During my trip to Costa Rica there was one question that kept echoing in my head, "How is it possible that so much beauty exists in the very world I live in?"
In Santander, Cantabria, there is a scientific space station that allows testing, in an analogous mission, the technologies and skills that humanity will need in 2035 on Mars. It is called Ares Station and is built inside a large cave isolated from human contact, which reproduces with unexpected accuracy the living conditions that would be found on the Red Planet.
“According to scientific consensus, any permanent human colony on Mars will have to settle in the lava tubes found on the planet, to protect itself from the hostile Martian environment, which is lethal to our organism. If we want to test the true conditions of life on Mars, a subway station is the only option.“explains David Ceballos, CEO of Astroland.
Ares Station: Welcome to Mars
Ares Station is a laboratory 1.5 km long and 50 meters high, with a unique habitat in which to carry out the various tests and scientific experimentsThese projects also involve technology-based companies that aim to integrate and test products and services of an absolutely innovative nature.
Here, our daily life will be that of an astronaut. All the activity will be supervised and coordinated from the Astroland Command Center (CMA). It will be from there that communications and monitoring of the vital signs of all participants will be established. Various tests will make the perspective of the world around us richer and more diverse.
Inside the Astroland space science station you can find: research laboratories, customized astronaut suits, technical clothing for the different missions, life capsules, hydroponic crops laboratory, autonomous energy and water production systems, 3D printers, kitchen, leisure areas, gym, survival kits, food adapted to the needs of the crew members, explorer robot, meters, sensors.
Three types of Mars Analog Mission with NUBA
1. Origin and Destination: Where we come from and where we are going
We will arrive at Atapuerca to begin discovering the origins of humanity, with a personally guided visit by José María Bermúdez de Castro, Co-Director of the Atapuerca site; and a guided tour of the Museum of Human Evolution.
The next day, we will be picked up for a guided tour of the Astroland Space Center (Mission Control Center), Astrolab (Technology Laboratory), Augmented Humanity (Area of reflection and sociological study on the future of humanity and human adaptability) and Ares Station (the only Mars-like subway base in the world). We will have lunch like real astronauts with freeze-dried food. Finally, we will return to Santander to receive our diploma.
Mars Mission
The program has different phases, once the participation in the mission of the candidates has been approved by the team of psychologists: one prior to the entry into Ares Station, in which the ASCANs (Astrolanders candidates) are evaluated physically and mentally to face the unexpected situations they will encounter during the mission.
A second phase, within Ares Station, in which, after having acquired the necessary knowledge to play the role previously assigned to us (engineers, biologists, etc.), we will have to follow a technical program, in which everything is planned to be truly analogous to the missions on Mars.
Teambulding
An authentic training experience, mission and gamified selection process in which we propose that up to 200 professionals live an intense, immersive and unforgettable process; they will experience the different phases of training to become Astrolanders, collaborating and competing with each other to overcome each phase. Those with the highest scores will have the opportunity to participate in a real Mars colonization mission as members of an Astrolanders crew.
What are the objectives of this teambuilding experience?
– Improve productivity and psychological well-being.
– Create a collective mindset that strengthens team bonds, building and maintaining mutual trust.
– Enhance communication and cooperation skills.
– Increase internal and collective listening skills by developing mechanisms to help us manage concepts such as expectations, needs and concerns.
– Enhance the ability to learn quickly under pressure, rationality and resolution capacity in extreme survival conditions.
– Apply high and low mindfulness techniques, positive self-instructions and stress management practices.
– Generate high personal autonomy related to team objectives.
Why Mars?
Our planet survives in a fragile equilibrium, which endangers the continuity of our way of life as we know it, so a plan B is needed, the possibility of creating a new type of society, either on our planet or on Mars.
Principles such as respect, cooperation and teamwork, goodwill, along with environmental awareness, sustainability and zero tolerance policies against pollution and in favor of recycling, are the DNA of this mission, and will be imperative for it to thrive.
Measures to Reduce the Human Footprint at Ares Station
From both agencies we understand that it is necessary to provide new answers to overcome the challenges that mankind will encounter on Mars and the first step is to minimize human impact The research program has been designed to develop the technologies and skills necessary to minimize the impact of human activity in controlled environments.
It should also be noted that Ares Station is completely autonomous, creates its own energy and manages its resources and waste, as well as having advanced technology in plastic recycling and 3D printers with which to create the utensils necessary for survival.
Changing the Course of Humanity
In each mission, the scientists will live with those who wish to live this experience, which at the same time will be a reason for study to discover how human beings behave in these conditions of isolation. The data and findings found in what, for now, is an experiment, will be applied in the future, when human colonies on Mars become a reality, something that could happen as early as 2035.
As Ceballos explains: “this mission is a unique opportunity, in which we will overcome every day the tests that our experts have designed from the most absolute scientific rigor. Those who are selected will be among a small number of people who will change their lives and the course of humanity forever.“.
If you want to discover Mars, start designing your analog mission with NUBA.
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