Ukrainian Takes Lead at Martian Research Station in Utah Desert

During the 26th annual congress of the International Martian Society, it was officially announced that Ukrainian Sergii Iakymov would become the new head of the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the state of Utah.

This is stated on the research station's website. 

According to the report, Sergii Iakymov will now directly manage crew selection and logistics, maintenance and resupply, mission support, and crew rotation.

"We accept various groups from around the world conducting experiments or testing equipment. This Martian station is classified as a geological analog because the geology of the surrounding desert is as close as possible to the geology of Mars," Sergii explained in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of Voice of America.

Over his more than 20-year career, Sergii Iakymov has become a true "analog astronaut veteran." The Ukrainian has participated in four missions as a commander, crew engineer, and crew health and safety officer.

Typically, the rotation of research groups lasts for two weeks. During the expedition, they live in special modules and consume vegetables and fruits grown at the station in their greenhouse. Researchers are only allowed to go outside in spacesuits.

According to Sergii Iakymov, his ultimate dream is to fly to Mars. Eight years ago, the Ukrainian was even selected as one of a hundred candidates for a future mission to the Red Planet. Unfortunately, the company organizing the mission went bankrupt.

"I've been moving toward this dream my whole life. But you have to take some steps. Of course, you can just sit on the couch and say that you want to become an astronaut. Living in America for several years, I worked as an engineer in a small company, but I still couldn't work in human spaceflight there. And then there was an opportunity to join this matter at the station," Iakymov said in the interview.

It's worth noting that the Mars Desert Research Station was created by the public organization "The Mars Society." The station is considered the world's largest and longest analog object to Mars, where the possibilities of human habitation and Mars colonization are explored.