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It’s home to Yorkshire pudding, Marks & Spencer and even Guy Fawkes.
But Yorkshire could also hold the key to life on Mars, with scientists recreating the Red Planet in a mine nearly a mile underground.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham are using one of the UK’s deepest mines to see what it takes to survive and thrive on other planets.
Figuring out how to live and perform medical procedures are just some of the experiments that take place at the Boulby potash mine near Staithes.
The “Bio-SPHERE Project” could even pave the way for underground homes in space as crews try to dodge damaging meteor debris and radiation.
Boulby’s potash mine at Staithes is being used to see what it takes to survive in space
Scientists will be stationed in a 9ft wide (three meter wide) module specially designed to try out medical procedures used to treat tissue damage. But the underground base is by no means the last of its kind, and the team has published plans for another six-module space simulation pod.
“We are delighted to be working with the fantastic science team at the Boulby Underground Laboratory,” said principal investigator Dr Alexandra Iordachescu.
“This new capability will help gather information that can advise on the life support systems, devices and biomaterials that can be used in medical emergencies and tissue repair after damage in deep-space missions.
“The data is also likely to have numerous benefits for Earth-based applications, such as delivering biomedical interventions in remote areas or hazardous environments and, more broadly, understanding biomedical workflows in these non-ideal environments.”
Yorkshire’s new Mars simulation has launched into a 3,000-meter tunnel network through 250-million-year-old salt deposits.
The salty conditions and subterranean location create conditions similar to those found in caves on the Moon and Mars.
Scientists will be stationed in a 9ft wide (three meter wide) module specially designed to try out medical procedures used to treat tissue damage.
Here, polymer-based drugs, hydrogels and various other fluids are tested that can be used for wound dressings and injury prevention.
The base will also be used to see if underground homes hold the key to dodging dangerous deep space radiation and temperature extremes.
Performing medical procedures is just one of the experiments that take place here
Researchers from the University of Birmingham are using one of the UK’s deepest mines to see what it takes to survive and thrive on other planets
The simulation started in a tunnel network of 3,000 meters through salt deposits. The salty conditions in the mine are similar to those in the caves of Moon and Mars
The base will also be used to see if underground homes hold the key to dodging dangerous deep space radiation and extreme temperatures on the Red Planet (file image)
Scientists will be stationed within the confines of a 9 foot wide module (3 meters) underground
Astronauts on a single six-month trip to Mars would be exposed to at least 60 percent of the total radiation dose limit throughout their careers.
Meanwhile, surface temperatures can fluctuate between a toasty 70°F (20°C) and a frigid -225°F (-153°C), according to NASA.
As a result, underground Mars houses could be used to better protect the first astronauts to set foot on the Red Planet.
“The challenges facing humanity in exploring beyond Earth habitats are clearly many and significant,” said Professor Sean Paling, director and senior scientist of the Boulby Underground laboratory.
Polymer-based drugs, hydrogels and several other fluids will be tested at the Boulby Underground Laboratory, which can be used for wound dressings and injury prevention
The ‘Bio-SPHERE project’ could even pave the way for underground homes in space as crews try to dodge harmful meteor debris and radiation
Scientists recreate Martian conditions at the Boulby potash mine near Staithes, Yorkshire
“The Bio-SPHERE project promises to help answer some key logistical questions in establishing sustainable living conditions in remote, subterranean environments, thereby making a major contribution to essential preparations for our collective long, difficult and exciting journey ahead.’
The underground base is by no means the last of its kind, and the team has published plans for another six-module space simulation pod.
This can be used to test out surgeries and tissue manipulation, in addition to investigating repair processes.
Professor Paling added: “It’s also a great example of the diversity of scientific studies that can be done in a deep underground science facility, and we’re very happy to host it.”