The project instigators are essentially a trio of passionate players who are enamored with both establishing a Moon base and seeing humans reach Mars and live there. The group initially consists of The Mars Society’ s Executive Director James Burk, South Seattle Program Director for a federal grant, Joydeep Hazra, and South Seattle Dean of Skilled Trades Ferdinand Orbino. College leadership, including President Dr. Monica Brown, has also brought passion and commitment to the project.
Brown said,“ Our mix of skilled trades programming, proximity to aerospace industry hubs of Washington and available campus space for the Mars Analog Research Station make South Seattle College a good fit for connecting with The Mars Society.”
Developing a research station directly related to embedded empirical studies emerging from the college’ s fundamental
THE PROJECT LEADERS ARE ENAMORED WITH ESTABLISHING A MOON BASE AND SEEING HUMANS REACH & LIVE ON MARS.
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programs will take different forms. For example, if a culinary arts student, along with their normal course of study, determines they’ d like to research growing
and making food in zero gravity, they may decide to take on that project. An automotive technology student may wish to study engine propulsion for a Mars rover. The students and instructors will have the option to dream about how to wrap a Mars study around their program, according to Orbino.
STUDENTS &
INSTRUCTORS WILL HAVE THE OPTION TO DEVELOP THEIR
PROGRAMS AROUND A MARS STUDY
The research station has yet to be officially named, but it will be located within an 87-acre portion of campus that includes hangar space and an aviation maintenance program. Burk said specific facilities are still under discussion.“ Eventually, we will build a two-story habitat with some ancillary space-aesthetic buildings around it.” He said there will be classrooms and labs, office space, a coworking space for start-up companies, and mission support. Additionally, he envisions tours for K-12 students to become excited about the program.
For 20 years, The Mars Society has operated a similar space in Utah called the Mars Desert Research Station( MDRS). Per their website,“ In the Red Desert of Utah, USA, is a Mars simulation laboratory for learning how to live and work on another planet. Its work has helped