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

Identification

Public canonical key

radar:r-224bcaa2965d2d8a7f2d9a84800aece4

Authors

M.A. Leal · David Tovar · Miguel Ángel de Pablo Hernández · M.A. Bonilla · J. Sánchez · Gabriel Goyanes · Antonio Molina · M. Leal · I. Manjarrés · I. Ríos · María Orozco Martínez · M. Tocarruncho · C. Vergara · Giovanni Leone · C. Rizzo · José Tomás San Martín Lobos · X.C. Abrevaya · Cristina Luna · R. Acevedo-Barrios · N. Tchegliakova

Reported year

2026

Reported language

en

Source type

article

First detected

2026-11-14T02:46:48.994463+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-14T02:46:48.994463+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

Universidad de Alcalá · Universidad Nacional de Colombia · Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología · University of Atacama · Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn · National Research Council · Istituto di Scienze Polari · TU Bergakademie Freiberg · Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas · Centro Atómico Constituyentes · Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica · Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia · Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar

Reported affiliation countries

AR · CL · CO · DE · ES · IT

Documentary abstract — original language

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 Decepción (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 the station 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.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

https://openalex.org/W7163386992

DOI

10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.05.065

Documentary context

Documentary family

article

Source-reported types

article

Publishers

Elsevier BV

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1

• Document · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.05.065

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Relevance pending

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