Notes

Write a note in this area. It's really easy to share with others. Click here ...HANKSVILLE, Utah (Achieve3000, July 6, 2015). Four people wear space helmets. They step out of a building. They walk onto reddish land. One hikes up a hill. Another pushes a wheelbarrow. Two more people stay inside. For this group of six college students, it's just another pretend day on Mars.

Six Belgian students are staying in Utah. It looks a great deal like the Red Planet. It's become a hot spot for scientists to set up pretend outposts on Mars. They're helping to raise excitement about traveling to Mars. Some people believe that a real trip could take place by the year 2100.

The Belgian group is the 153rd to travel to the Utah outpost since 2001. They are on a two-week mission. The spot is known as the Mars Desert Research Station. It's run by the Mars Society. The group believes that getting people ready to travel to Mars is important.

Each person in this April 2015 mission lives and sleeps in "the habitat." It's a building that looks like a space station. On the outside, it looks like a giant water tank. Inside, it has two levels. There are six narrow bedrooms upstairs. There is a bathroom, shower, and work station downstairs.

What is the most important rule of the mission? Students must act as though they're really on Mars. They never go outside without space helmets. At least one person must always stay behind. This is in case something goes wrong. No one goes outside alone. The team members cook with freeze-dried foods. They planted the Belgian flag in the ground outside the station.

Since 2001, the Mars Society has spent about $1 million on the research center in Utah. To date, more than 900 people have gone on the mock missions. People come from all over the world.

Information for this story came from AP.

Activity
Supporting ResourcesVocabulary
college (adjective)
having to do with a place where people can go to school after high school Play Stop
mission (noun)
a trip into space Play Stop
outpost (noun)
a base or station Play Stop
research station (noun)
a place where people work and study something Play Stop
ExtrasMap
Puzzle
Rubric

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