Posted by tourdemars to Mars Society at February 7, 2003 12:00 PM

Peter Detterline, a part-time astronomy professor, recently returned from a mission to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) that spanned from Dec. 21, 2002 to Jan. 4, 2003. Detterline was selected to go to the MDRS by Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society and remembers thinking, “I’m going to Mars…I’m going to Mars!” Zubrin chose Detterline to be the MDRS Observatory Coordinator because of his knowledge of robotic observatories, and he was responsible for designing, assembling and testing the observatory. Located in Wayne County, Utah, the MDRS has been used by researchers since 2001 to attain knowledge about sustaining life on Mars, including what inhabitants would eat, drink and keep a healthy habitat.