloads/20100003040.pdf |conference=NASA Project Management Challenge 2010 |access-date=18 July 2022 |via=[[NASA Technical Reports Server]] |archive-date=18 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718142710/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100003040/downloads/20100003040.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|page=4}} Because these stations are meant for research, both FMARS and MDRS are closed to public visits.<ref name=":3" /> These stations are staffed by volunteers with degrees in [[planetary science]], [[geology]], and [[engineering]].<ref name=":9" />{{Rp|pages=|page=353}}

The Mars Society has plans to build additional analog stations. The Euro-MARS, operated by the Mars Society's European chapter, was intended to have three decks and more extensive facilities. However, during transport from the United Kingdom to the deploying location at [[Krafla|Krafla, Iceland]], the Euro-MARS sustained irreparable damage. It was reported in 2017 that Euro-MARS was back at the planning phase, but no further updates about the station are available.<ref name=":12">{{Cite conference |last1=Vargas-Cuentas |first1=Natalia I. |last2=Roman-Gonzalez |first2=Avid |date=June 2017 |title=The 'Salar de Uyuni' as a simulated Mars base habitat in South America |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01635943/document |conference=Global Space Exploration Conference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722211011/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01635943/document |archive-date=22 July 2020 |access-date=20 July 2022 |via=[[HAL (open archive)]] |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=5–6}} The Mars Society is also planning to build another Mars analog station in [[Arkaroola]], Australia, as of October 2022.<ref group="TMS">{{Cite web |last=Stoltz |first=Michael |date=2022-10-29 |title=Building a Mars Analog "Down Under" |url=https://www.marssociety.org/news/2022/10/29/building-a-mars-analog-down-under/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=The Mars Society |language=en |archive-date=31 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231145137/https://www.marssociety.org/news/2022/10/29/building-a-mars-analog-down-under/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The station would replicate a spacecraft launching directly from the Earth's surface, featuring a mock propulsion module, [[heat shield]] and landing engines.<ref name=":12" />{{Rp|pages=5–6}}

[[File:Mars Society University Rover Challenge Equipment Task.jpg|thumb|A challenge in the University Rover Challenge where rovers have to pour fuel into a generator|alt=Rover next to a metal generator, holding a can of fuel. Both are on a vast desert ]]

As well as research, the Mars Society organizes the Rover Challenge Series, a group of annual university competitions for making mock [[Mars rover|Martian rovers]]. Around May and June each year, the three-day [[University Rover Challenge]] takes place in Utah's desert near the MDRS where teams compete in exploration tasks. The rover's operators must only use sensor data for navigation, similar to actual Martian rovers. Similar regional competitions that belong to the Rover Challenge Series include the [[European Rover Challenge]], the Canadian International Rover Challenge and the Indian Rover Challenge.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wieczorek |first1=Luiza |last2=Piech |first2=Wiktor |last3=Cybulski |first3=Bartłomiej |last4=Kujawiński |first4=Mateusz |last5=Węgierska |first5=Agnieszka |date=2018-12-30 |title=Participation in international robotics competitions as a new form of student travel |url=https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/tourism/article/view/5008 |url-status=live |journal=Turyzm (Tourism) |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=63–72 |doi=10.2478/tour-2018-0016 |issn=2080-6922 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103125804/https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/tourism/article/view/5008 |archive-date=3 January 2023 |access-date=3 January 2023 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=11089/27873}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=63–72}}

MarsVR Project is a [[virtual reality]] program that simulates MDRS and terrain one square mile around the base. The program was made in collaboration with a local virtual reality company.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Jen |date=2022-07-01 |title=Why Sports in Space Could Be the Next Big Thing |language=en-US |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/sports-in-space-will-be-out-of-this-world-11656696647 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718183223/https://www.wsj.com/articles/sports-in-space-will-be-out-of-this-world-11656696647 |archive-date=18 July 2022 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> MarsVR is used to train MDRS's crews by simulating the use of spacesuits, airlocks, rovers and activities such as cooking. The software can also simulate playing sports on Mars such as [[soccer]] and [[mountaineering]].<ref name=":10" /> The exploration portion of MarsVR is free to download on [[Steam (service)|Steam]], however, the training part has an attached cost for the public.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rayome |first=Alison DeNisco |date=March 3, 2020 |title=The future of Mars colonization begins with VR and video games |url=https://www.cnet.com/science/features/the-first-frontier-for-mars-colonization-video-games-and-vr/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624223813/https://www.cnet.com/science/features/the-first-frontier-for-mars-colonization-video-games-and-vr/ |archive-date=24 June 2022 |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=[[CNET]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, the Mars Society established the non-profit Mars Technology Institute and the corresponding [[C corporation]] Mars Technology Lab to research solutions for labor, [[Space farming|agriculture]], and energy problems in the colonization of Mars. The Institute plans to outsource research to universities before building its own campus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boyle |first=Alan |date=2023-09-07 |title=Mars Society unveils its plan to establish technology institute, perhaps in Seattle |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2023/mars-society-tech-institute/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119213146/https://www.geekwire.com/2023/mars-society-tech-institute/ |archive-date=19 November 2023 |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=[[GeekWire]] |language=en-US}}</ref>