President Bush only started talking up Mars missions in 2004, when space exploration became a handy distraction from pesky earthly matters (like the Iraq War). But the 7,200 members of the Mars Society—who want to convince governments and aspiring space tourists to visit our neighbor—have been fixated on the red planet for years.

space cowboys:
Founded in 1998, the Mars Society conducts living experiments in the Canadian Arctic and the Utah desert (left and below), two terrestrial facsimiles of a Marscape. "There is a complete and total sense of nothingness around you," says Kevin Sloan, a systems engineer who has commanded two mock missions. "It really gets you in the mindset of being far away from your own planet."

home sweet cylinder:
During mock missions, would-be astronauts don imitation space suits, drive rovers (actually atvs), and live for weeks at a time in the two-story habitat (right). To make the experience more authentic, emails are delayed by up to 44 minutes, and the team members supplement infrequent showers with baby wipes.