Terrestrial Analogue Research to Support Human Performance on Mars: A Review and Bibliographic Analysis

Abstract

Terrestrial analogues can provide essential scientific information and technology validation to assist future crewed missions to the Martian surface. This paper analyses the recent literature since 2010 in this area, highlighting key topics, authors, and research groups. It reviews analogue locations, missions, the scientific impact from research activities. The findings indicate that permanent analogue sites enable reproducible science and objective comparison between studies. A standard, open registry of analogue facilities, and associated peer-reviewed research may lead to accelerated and better targeted analogue research.