SAM is a sealed, human-in-the-loop analog composed of:
- A greenhouse built from the historic Biosphere 2 Test Module
- A bermed 8’ x 8’ x 40’ crew quarters and massive 1⁄2 acre Mars yard
- A fully functional, bi-directional airlock
- ECLSS support for crew of 4; up to 2 week stays
- Pressure suits for entry, exit, and real EVAs, run at 4.3 psi over ambient
- Simulated regolith (crushed basalt) grow beds and hydroponics
- Support for biology, ecology, robotics, human factors, and more …
- Support for dozens of simultaneous experiments
- Full interior climate control
- WiFi data delivery, remote monitoring and control
- On-site accommodations for support crew and equipped mission control center
- Access to adjacent biology lab to stabilize samples and conduct basic analysis