D-Mars mission habitat in southern Israel

Astronauts returning to D-Mars mission habitat in southern Israel; photo by Niamh Shaw. D-Mars (Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station) is Israel's 1st Mars analog research station similar to Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, US where astronauts, scientists and space enthusiasts can train for future human missions to Mars.

The station is located in a desolate area in Israel’s Negev Desert near the 200 million-year-old, 25-mile-wide Ramon Crater. Although not an impact crater, but a rare form of erosion structures, it has a resemblance to a variety of terrain types relevant to Mars exploration. The surrounding area hosts many similarities to the Martian environment in its geology, aridity and isolation.

SpaceX Starship at Mars Base Alpha by Gravitation Innovation

Picture of the Day 3/3/2019 - SpaceX's stainless steel Starship, Starman and Tesla Roadster at Mars Base Alpha by Gravitation Innovation.

Mars biodome by Simon Klinz

Picture of the Day 23/2/2019 - Working day in a biodome on Mars - a loading screen for Memories of Mars by German video game artist Simon Klinz. Memories of Mars is an open world survival game where you have to craft, build and fight for your survival. The game is set 100 years in the future among abandoned mining operations on the red planet and currently is in early access on Steam. More of Simon's game art here.

(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in HD wallpaper resolution)

Mars base by Carles Marsal

Images of an early human base on Mars by Spanish digital artist Carles Marsal. More of his art here.

Full image of the base:

Mars base library by Tarik Keskin

Picture of the Day 7/2/2019 - a library at human base on Mars by Turkish digital artist Tarik Keskin. More of his art here.

(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in HD wallpaper resolution)

Memories of Mars - open world survival game set on Mars

Memories of Mars is an open world survival game where you have to craft, build and fight for your survival. The game is set 100 years in the future among "abandoned mining operations on the red planet, as the dream of exploiting and colonizing Mars has proven impossible. You play as a recently awoken clone who learns its lifespan is limited by the lethal solar flares that hit the surface of the planet every few weeks. Tasked with surviving the barren wastelands of Mars, players must explore the unforgiving Martian terrain and build a habitable homestead while fighting against a variety of dangers including strange enemies, harsh environmental elements and other human clone survivors."

The game is developed by "Limbic Entertainment" and currently is in early access on Steam.

Here are some images and a trailer from the game:

SpaceX stainless steel Starships at Mars Base Alpha by William Falconer-Beach

Picture of the Day 16/1/2019 - SpaceX's stainless steel Starships at Mars Base Alpha; fan-art by William Falconer-Beach. More of his Starship renders here.

(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in HD wallpaper resolution)

Retro style Mars rover by David A. Hardy

Picture of the Day 11/1/2019 - a small ATV type, retro style Mars rover in front of NASA's lander (1981) by classical space artist David A. Hardy. More of his Mars art here.

Mars base by Bryan Versteeg

Picture of the Day 8/1/2019 - Mars base by Canadian concept artist Bryan Versteeg. More of his space art here.

(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in full resolution)

Images from NatGeo's MARS episode 6 of season 2

Sixth episode "The Shake Up" ( s02e06 ) of National Geographic's MARS TV series season 2 has been aired. Here are some images from the episode.

Storyline in short: Using explosives, miners from Lukrum colony finally get to an underground water aquifer. But water is under pressure and causes a severe earthquake, damaging Olympus Town but completely destroying Lukrum colony, leaving a dozen miners dead. While inspecting his ruined base the commander of Lukrum colony is killed in an accident. The season ends on a positive note - Earth is introduced with the first child born on Mars and Olympus Town is repaired and is open for future expansion.

Images from other episodes of season 2: ► Episode 1  ► Episode 2  ► Episode 3  ► Episode 4  ► Episode 5

Mars base by Richard Wright

Picture of the Day 14/12/2018 - Street fight in Mars base by British concept artist Richard Wright - concept art for the Call of Duty game Infinite Warfare (2016) - a first-person shooter (FPS) set in an undefined future where Earth nations are competing for power in the Solar system with ruthless and technologically more advanced but outnumbered space settlers.

(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in full resolution)

Images from NatGeo's MARS episode 5 of season 2

Fifth episode "Power Play" ( s02e05 ) of National Geographic's MARS TV series season 2 has been aired. Here are some images from the episode.

► Watch full episode 5 of season 2 here

Storyline in short: Miners from Lukrum colony are prospecting for resources and require additional power from Olympus Town. Meanwhile on Earth Lukrum Industries struck deal with Russia to get exclusive mining rights on Mars. While Olympus Town's commander is inspecting potential water site her deputy cuts power to Lukrum colony causing power outage there and nearly killing some of the miners.

