Posted by tourdemars to Mars Society at August 12, 2004 10:32 AM

Simulating Martian environments began as an amateur passion among a scientific underground but NASA scientists — whose long-term brief is a series of robot missions followed by a manned mission to Mars by 2030 — are becoming increasingly interested and involved. Two Mars analogue environments have been set up, one at Southern Utah in the American desert and another in the Canadian Arctic on Devon Island. A third is likely to be based in Iceland and the location for the fourth was finalised last week by the Australian Mars Society at a site about 20 kilometres north of Arkaroola on the ancient basalt flanks of the Flinders Ranges.