Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program

Overview

What is Mars Gravity Biosatellite?

The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program is the first ever mission to study the effects of Martian gravity on mammals, a key step in the human exploration of space.

The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program, initiated in August 2001, is a student-driven, international space collaboration, uniting students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Queensland (UQ) in a quest to determine how humans will respond to the reduced gravity environment of Mars.

To this end, we will launch a small cohort of mice to low Earth orbit inside a rotating, artificial gravity spacecraft. In-flight and post-flight observations will chart the first in-depth data point for mammalian physiology between microgravity and Earth’s 1-g, a vital step towards preparing for a human mission to Mars. Attracting high quality students from various disciplines to actively participate in this mission is vital to kindling an interest in careers in the aerospace industry from a diverse student body. The practice of hands-on design, management, and development will be an invaluable training experience, preparing hundreds of students to be optimal contributors in their future professional positions.

The Mission
The Mars Gravity Biosatellite will carry a small population of mice to low Earth orbit aboard a spinning spacecraft creating "artificial gravity" identical to that on the Martian surface. The five-week mission will conduct the first in-depth study of how mammals adapt to a reduced-gravity environment. Groundbreaking data from this mission and its successors will be essential in determining future possibilities for human space exploration.

[Read More]

The Team
Students and their faculty advisors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, USA), and the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) have joined with expert scientists and engineers around the world to create the world's first private life science space mission. The Mars Gravity Biosatellite will also be the longest artificial gravity investigation to date and the longest rodent mission ever flown.

[Read More]

Can Humans Travel to Mars?
No one yet knows whether humans can safely make the journey to Mars, for Mars has only one-third the gravity of our native Earth. When astronauts stay in zero-gravity for long periods, their bodies and brains suffer severe changes that make it difficult for them to return to Earth's surface. While rotating "artificial gravity" spacecraft may permit humans to stay in shape during the long journeys to Mars and back, no one knows how they will adapt during a prolonged stay on the surface of Mars. The Mars Gravity mission will provide the first answers to this fundamental question.

An Incredible Opportunity
The Mars Gravity Biosatellite will provide the first solid evidence suggesting whether Earth - adapted organisms can survive long stays on other worlds. We hope you will join us in supporting this bold initiative—the project is funded primarily by private institutions and individual contributors. We invite you to subscribe to our mailing list below for more information, and to pledge your support through your input and/or sponsorship. With your help, we can accomplish one of the most exciting research efforts of our time!

[How You Can Help]

After more than three decades of space life sciences research, the domain of partial gravity physiology, between microgravity and Earth’s 1-g, remains almost wholly unexplored. Yet, in preparing for human missions to the surface of Mars, understanding the continuum of gravitational biology, preparing for future experiments aboard the International Space Station Centrifuge Accommodation Module, and examining lower intensity artificial gravity as a countermeasure to microgravity deconditioning, understanding the effects of such loading environments is essential. This mission will produce critical scientific data on mammalian partial gravity physiology to meet these needs.

We also pride ourselves on the valuable contribution our program makes to the community at large through our Educational Outreach initiative, connecting with K-12 students worldwide. This effort is particularly effective due to our unique “students to students” perspective, which directly engages younger people in the pursuit of the dream of space exploration and the knowledge necessary to achieve this objective.