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CNN Live At Daybreak

Scientists Simulate Mars on Earth

Aired July 16, 2001 - 07:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's space correspondent Miles O'Brien is going to join us, because he's on a real adventure on this Monday morning. Miles is Canada's Devon Island. And it's above the Arctic Circle, closer to Greenland than to anywhere else. And he's there to talk with scientists who are trying to simulate what life might be like living on Mars.

And so Miles joins us now from the barren landscape of Devon Island by videophone -- good morning, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brian.

Barren indeed -- what you're seeing here behind me is as close to Mars as you can get here on the planet Earth. And that is what draws scientists to this place. They've been coming here for years -- the last couple of years in great earnest, conducting experiments, trying to actually live as they might live if they were explorers on the surface of Mars.

First of all, let me tell you a little bit about our journey. It began, of course, in Atlanta, Georgia. We flew to Ottawa, Canada, and then on to (AUDIO GAP) very far north (AUDIO GAP) we got into a Twin Otter and we flew to where we stand right now, Devon Island, a 3,000 mile journey in all. We're now about 500 miles (AUDIO GAP) this island, the largest uninhabited island in the world, we found 40 scientists eager, enthusiastic, those who are supporting the concept piloted mission to Mars soon.

Now, why would they come here? Well, take a look at some images of the real think: the Red Planet, the fourth rock from the sun. Some of these images come from the Pathfinder spacecraft, which landed in 1997.

And if you compare it to what you see behind me, you'll notice some very interesting similarities. Mars is cold and dry and seemingly lifeless. And so is Devon Island, except for one fact: So far, this particular season, the scientists have been bedeviled by unusual precipitation.

As you can see off on the horizon there, as we look at the tent city, where many of the scientists (AUDIO GAP) right now, there's still patches of snow here. That's unusual for this time of year, even this far north. And there's also been a steady drizzle that has gone on throughout much of the day and a half that we have been here so far. That has complicated matters for the scientists as they try to their job. But overcoming these obstacles is (AUDIO GAP) all about.

There is a team here that's working on a new robotic system that might be used on the surface of Mars one day. And off on the horizon, which I can't show you right in this shot right now, there is a simulated spaceship, Brian, with a crew inside. Every time they step outside, they actually don a space suit, as they would if they were on the surface of Mars, and they try to conduct a Martian workday with that suit on.

So a lot of this is simulation. A lot of this is on speculation. A lot of this is enthusiasm. But these scientists have committed to the concept that soon the real thing will happen -- Brian.

NELSON: Miles, who funds this program, since NASA is not involved in it per se -- at least officially?

O'BRIEN: Yes, NASA scientists are here. And there is sort of a trickle of support which comes through that direction. But, basically, there are some enthusiastic, privately-funded groups. The Mars Society is one of them. The Planetary Society is another -- and then the SETI Institute: the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. These groups are enthusiasts who would like to see the exploration of the solar system. And they have supported much of this effort.

NELSON: All right, thank you, CNN's Miles O'Brien.

He's on Devon Island up on the Arctic Circle. And as you can tell, we had some technical problems there, both audio and visual -- Miles' signal having a little difficult going from that barren terrain up to the satellite and back here.

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