Project Boreas

Between 2003 and 2004, the British Interplanetary Society ran an international study called Project Boreas, involving over 25 scientists and engineers under the coordination of Charles S. Cockell. Its goal was to design a human outpost on Planum Boreum, the northern polar plain of Mars. Named after the Greek god of the North Wind, the station—referred to as Pole Station—was planned to host ten people for a stay spanning three Martian summers and two polar winters, with the design set against a hypothetical timeline of 2037 to 2042.

The station’s crew would focus on a wide range of scientific work, including geology, geophysics, climatology, and astrobiology. A key objective was to drill a deep ice core from the polar cap, which would help study past climate shifts, date ancient dust storms, and investigate the polar layered terrains. The core would also be used to search for organic records, potential habitats, and signs of past or present habitability within the ice. Additional goals included climatology studies and Martian polar astronomy. Over a 1173-sol stay, the crew would conduct expeditions across the ice cap, including to Chasma Boreale and the spiral valleys, with some mid-winter trips considered. These expeditions would rely on both pressurised and unpressurised rovers, and the study examined trafficability issues for trans-polar travel.

The station’s design emerged from trade-off analyses of power, thermal control, and other factors. It would consist of six linked modules, each 3.5 meters in diameter, plus a smaller cache module. These modules would house a galley, science and human factors labs, an EVA preparation area, and personal quarters. A “garden” area was included to provide fresh food and psychological relief. Power would come from a nuclear source, and life support would use a hybrid physico-chemical and biological system. The study also looked at using in-situ resources, especially water from polar ice. A separate small drilling encampment would be set up nearby, and radiative panels around the station would sublimate the roughly two meters of carbon dioxide snow expected to accumulate each winter, allowing year-round operations.

Other aspects of the study included bioinspired robots—dubbed “Arctic fox,” “Arctic hare,” “snow bunting” (a flying robot), and “lemmings”—to support science and exploration through remote data collection.