Reddish-brown rocks as far as the eye can see, not a plant in sight. A frigid and barren wasteland, with a summer high temperature around 40°F and sheets of ice that last year round. No human civilization to be found. This might sound like Mars—but it’s actually a remote island in Northern Canada called Devon Island. Our planet contains multitudes, and astronauts use these weird places that resemble other worlds (but with breathable air, of course) to train for living beyond Earth. Let’s take a look at five locations on Earth that astronauts use to prep for space travel.
Volcanos, Iceland
NASA’s upcoming Artemis program (the big American return to the Moon) recently sent astronauts to trek across the volcanic landscape of Iceland. This particular place on Earth has actually been used for space training since the Apollo days, where astronauts described it as “one of the most lunar-like training locations that they went to in their training” according to NASA Artemis geology training lead Cindy Evans. “It has the landscape; it looks like the moon. And it has the scale of features astronauts will both be observing and exploring on the moon,” she added.
Plus, the rocks in Iceland are the same type as those on the moon: basalts, which are formed by cooling magma (from volcanoes on Earth and impacts on the moon), and breccias, which are a sort of frankenstein rock made of various chunks fused together. With this lunar-like landscape, astronauts practice their geologist skills using classic tools like hammers, scoops, and shovels to take samples.
Underwater, the Florida Keys
We obviously don’t have the vacuum of space here on Earth—pretty much anywhere we go on the surface has air for us to breathe, and we can walk around without a specialized suit (although you’ll need warm clothes for the Arctic). The ocean, however, is just about as hostile as outer space. To go into its depths, you need to carry your oxygen with you, keep your body safe from dangerous pressures, and learn how to navigate without the familiar downwards pull of gravity.
[ Related: Astronauts and aquanauts: What does the sea have to do with space? ]
The Aquarius habitat and research station, run by NASA and Florida International University, is about 3.5 miles away from Key Largo and almost 20 meters below the surface. In Aquarius, so-called “aquanauts” live and work in their analog spacecraft, testing new techniques for spacewalks and other tech for living in space.
Concordia & other stations, Antarctica
Living in space is stressful. You’re extremely far away from help and the rest of civilization, you’re isolated in a small space, and the outside will literally kill you if you’re not sufficiently prepared to brave it. Earth does have a place that meets those three criteria: Antarctica. Its frigid and icy terrain are definitely dangerous for humans, and there are no major cities in sight (or even an easy drive or flight away). Some research stations are on the coast of the continent, which is a bit easier to access, like McMurdo Station. There, astronauts test out robots that will eventually explore other planets like Mars and scientists have studied how the lack of sunlight in the full nights of Antarctic winter affects astronauts.
Over 600 miles away from the coastal stations, there’s also the Concordia station run by French and Italian science organizations. At Concordia, the “astronaut” crew members are truly isolated—some will even spend an entire winter there to see what they can learn about the stresses of isolation and how to mitigate them.
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, Hawai’i
Atop the Mauna Loa volcano at over 8,000 feet above sea level, there sits a little research station known as HI-SEAS: the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation. In this little habitat, so-called “analog astronauts” have experienced 4 to 12 month “missions” to simulate what it might be like to live on Mars. To make it as realistic as possible, there’s even a communication delay built in between the HI-SEAS inhabitants and their “ground control” closer to sea level, designed to imitate the 20 minute light travel time between Earth and Mars. That is, if you send a message from Mars to Earth, it’ll take 20 minutes to get there—and then another 20 minutes to receive a reply after it’s sent!
Plus, one of the big challenges of space travel is that you have to bring everything you need with you: oxygen, food, water, you name it. Being able to make those necessary items at your destination would help a lot with lightening the load on your spacecraft’s luggage! That’s where systems known as “in-situ resource utilization” come in. These incredible gadgets pull out water and carbon dioxide from volcanic rocks, and might be useful for finding and using water on the moon someday. Currently, NASA tests this tech (along with the Canadian Space Agency) on the volcanic mountains of Hawai’i, as the rocks and soil there are also a good analog for lunar geology.
San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona
The deserts of Arizona are another long-time favorite analog astronaut destination, used since the Apollo era. Similar to Iceland’s volcanic plains, Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field (located near Flagstaff) has moon-like geology that’s great for practicing moonwalks and astronauts’ geology skills. Earlier this year, Artemis program astronauts tried a series of simulated moonwalks, testing out the rigorous plans for future excursions at the Lunar South Pole. “Field tests play a critical role in helping us test all of the systems, hardware, and technology we’ll need to conduct successful lunar operations during Artemis missions,” said field test director Barbara Janoiko in a NASA press release. “This simulation gives us an opportunity to practice conducting geology from afar in real time,” added NASA Goddard science officer Cherie Achilles.
