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Mars base simulator unveiled in Gobi desert
Why is it in news?
- Recently, China unveiled Mars Base 1- Mars base simulator in the middle of China’s Gobi desert.
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- Location: It is surrounded by barren hills in northwestern Gansu province, China.
- Aim: Exposing teens and soon tourists to what life could be like on the planet Mars.
- China’s space ambitions: The facility’s unveiling comes as China is making progress in its efforts to catch up to the United States and become a space power, with ambitions of sending humans to the moon someday.
- About Mars Base 1:(1) The white-coloured base has a silver dome and nine modules, including living quarters, a control room, a greenhouse and an airlock.(2) Cost of built: 50 million yuan.(3) Constructed with help from: the Astronauts Centre of China and the China Intercontinental Communication Centre, a state television production organisation.(4) The closest town is Jinchang, some 40 kilometres away.
- Environment synonymous to Mars: It follows a similar Mars “village” that opened recently in the Qaidam Basin of neighbouring Qinghai- a hot and dry region which is the highest desert in the world, considered the best replica of Mars’ surface conditions.
- Planning to send probe next year: As budding astronauts explore “Mars” on Earth, China is planning to send a probe to the real red planet next year.
Source
The Hindu