Images from other episodes of season 2: ► Episode 1  ► Episode 2  ► Episode 3  ► Episode 4  ► Episode 6

Images from NatGeo's MARS episode 4 of season 2

Fourth episode "Contagion" ( s02e04 ) of National Geographic's MARS TV series season 2 has been aired. Here are some images from the episode.

Storyline in short: Deadly Martian pathogen strikes both Lukrum colony and Olympus Town. It's discovered only a Penicillin can fight it and it's available only on Chinese orbital station which drops it to the ground.

Images from other episodes of season 2: ► Episode 1  ► Episode 2  ► Episode 3  ► Episode 5  ► Episode 6

Images from NatGeo's MARS episode 3 of season 2

Third episode "Darkness falls" ( s02e03 ) of National Geographic's MARS TV series season 2 has been aired today. Here are some images from the episode.

► Watch full episode 3 of season 2 here

Storyline in short: Massive solar flare knocks out electrical grid and communications on Mars in time when one of the scientists is taking samples from Lukrum's water drilling site on her own, without informing anyone. Miners from Lukrum colony rescue her life, thus restoring relations between the two settlements.

Images from other episodes of season 2: ► Episode 1  ► Episode 2  ► Episode 4  ► Episode 5  ► Episode 6

Images from NatGeo's MARS episode 2 of season 2

Second episode "Worlds apart" ( s02e02 ) of National Geographic's MARS TV series season 2 has been aired. Here are some images from the episode, apart from those seen in the trailer and promotional collection.

► Watch full episode 2 of season 2 here

Storyline in short: While scientists from Olympus Town and miners from Lukrum colony are making connections, miners discover a liquid water pocket bellow the surface of Mars. Now the Lukrum colony can be independent from the resources of Olympus Town but scientists are not happy with miners contaminating possible shelter of Martian life-forms. Meanwhile one of the original crew discovers she is pregnant but Olympus Town commander's twin sister dies from tumor during a flight to Mars.

Images from other episodes of season 2: ► Episode 1  ►Episode 3  ► Episode 4  ► Episode 5  ► Episode 6

NatGeo's MARS TV series: full episodes of season 2

Watch full season 2 of National Geographic Channel's MARS TV series here. In season 1 the part documentary, part fiction series depicted first human mission to Mars and hardships of building a base on Mars in a lava tube. The six-episode season 2 is digging deeper into the challenges of life on Mars, covering everything from the first Martian-born babies to surviving the common cold to the first commercial efforts by Lukrum Corporation to exploit the planet's resources.

DRAMA PART of full season 2 without documentary cut-ins:

► Watch full episodes of season 1 here

More content from season 2:  ► HD images  ► Trailer & images from it  ► Cover art

Episode 1 - We are not alone s02e01

Images from Episode 1

Watch full episode HERE.

Images from NatGeo's MARS episode 1 of season 2

The first episode "We are not alone" ( s02e01 ) of National Geographic's MARS TV series season 2 has been aired today. Here are some (mostly exterior) images from the episode, apart from those seen in the trailer and promotional collection.

► Watch full episode 1 of season 2 here

Storyline in short: Beginning of season 2 is set in April 2042, 5 years after the end of season 1. In episode 1 the scientists at Olympus Town are accompanied by a new neighbor - miners at Lukrum colony 25 kilometers apart. Miners demand to be connected to the water source of Olympus Town and rush building the pipeline, causing an accident and concerns in Olympus Town.

Images from other episodes of season 2: ► Episode 2  ► Episode 3  ► Episode 4  ► Episode 5  ► Episode 6

NatGeo's "Mars" TV series - HD images from season 2

National Geographic's "Mars" part documentary, part fiction TV series depicted first human mission to Mars and hardships of building a base on Mars in a lava tube in season 1. The six-episode season 2 promises to dig deeper into the challenges of life on Mars, covering everything from the first Martian-born babies to surviving the common cold to the first commercial efforts by Lukrum Corporation to exploit the planet's resources. Season 2 will be broadcasted worldwide starting on November 12th.

► Watch full episodes of season 2 here

In July National Geographic released a trailer for the season 2. You can watch and see some HD images from the trailer here.

Here are more images from the season 2. Open link in new tab to view images in full resolution.

Mars base infographic by National Geographic

Mars base infographic by National Geographic accompanying the season 1 (2016) of its "MARS" TV series.

Season 2 of the TV series will be broadcasted worldwide starting on November 12th.
You can watch the full season 1 episodes of the TV series without geographic restrictions here.

Closeup of the underground section of the base:

Mars base by XArc & James Vaughan

Picture of the Day 26/10/2018 - Mars base with 3D-printed modules by XArc (Exploration Architecture corporation) and James Vaughan - one of the 10 finalist teams in phase 3 (virtual model stage) of NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge.

(Open link in new tab to view ⇩ in full resolution)