In Brazil, in semiarid of Rio Grande do Norte State, is operating the Mars analog research station Habitat Marte. The station Habitat Marte is the only Mars analog habitat in operation in South hemisphere. Since December, 2017 just happened 25 missions with 600 hours, 74 participants and more than 50 days.
The last mission (25th) in Habitat Marte occurred during December, 20thand 21stwith Extraveicular Activities 28 ml/46 km away, in Cabugi Volcano focusing to collect basalt. This feature contributes to the development of studies on the formulation of a Mars soil simulant in Brazil.
Cabugi Peak is located in the central region of Rio Grande do Norte state, in northeastern Brazil. Geologically, Cabugi Peak is an extinct 590-meter-high volcano, with an age of 19 million years presenting basalt in the summit.
Basalt is also common in moon and Mars. Basaltic formations, common to volcanic areas, have been a source of research to identify whether this raw material can be used to develop a Mars simulant soil.
Research on Martian soil simulation reveals its importance in seeking to evaluate how the development and behavior of plants in these soils will be, in order to evaluate the cultivation of food that will allow the feeding of future settlements on Mars and the moon.
Future research will answer how analogous to Mars is the rock and soils collected in Cabugi volcano.
The research on Mars simulant soil is developed by Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN and University of Brasilia – UnB.
The Habitat Marte is looking for opportunities of partnerships. Coordinator: Prof. Julio Rezende – juliofdrezende@hotmail.com
www.HabitatMarte.com.
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