New Delhi:
China is all set to mirror the living conditions on red planet as the country plans to build a Mars simulation base in northwest Qinghai province.
An agreement to develop a "Mars village" at Haixi prefecture in Qinghai province, a part of the Tibetan plateau located next to Tibet Autonomous Region, was signed on Tuesday, according to the reports.
The sharp ridges and mounds of rock known as yardangs, of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau shares similar topography to Mars.
China aims to send the first mission to the red planet by 2020 to catch-up with the US, India and Russia in the arena of sending probes to Mars.
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Its first mission ought to carry out orbiting and roving exploration, followed by a second mission that would include collection of surface samples from the red planet, according to an official white paper 'China's Space Activities in 2016'.
The project will be home to both a “Mars community” and “Mars campsite,” which will combine elements of education, tourism, scientific research and simulation training.