Multi-Purpose Research Station in North Dakota in Support of NASA´s Future Human Missions to Mars

The University of North Dakota (UND) Human Spaceflight Laboratory is proposing the development of a Multi-Purpose Research Station in North Dakota designed to expand NASA-relevant research opportunities for students and faculty within the state, as well as project collaborators. The research to be conducted will be a collaborative effort, including a number of departments across UND campus, colleges and universities from across the state, and multiple NASA centers. This research station will include geological studies, extra-vehicular activity (EVA) research and operations, plant production studies, and human factors research (both physiological and psychological studies). For effective NASA-relevant analog studies, the location of the research station is key to the success and effectiveness of the research conducted. North Dakota offers a unique environment for this type of research; there is no NASA center or related industry in the area, the climate offers extremes ideal for testing performance of equipment to be used in similar conditions on other planetary surfaces, and isolated yet accessible locations are plentiful in the area. The combination of these factors makes North Dakota an optimal location for these simulation studies, of which there is a significant need to NASA in furthering human space exploration. The end goal of this permanent experimental station will be to make significant strides in better preparing the nation for future human planetary exploration.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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