Strathclyde students prepare for life on Mars

Elif Oguz and Martin Kubicek, postgraduate research students in Strathclyde University’s Faculty ofEngineering, will visit the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah to investigate the problems a future manned crew could encounter on the Red Planet.

As members of Crew 135, they will conduct research in the latest phase of the Mars Analog Research Station (MARS) project, examining the station and its structure systems using advanced computer modelling, a method used by aerospace engineers to verify designs of spacecraft.

In a statement, Elif Oguz, who studies in the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering at Strathclyde, said: ‘The main aim of our research is to evaluate the structure of the station and to test whether it is sturdy, durable and human-friendly enough to withstand continuous exposure to extreme Martian radiation without the construction materials degrading too quickly.

‘Living in isolation with such limited resources is going to be a real challenge but it will allow us the opportunity to learn what life would be like on Mars and to minimise the problems that could be encountered by future explorers.