Richard Blake wants to visit Mars. But first he must pass another trial — surviving the Utah desert.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the Australian-born man spends time at the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah, with six other researchers in hopes that their time in the Beehive State will prepare them for the red planet.
The conditions at the research station are similar to landscapes on Mars, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Specifically, Blake, 26, focuses on growing a variety of food crops, hoping to provide nourishment for himself in the dusty sands of Utah and, eventually, Mars, according to The Daily Telegraph. (This will be familiar those who have seen “The Martian.”)
Blake admitted that a journey to Mars remains a pipe dream. After all, Mars Society hopes to send people to the planet by 2030, according to the Associated Press.
But there’s nothing wrong with having such a dream.
“Space is the next great frontier of exploration,” he said, according to The Daily Telegraph. “Within our lifetimes people will be being born on other planets. Now is the time to get interested and get involved with space-related activities because that’s what the future of the human race has in store. There are so many diverse opportunities out there, at home and abroad, and the experiences you gain in these fields can be some of the most rewarding and enriching of your life.”
You can read more about Blake and his mission at The Daily Telegraph.