Mars Gravity Biosatellite
| Program overview | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia USA |
| Manager | University of Washington MIT University of Queensland |
| Purpose | Study the effects of Mars-level gravity on mammals |
| Status | Canceled |
| Program history | |
| Duration | 2001-2009 |
| First flight | 2010 or 2011 (planned) |
| Launch site(s) | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (planned) |
| Vehicle information | |
| Uncrewed vehicle(s) | Discoverer capsule |
| Launch vehicle(s) | Falcon 1E (planned) Minotaur IV (planned) |
The Mars Gravity Biosatellite was a project initiated as a competition between universities in 2001 by the Mars Society. The aim was to build a spacecraft concept to study the effects of Mars-level gravity (~0.38g) on mammals.
Presentations were given to Robert Zubrin (Mars Society), and the award for best design was given to The University of Washington (UW). The UW team continued to develop the concept until the end of the school year (June 2002), after which funding became an issue. The team from UW contacted members of the team that presented from MIT, and the two universities agreed to continue development together. Later University of Queensland – Australia (UQ) joined the team as well. The program ended in 2009.