Science Vs Stunts

Devon Island like no place on Earth, Chicago Tribune

“Tight-lipped geologists from the De Beers diamond company were quietly scouting the island this summer in search of likely spots to mine for the precious gems. And amateur Mars enthusiasts from a group called the Mars Society run a kind of extraterrestrial summer camp some years, hosting tourists who live aboard a simulated Mars capsule they’ve built here. The visitors dress in mock spacesuits and go out on pretend exploratory missions.

There’s no pretending in [Pascal] Lee’s [Haughton Mars Project] camp, however: Everything is very real, and very uncomfortable. When it rains or snows, as it does occasionally, the researchers get wet; when it freezes–summertime temperatures normally range from 30 to 50 degrees–they shiver.”