Publicación:

Deception Island (Antarctica) as an analog environment for human space missions: A comparative analysis of Gabriel de Castilla base (Spain) and Decepcio´ n base (Argentine)

Resumen

Terrestrial analog environments play a critical role in preparing for future human missions to the Moon and Mars, as they facilitate the validation of technologies, operational protocols, and human performance under extreme conditions. Deception Island (Antarctica), an active volcanic system that hosts two seasonal research stations: 1) Spanish Antarctic Station Gabriel de Castilla (BAEGdC) and 2) Argentinian Antarctic Base Decepcio´ n (BAAD), has long been recognized for its geological similarities to Mars. However, its potential as a comprehensive analog for human exploration has not yet to be systematically evaluated. This study presents a multidimensional assessment of Deception Island as a natural analog site, together with a comparative evaluation of BAEGdC and BAAD as analog stations. Ten parameters were analyzed, including geology and geomorphology, environmental conditions, infrastructure and habitability, life support and telemedicine, risk management, planetary protection and biosecurity, human factors, logistical sustainability, and the potential for scientific experimentation and technological validation. The methodology integrates a literature review, infrastructure and operational analysis, and perception surveys conducted during the 2022–2023 austral summer campaign. The results indicate that, within the evaluation framework applied in this study, Deception Island achieves the maximum site-level score, highlighting its strong potential as a natural analog environment. Nevertheless, these scores should be interpreted within the scope and methodological limitations of the proposed framework. At thestation level, BAEGdC met or exceeded the defined threshold across all evaluated parameters, whereas BAAD exhibited comparatively lower analog fidelity, mainly due to limitations related to human habitability, life support systems, and space-oriented technological validation. These findings suggest that Deception Island, particularly BAEGdC, represents a promising platform for analog missions aimed at supportingpreparation for future human exploration beyond Earth.