Mars Is Coming to SoHo For a Few Days

SOHO, NY — The National Geographic Channel is bringing Mars to Varick Street for a limited time only. Oxygen mask not included.

If you were curious why a set of geodesic domes were being built on the corner of Varick Street and Canal Street, we were able to confirm with National Geographic that it is part of the promotion for the channel's MARS "event series," as Bedford and Bowery first speculated last week. Officially they are calling it an "Astronaut Recruitment Center." It's free, and that's about all we know.

As for the details, well a spokesperson said they were still under wraps until Wednesday. All they would say is visitors were being invited to "experience physical and virtual recruitment challenges that take colonizing Mars out of science fiction and into reality." The special, produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, will air on the National Geographic Channel on Nov. 14.

The "center" at 77 Varick St. opens on Oct. 26 at noon and will be taking visitors until 5 p.m. It will then be open from noon to 7 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday.

No word on whether you'll be using human waste to grow plants, like Matt Damon in "Mars."

Photo Credit: National Geographic