Simulating Mars in the Israeli Desert
Six Israeli researchers spent four days simulating life on Mars at the Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert. The researchers, known as Ramonauts, lived inside a specially designed “space station” and carried out a number of scientific experiments of a similar nature to those that would be conducted in a Martian environment. Six scientists were selected to participate, including two physicists, an astrobiologist, an architect, a cellist (doubling as a documentation specialist), and a medic. The goal of the D-MARS (Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station) project is to simulate and study life on Mars and increase interest in space and science among the public.