Keep looking up, North Dakota

From the water filtration system in your home to the wind turbines generating power on the prairie, you might be surprised to learn all the ways research for living in space is changing how we live today in North Dakota. Whether it's operating a tractor in severe cold weather or testing the next generation of Mars spacesuit, North Dakota innovation is all around you and just might be the perfect training ground for living on Mars.

ND Night Sky 360° video
Image is of Double Ditch State Historic Site at night with the auroras overhead.

Double Ditch State Historic Site. Johnathan Campbell

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Constellations
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Meteorites
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Mars
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Navigation
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Activities

From ND to Mars

Let Us Tell You Our Story

North Dakota is leading the way in space exploration. Will you be the first recruit to colonize Mars? Bismarck native Jon Rask is a research scientist in the Space Biosciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center and his research focuses on human and robotic space exploration.

What we do

North Dakota Technology Turns Up Everywhere

North Dakota has strong connections to research and innovation. From water management to self-driving tractors, learn how North Dakota is reaching to Mars, Antarctica, and changing the agriculture industry.

Notable North Dakotans

Learn about engineers, physicists, and astronauts from North Dakota.

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Roots in ND, Crops in Space

The first plants to be tested on the International Space Station were Arabidopsis and dwarf wheat.

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ND Tested Tech to Mars

An Inflatable Lunar Mars Analog Habitat (ILMAH) project is underway at the University of North Dakota. Space Studies program research tracks how people on Mars might live and work.

Classroom Activities

Request an ND Studies Night Sky Trunk and other resources for your classroom.

Featured Facts

Four Things You Should Know

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Constellations
For thousands of years people have turned to the stars and moon to predict weather, determine crop planting times, hold rituals, or explain human and animal behavior.
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Meteorites
Several meteorites and two impact craters have been discovered in North Dakota. We don't know when the next Near Earth Object will come our way.
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Mars
Mars is the only planet entirely populated by robots. It's home to the solar system’s largest volcano and the deepest canyon. The extreme weather makes it the ultimate lonely planet destination orbiting the Sun.
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Navigation
Humanity’s history of navigation is rooted in the sky. A magnetic compass works rather well if you’re in Europe, but if you’re wandering across North Dakota, you’re going to encounter a problem we call magnetic declination.