CANBERRA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Experts have called for a Mars simulation research center to be built in the Australian Outback.
Mars Society Australia on Saturday renewed its push for the center to be built in South Australia's Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, saying that it would give researchers a better understanding of how humans could survive on the Red Planet by replicating a future community.
The society has been calling for such a development since 2001, but said the timing is now perfect following the establishment of the Australian Space Agency (ASA) in 2018.
"It will allow us to do a wide range of activities that support the vision of human presence on Mars," Jonathan Clarke, president of the society, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Saturday.
"We can train people in field science and space operations in the area, and we can do education and outreach programs.
"We would do experiments on monitoring human performance in remote areas, test medical procedures and monitoring, and also develop and test technology like hand tools and robotics."
During an official visit to the U.S. in September, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced 150 million Australian dollars (103 million U.S. dollars) in funding to support planned National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions to Mars and the moon.
"Australia has been lagging behind in the space sector for many decades," Clarke said.
"The establishment of the Australian Space Agency is a gamechanger for anyone wanting to develop space technology in Australia.
"This makes it possible to look for actual funding for an (analogue research station) from commercial and government sectors."
Arkaroola has been used to trial space technology in the past because of its Mars-like terrain.
