Mars on Earth

Namib Desert: Namibia

The Namib is a coastal desert in southern Africa. The name Namib is of Nama origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba River in Angola, through Namibia and to the Olifants River in Western Cape, South Africa.

This is one of the most extreme environments on Earth, with very little water and temperatures and unrelenting solar radiation that would kill most animals. But hidden under the rocks there is life – a thin green-blue layer of cyanobacteria, a type of bacteria that converts the sun’s light into energy. 

“For life, there must be an organism at the base of the food chain, a primary producer. In the deserts, we focused on photosynthesis … the ability [of organisms] to produce biomass in the desert. Not importing it, but producing it locally.” On Mars, there is nowhere to “import” these base organisms from, so that is why scientists are looking at how they survive on Earth in these extreme environments.  

Its large white water tower stands starkly against the red sand of the dune seas behind it. It has the look of an outpost on a different planet, and would be perfectly at home on the set of Star Wars.  

Sources : wikipedia & Goolgle Images