The Mars Habitat

The Mars Habitat (www.marshabitat.blogspot.com) is a Mars Research Station that will be operating in the semiarid region of Brazilian Northeast, in the city of Caiçara do Rio do Vento – Rio Grande do Norte state.

The Mars Habitat is one of the projects developed in the Nucleus of Research in Engineering, Science and Sustainability of Semiarid (NUPECS) (www.NupecsUFRN.blogspot.com)

The Mars Habitat is a project developed by the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN. The project is based in the Department of Industrial Engineering and coordinated by the professor Julio F. D. Rezende, PhD.

The Mars Habitat in the initial phase is inviting researchers of the different engineering departments and Physics researchers to develop technologies that will be operating in the Mars Research Station The Mars Habitat.

The decision about create The Mars Habitat is related to the following 10 objectives:

1) Be a space to develop technologies to be operating in Mars and supporting the habitability in red planet;

2) Develop technologies related with water supply, food, shelter and clothing applied to Mars and arid Earth regions.

3) As a Research Center Identify Worldwide technologies that would be receiving collaboration of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN researchers;

4) Identify possible outcomes/ technologies developed in Mars Research Stations that would be transferred to communities impacted by climate change (droughts and severe weather);

5) Establish partnerships with worldwide space research groups;

6) Be a educative place to educators and students to find new knowledge related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and personal sustainability;

7) Be a place to encourage new scientists in terms of new communication skills, creative thinking skills, and both traditional and technology skills.

8) Collaborate with community and families of Caiçara do Rio do Vento focusing on changes in student attitudes toward science and an awareness of college pathways and opportunities for scientific careers.

9) Be a organization to support new Mars Research Stations and international Space Agencies;

10) Be an active player in the debate of Agenda for Sustainable Development and the new practices in arid and semiarid regions related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) bringing collaboration to environment, society and economy of territories.