#terrestrial analouges

Terrestrial Analogues published in LAF Mar. 2016, Volume 4 Issue 1

Translated to Chinese by Shu Liu / Xiaoxuan Lu

Abstract

Terrestrial Analogues are sites on Earth with an assumed past or present geological, environmental or biological conditions of a celestial body such as the Moon or Mars. Analogue sites are used in the frame of space exploration to study geological or biological processes observed on other planets and to prepare astronauts for surface activity.

The project focuses on the Cinder Lakes crater field, a terrestrial analogue located 13 miles from Flagstaff, Arizona which offered NASA the perfect location for a lunar analogue, a portion of Earth used to simulate lunar geology and topography. The area is covered in basaltic cinders, the same material that covers Mare Tranquillitatis, the landing site for the Apollo 11 mission. In 1968, using satellite photographs, the USGS’s Astrogeology Division sculpted lunar craters within the site.

This article will explore the project from its history to the reprogramming and design of the site. From a site that once used for simulations and routine fieldwork rehearsal to the dissolution and rejuvenation of the Apollo program and how in its new form, will engage the public through an open-air museum park, the “Lunar Field.”

Keywords Terrestrial Analogues     Lunar Geology     Design Fiction    Astrogeology    

Issue Date: 21 March 2016

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