SAM is a dynamic platform and infrastructure for ever expanding research and experiential learning. It is our goal to provide visiting teams a rich personal and team experience both inside and outside of the Test Module (greenhouse) and crew quarters. Hi-fidelity, fully operational equipment and systems mirror those employed now or in near-future flight and habitation systems. The following details some of the integral components incorporated into the design of the total SAM facility.
Test Module
In 1987 Test Module was built as a prototype to the Biosphere 2. This hermetically sealed space proved atmospheric and water recycling, food production, waste management, and mitigation of atmospheric pressure changes. The Test Module serves as the Controlled Environment where hydroponic and grow bed experiments are conducted, food cultivated, and waste recycled in an integrated bioregenerative life support system. Learn more …
Surgical Bay
Lead by Dr. Bindhu Oommen, M.D., a practicing general surgeon who has been a member of the SAM team since 2022, SAM is building a dynamic, world-class team that includes active surgeons and dental professionals, former naval officer and NASA flight surgeon, and engineering students, to design, develop, and prototype a fully functioning surgical bay for installation at SAM. This compact arena will be housed in the Test Module and provide a space for innovation, investigation, experimentation, and education in the rapidly growing field of aerospace medicine.
The Lung
The Test Module lung is a variable volume pressure regulation module composed of a 3,800 pound steel pan attached to a flexible membrane, forming a sealed lower chamber and extended vessel. The mass of the pan exerts a continuous, downward pressure on the column of air which in turn pressurizes all of SAM. A computer controlled Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) blower enables rapid inflation of the lung and finite control over airflow during Mode 1 or Mode 2 operation. Learn more …
CO2 Scrubber
In 2021 SAM received a prototype CO2 scrubber built by Paragon SDC to gain hands-on experience in this medium. In 2022 a UA Capstone Engineer team used SAM as a testbed for a NASA-funded swingbed CO2 scrubber prototype. In 2024 Dr. James Knox developed a mathematical model of the SAM airflow based on data from the first three missions. In 2025 an entirely new facility is being built to house a four-bed CO2 scrubber, and physio-chemical and bioregenerative scrubbers delivered by visiting researchers.
Airlock
SAM incorporates a fully functional airlock for movement between the Mars yard and entry to the crew quarters. This airlock has two pressure doors, one on each end, and enables crew members to venture in and out of the habitat without depressurizing the entire vessel. The air used to repressurize is drawn from within SAM, and is compensated by the automated pressure regulation system.
Pressure Suits
SAM crew have at their disposal the use of two pressure suits for all EVA missions into the Mars yard. Developed by Dr. Cameron Smith of Smith Aerospace Garments, these high fidelity systems incorporate a pressurized bladder (1-4 psi over ambient) and cover-all garment for a realistic experience. The regulated airflow source can be an umbilical chord to SAM or a self-contained Mars cart with compressed air (SCUBA tank). Learn more …
Mars Yard
The SAM Mars yard is a 3000 sq-ft (~300 square meter), geologically accurate, indoor facility complete with a synthetic lava tube, embedded magnetic anomalies, trace gas delivery, and a reduced gravity simulator. This world-class facility was co-designed by Dr. Christopher Hamilton, Planetary Geologist at the University of Arizona and built by one of Hollywood’s top set design firms, Red Hen Studios. It provides visiting crew members with the challenge of exploring realistic terrain while encumbered by pressure suits. View photos …
Reduced Gravity Simulator
The SAM Reduced Gravity Simulator (also known as a gravity-offset rig) is a mechanical means to reduce the apparent weight of a suited or unsuited individual for the purpose of training for movement in less than 1g gravitational fields, to test equipment and procedures, and to learn how a rover might operate when moving over varied terrain in 1/3 (Mars) or 1/6 (Moon) gravity. Learn more …
Operations and Mission Control
The SAM Operations Center is a 1,200 sq-ft building separate from the SAM habitat and Mars yard, at the Biosphere 2 campus. Ops includes a library-den, conference room for local team and virtual meetings, full kitchen and bath, workshop for on-site repair of equipment, and Mission Control complete with projection screen for real-time data monitoring and communications. SAM Ops maintains a dedicated radio link to SAM for data relay with light travel-time delay to simulate the distance from Earth to Mars and back again.
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