Are you ready to live on Mars?

With so much excitement around NASA Artemis Moon exploration, the Perseverance Mars rover, and SpaceX Starship it is clear the new space age has arrived. As our species prepares to become interplanetary there are ample opportunities for students of all ages to to learn about the challenges of living in an isolated, sealed habitat far from planet Earth.

SIMOC is a research grade Mars habitat simulation with an engaging web interface. We offer a Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) curriculum guide for grades 5-8 and 9-14 with teacher and student handbooks designed for you to integrate into your classroom. SIMOC now includes a working model of the original Biosphere 2 1991-93 and ’94 sealed missions—a powerful opportunity for your classrooms to understand the careful balance of humans, plants, microbes, and concrete in the balancing of light, food, oxygen and carbon dioxide.

SIMOC Live is a sensor array data capture/display system for real-time monitoring of air quality and life support systems. SIMOC Live is compatible with Vernier and Adafruit brand sensors.

SIMOC can be used for free via National Geographic Society. And SIMOC and SIMOC Live are now open source so you can install one or both on your personal computer or school’s server, with option to add customized agents to the model. Or use SIMOC Live with your own, DIY Mars habitat analog!