Welcome to SAM, a Space Analog for the Moon and Mars.

WE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AGAIN TO WORK ON THE SAM PROJECT!  

SAM is a Space Analog for the Moon and Mars. This hi-fidelity, hermetically sealed analog and research center is composed of a living quarters for four inhabitants, airlock and hub, mechanical and bio-regenerative life support, and greenhouse with temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide level controls.

​When complete, SAM will include a half-acre Mars yard for pressure suit, tool use, and rover tests. SAM is not another open air analog—this is as close as you can get to living on Mars without reducing gravity or dropping the temperature to −100°C.

A Space Analog for the Moon and Mars, or SAM is being built around the Test Module coupled to an airlock, pressurized corridor and crew quarters. Adjacent to SAM is a massive, half acre Mars yard which will support challenges in terrain mapping and navigation, EVA pressure suit and tool use studies, a gravity off-set rig, and rover tests and competitions.

There is no single-run experiment that results in the ideal solution for providing breathable air, recycled water, food and waste reprocessing. Rather, we will see an unfolding of experiments, findings, and prototypes for decades to come. Much as farming evolved from the art of crop rotation to the science of genetically modified organisms, living on the Moon, Mars, and in free space will demand constant improvements in our systems as more humans move to off-world homes.

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THE SAM TEAM ON SELECTING AGTP WINDOW FILMS:
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“WE THANK GREG SPENCER, OWNER OF AGTP WINDOW FILMS FROM TUCSON, ARIZONA FOR PROVISION OF THE WINDOW FILM PACKET USED IN THIS COMPARATIVE STUDY. WE DISCOVERED GREG THROUGH A LOCAL SEARCH AND SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THAT HIS COMPANY WAS ON-SITE AT BIOSPHERE 2 IN 1991 HAVING APPLIED FILMS TO THE BIOSPHERE APARTMENT WINDOWS AND CAMPUS FACILITIES. WITH MORE THAN 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE, WE ARE NOT SURPRISED THAT MOST OF THOSE APPLICATIONS ARE YET IN PLACE AND HOLDING! GREG HAS GENEROUSLY DONATED HIS TIME AND MATERIALS FOR THIS UNIQUE PROJECT. WE WELCOME THE RETURN OF “GREG THE TINTER” TO BIOSPHERE 2, AND ARE EAGER FOR HIS HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT TO BE INSTALLED AT SAM. THANK YOU!” –KAI STAATS, DIRECTOR OF SAM