Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Recreation of Mars on Earth Continues

Aired July 17, 2001 - 10:25   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You know, Mars is a favorite topic for science fiction writers, but it's hard getting concrete information about the fourth rock from the sun.

And that is why CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien is on Devon Island in Canada's Northwest Territories right now. The land isn't exactly Mars, but the island's landscape is similar. Miles joins us now by videophone. He's got a closer look at Mars on earth.

How's it going, Miles?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Leon, it's another day of work on the rock pile, if you will, for the four dozen scientists here on Devon Island, about 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Take a look over my shoulder. This is the Mars Analogue Research Station. It's a habitat which has a half dozen people living inside. They've been in there for about two weeks. Every time they step outside they suit up as if this were the atmosphere of Mars. They're going to do one more extra-vehicular activity, or space walk, today, and then there'll be a crew swap out. So we'll have an opportunity to talk to some of the people about what life has been like inside there.

They actually spend time playing like a geologist on Mars would, walking around these rocky craters here, looking at the rocks, seeing if the rocks tell them stories. And these rocks here are like books, according to the scientists. If you're able to tease out the story, they tell a rather interesting tale.

For example, one of the scientists leading this effort here, Pascal Lee, told me yesterday they've discovered microbes living inside those rocks. Now, what that, why that is important for any sort of search on Mars is it begs the question how would you find microbes living in rocks on Mars? Well, you'd have to look very carefully.

Let's take a walk over here and I'll show you the other side of this facility. This is an interesting looking rock formation called the fortress. The rocks here were formed after an impact by an asteroid some 23 million years ago and that made them very porous and as a result those microbes actually live inside.

Take a look at this little encampment down here in tent city. This is the Haughton Mars Project on the other side of the tundra from where I stand. That's where many of the scientists are based, those that are not living inside that habitat. Among the group today is a group of robotics wizards from Carnegie Mellon University. They are going to attempt to, well, operate a sun navigating robot called Hyperion, which might one day be used for unmanned missions on Mars or perhaps be used in conjunction with manned missions.

The general theme you get here is that in order to find out what's really going on on Mars, you need smart robots and one day some smart people there, as well -- Leon.

HARRIS: And some very brave people like you, Miles O'Brien, who's stuck up there on Devon Island. We'll get back to you later on and check out and see whatever you can dig up for us up there.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com