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CHINA has created a mock "space colony" in the Gobi desert that reveals what life could be like on Mars.

The Mars Base 1 Camp opened its doors to the public today – and looks more like the Star Wars planet of Tatooine than Earth.

China's Mars Base 1 is set up in the Gobi desert, a strange Mars-like land
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China's Mars Base 1 is set up in the Gobi desert, a strange Mars-like landCredit: AFP or licensors
The base is designed to look like a space colony that could one day exist on Mars
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The base is designed to look like a space colony that could one day exist on Mars
Chinese students were invited to visit the attraction, where they were allowed to don spacesuits
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Chinese students were invited to visit the attraction, where they were allowed to don spacesuits
The team behind the attraction hope it will boost tourism to the local area
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The team behind the attraction hope it will boost tourism to the local areaCredit: REUTERS

Around 100 Chinese teenagers were given a tour of the futuristic space colony on Wednesday.

Built in China's poor northwest Gansu province, the structure imagines what a Martian base might look like.

The core facility is made of several interconnected modules, and includes a greenhouse and even a mock decompression chamber.

The total area of the Mars 1 Base Camp is about a fifth the size of a football field.

The interior of the base camp is like something from Star Wars or Star Trek
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The interior of the base camp is like something from Star Wars or Star Trek
Outside the base camp are mock attractions, including a fake space capsule
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Outside the base camp are mock attractions, including a fake space capsuleCredit: REUTERS
The space capsule is meant to reveal what future space travel could look like
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The space capsule is meant to reveal what future space travel could look likeCredit: REUTERS
There's even a fake Martian cave that can be explored
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There's even a fake Martian cave that can be exploredCredit: REUTERS
It's possible that humans may one day explore caves like this on Mars
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It's possible that humans may one day explore caves like this on MarsCredit: REUTERS
A bird's eye view of the fake Mars colony reveals connected modules that are open to tourists
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A bird's eye view of the fake Mars colony reveals connected modules that are open to tourists

And rather than being a Chinese space agency project, it was actually created by a media company – with help from Gansu officials.

The camp is 25 miles from the town of Jinchang, and hopes to boost tourism by re-imagining the red planet on Earth.

There are plans to invest around £285,000 in the site to expand it to 26 square miles.

And the hope is that by 2030, the attraction will be drawing in 2million visitors a year.

Right now, there are mock caves, models of rovers and Martian trucks, and even spacesuits for visitors to don.

"I am very excited to be here," said one visiting student, 13, from China, speaking to .

"We saw the monolith, a crater and a cave. It's better than the Mars that I had imagined."

Mars facts

Here's what you need to know about the red planet...

  • Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
  • It is named after the Roman god of war
  • The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here
  • Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest
  • Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth
  • It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
  • So far, there has been 39 missions to Mars but only 16 of these have been successful
Even the "eating corner" was created with a sci-fi look
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Even the "eating corner" was created with a sci-fi lookCredit: REUTERS
Visitors can see what a Martian greenhouse might look like
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Visitors can see what a Martian greenhouse might look like
Growing crops on Mars would be important to sustain a human colony
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Growing crops on Mars would be important to sustain a human colonyCredit: AFP or licensors
The so-called "bio module" is the type of area that actual scientists are considering for genuine Martian colonies
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The so-called "bio module" is the type of area that actual scientists are considering for genuine Martian coloniesCredit: EPA
A view through the window of sleeping quarters at the base
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A view through the window of sleeping quarters at the base
Sleeping capsules would allow space colonists to catch some sleep sci-fi style
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Sleeping capsules would allow space colonists to catch some sleep sci-fi style
A Chinese student peers at a smart screen on the wall of the base
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A Chinese student peers at a smart screen on the wall of the base

China is ramping up its efforts in space science as nations once again compete to explore the universe.

Earlier this year, the nation managed to sprout seeds on the Moon in a world-first.

And China has even managed to land on the dark side of the Moon.

"A nation needs people who look up at the stars," said Bai Fan, CEO of Jinchang Star Universe Culture & Tourism Investment Co., who worked on the Gansu colony project.

"We hope the bases will let them feel the spirit of space exploration, and not just experience the technology behind it."

How long does it take to get to Mars?

It's not that short of a trip...

  • There's an immense distance between Earth and Mars, which means any trip to the red planet will take a very long time
  • It's also made more complicated by the fact that the distance is constantly changing as the two planets rotate around the sun
  • The closest that the Earth and Mars would ever be is a distance of 33.9million miles – that's 9,800 times the distance between London and New York
  • That's really rare though: the more useful distance is the average, which is 140million miles
  • Scientists on Earth have already launched a whole bunch of spacecraft to (or near) Mars, so we have a rough idea of how long it takes with current technology
  • Historically, the trip has taken anywhere from 128 to 333 days - admittedly a huge length of time for humans to be on board a cramped spacecraft.
Mock rovers and landers have been created for the base
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Mock rovers and landers have been created for the base
Spacesuits of the future could be far more lightweight than those worn by astronauts today
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Spacesuits of the future could be far more lightweight than those worn by astronauts today
The base is in a poor and remote part of China that could do with a tourism boost
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The base is in a poor and remote part of China that could do with a tourism boostCredit: AFP or licensors
Its creators hope that 2million visitors a year will be coming to the base by 2030
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Its creators hope that 2million visitors a year will be coming to the base by 2030Credit: REUTERS

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Do you think you'll ever get to visit Mars? Let us know in the comments!

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