SUMMARY: Italian and French researchers are about to spend a full year in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth: Antarctica. But it's paradise compared to what astronauts would face if they stepped out on the surface of Mars. As part of its Aurora Exploration Programme, ESA is considering a human mission to Mars by 2030. One stage of this exploration program is the Concordia station in Antarctica, which simulates many of the conditions and constraints that astronauts would face living on Mars.

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Hi

nine months in antarktica are a very long time. But the sky above the place is blue, you can breathe the air, you may even be lucky enough to see a bird in the air, or a plane crossing above. You are in a cold world, but you know that this is your world. If you need help, this help will surely come.

If you are on mars, you are on a world that is not yours. It does not support you. No air, no water, no food, no birds, no aid for you. You depend on your supplies, your gear, your luck, your knowledge and your abilities. These must suffice, every day. under these circumstances, every day you live is a real miracle, and returning home alive and healthy will be a wonder. Under such circumstances you must be ready to die every day, or your endangered situation and your fear may drive you mad.
Perhaps we needs scientists for that job which have a thorough background as monks. Common heroes are made of an improper stuff.

Regards,

Günther