Research on Mars simulant soil in Brazil
In Brazil, in a semiarid portion of Rio Grande do Norte state, is operating a Mars analog research station, Habitat Marte. The station Habitat Marte is the only Mars analog habitat in operation in South hemisphere. Since December, 2017 just happened 25 missions with 600 hours, 74 participants and more than 50 days. The last mission (25th) in Habitat Marte occurred during December, 20 th and 21 st with Extraveicular Activities in Cabugi Vulcano focusing to collect basalt. Cabugi Peak is located in the central region of Rio Grande do Norte state, in northeastern Brazil. Geologically, Cabugi Peak is an extinct 590-meter-high volcano, with an age of 19 million years consisting of its basalt summit. Basalt is also common to the moon and Mars. Basaltic formations, common to volcanic areas, have been a source of research to identify whether this raw material can be used to develop a Mars-like soil. For Mars soil simulation research, one of the components is basalt. Basaltic soil is ...