After the high radiation environment and the low gravity field on Mars, dust is arguably the next biggest hazard facing a manned mission to Mars. The seriousness of the threat depends on the specific characteristics of Martian dust and soil, which we are still trying to understand through robotic missions. At its most benign, Martian dust could cause premature failures in mechanical, electrical and thermal systems. And at its most hazardous, it could cause debilitating illness and jeopardize the health of the crew.

From April 26 to May 10, 2003, a 7 person, international crew manned the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) located near Hanksville, Utah. During that two-week period, the crew lived and explored the surrounding desert terrain under the constraints of NASA’s Mars surface reference mission. One of the primary research objectives of the simulation was to study the amount of dust brought into the MDRS from the surrounding Mars analogue terrain during simulated extra-vehicular activity (EVA). This work characterized the soil and dust contamination brought into the Habitat through 12 out of the 14 simulated EVA’s. The amount of dust, in terms of mass, and the sizes and shapes of the contaminating dust particles were measured. EVA characteristics such as type (pedestrian, all-terrain vehicle or pressurized rover), distance traveled and the work engaged were recorded to study their affect and relationship to dust contamination. We found that more than 50 g of dust and soil were transported into the MDRS during the 12 EVA’s that were measured. And the amount of contamination from EVA activity was most strongly dependent on the type of terrain over which the EVA was conducted.

KEYWORDS: Mars, dust contamination, Mars habitat, extra-vehicular activity

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