May 24, 2004 A human journey to Mars may be years off, but this week an Australian adventurer is bringing the mission a few steps closer to Earth. On May 22, Rob Porcaro, 44, started a 16-day solo trek across Australia's Simpson Desert as part of a research project that aims to simulate walking on the Red Planet.
Sponsored by Mars Society Australia (MSA), Porcaro's mission is meant to show researchers how an individual would react to the extreme isolation and weather conditions on Mars.
"What [MSA] is actually looking to understand is how humans react when they're put in an extreme environment and exposed to things like stress, fatigue, and isolation," Porcaro told ABC Radio. "They thought that this would make a very good analog for something like a Mars mission."
Hooked up to a heart monitor and hauling supplies on a sled, Porcaro will walk 323 miles over defunct salt lakes, clay pans, and nearly 700 sand dunes. According to Australia's Herald Sun, Porcaro will walk for ten hours, and cover about 20 miles, each day.
Porcaro will use a computer to conduct psychological tests on himself each night to determine how mental and physical fatigue affect his judgement. He will then send the results out by satellite phone to researchers at the Mars Society. Scientists from MSA, the Australian National University, and the Melbourne-based cognitive testing firm CogState Ltd. will then conduct studies on this information.
"The results from this research will help us develop more effective training for people to cope with isolation and will also assist in refining criteria from the first people who may be selected to embark on a Mars mission," Steve Dawson, an MSA research psychologist, told the Herald Sun.
Besides acting as guinea pig for potential Mars missions, Porcaro is interested in seeing how this trek will impact him mentally and physically. As he told the Herald Sun, "I can see blisters on my feet and feel the aching muscles but the sheer mental endurance required is something I am yet to define."
