Guest: Charles (Chuck) Killian. Topics: The Mars Society Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. We welcomed Chuck Killian, the CapCom Coordinator and Engineering IT specialist for the MDRS to the program. Chuck was with us for the first hour of today's program. During a brief second part of today's Friday program, I spoke about my absence over the past few weeks while I was in Los Angeles and my plans to relocate, probably during the summer, and what that might mean for The Space Show during the brief moving period. With regards to our main topic, MDRS, Chuck talked about the crews, their rotation period, scientific experiments, and what life was like simulating Mars in the hab which is located near Hanksville, UT. We talked about their simulated air lock, the use of Mars suits for EVAs, including wearing a bubble helmet, the need for approval or a type of peer review for team/crew science missions, and living conditions during each crew rotation. This included food, the Green Hab for growing some fresh greens, and more. Also of interest was the limited bandwidth available to the crews and the "official" communication period each evening. MDRS is international and we talked about many of their crews from outside the U.S., including the current Russian crew. Listeners wanted to know if there were ITAR issues with foreign crews and they inquired about the cost for the two week rotation and who typically pays for the rotation. Chuck told us this was the 10th year for MDRS which was and still is quite an accomplishment. Later in our segment, I even inquired about a Space Show crew applying for a rotation. This is a possibility so as I said on air, if enough listeners let me know that they would be interested in doing a two week crew rotation, on behalf of The Space Show and OGLF, I would consider putting together such a project through our non-profit, One Giant Leap Foundation. If this is of interest to you, do let me know. Other topics discussed were media interviews with the crews during rotations, more about the facilities and infrastructure, and just how good a simulation for Mars is the MDRS. To learn more about the MDRS, do visit their website at http://mdrs.marssociety.org. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog. If you want to contact our guest Mr. Killian, you can do so using his Mars Society email address, chuck.killian@marssociety.org.
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