Earth’s Closest Natural Laboratory for Mars Exploration
March 17 , 2026 14 hrs 0 min 20 0
The Scientists are studying Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada, as a natural site to test technologies and survival methods for future Mars missions.
It is the world’s largest uninhabited island and has a polar desert environment with very low temperatures and almost no vegetation.
The island contains the Haughton Impact Crater, a 20-km-wide meteorite crater that resembles the rocky surface of Mars.
Scientists also conduct experiments, such as the Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse, to study how plants could grow in Mars-like soil.
Researchers study microorganisms living inside rocks (endolithic colonisation) to understand how life may survive in extreme environments similar to Mars.