A Ulaanbaatar-based company has announced plans to launch a unique Mars simulation base, MARS-V, in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. Expected to open by 2029, the facility will offer “tourist astronauts” a realistic experience of life on the Red Planet, as reported by CNN.
Inside the MARS-V Mars Simulation
The MARS-V facility aims to replicate living conditions on Mars with maximum realism. Participants will reside in capsule modules, engage in activities like meditation, collecting soil samples, and operating a “rover.” Meals will consist of freeze-dried foods, including culturally inspired rehydrated dumplings or stewed lamb. Communication with “Earth” (the mission support team) will also simulate interplanetary delays, adding to the authenticity of the experience.
Unique Gobi Geography: An Ideal Training Ground
The Gobi Desert’s striking resemblance to Mars makes it an ideal location for astronaut and scientific training. The region experiences extreme temperature swings, from scorching heat to bitter cold. Its soil, rich in iron oxide, displays a distinct reddish tint. Furthermore, the Gobi’s remote location, high altitude, and harsh winter conditions – with simulations running from October to March when the desert is frozen solid – create a profound sense of “boundlessness and emptiness.”
Enkhtuvshin Doyoohuu, CEO of MARS-V, elaborated on this choice: “That sense of vastness, of infinite empty space – the Gobi truly gives a Mad Max-like feeling.” He added, “Your goal is to survive in a very, very isolated environment.“
The Training Program
Participating in this Mongolian “Mars” experience will not be easy, nor inexpensive. A month-long stay will cost $6,000. Prospective “astronauts” must first pass physical and psychological tests, followed by a three-month online training program focusing on survival protocols and the psychology of isolation.
Upon arrival in Mongolia, participants can expect:
- Three-day exercises in Ulaanbaatar, followed by a 10-hour journey on a bumpy road to the simulation site through streaks of pale red dust.
- Life organized according to a strict schedule, including daily vitamin intake, exercise, breakfast, and briefings.
- Meditation, which is a key part of the program. According to Doyoohuu, this is important because it is unknown how prolonged isolation will affect the psychology of Martian pioneers.
The MARS-V team ensures safety throughout the experience but maintains realism by largely concealing external support. “Compared to an Arctic expedition, everything is under control here,” Doyoohuu affirmed, adding that if there were any real risk of death, the simulation would be immediately halted.
The creators believe that a month living in the Gobi will profoundly change one’s perception of life, allowing participants to truly experience what it might be like for future Martian colonizers.
NEWSROOM IN notes: The Gobi is one of the world’s largest deserts, stretching in a vast arc for 1,600 km along the border of Mongolia and China. The Mongolian part of the desert covers an area of approximately 1.5 million square kilometers, comparable in size to Alaska.
This region has remained virtually arid and largely unchanged for the past 65 million years. Over this vast period, intense wind erosion has stripped away upper soil layers, uncovering valuable paleontological discoveries.
