Planetary scientists are testing out suits for the first manned missions to Mars — by boldly going to the snow-capped Alps. This is because the scientists believe that conditions under Austria's Kaunertaler Glacier are ideal for replicating conditions facing astronauts on Red Planet, where temperatures can plunge to -113º Celsius, 'The Sun' reported. "It's perfect. The permafrost conditions there closely resemble the climate on Mars," Gernot Groemer who has designed the £60 space suit, said. In fact, Russia last year announced its plans to build a nuclear-powered spacecraft for a manned mission to Mars. Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, told a government commission that the plan was crucial if Russia wanted to maintain a competitive edge in the space race, according to Russian media reports. Perminov had said the basic design could be ready by 2012, but a final version would take another nine years, and would cost around $580 million to build. "The project is aimed at implementing largescale space exploration programs, including a manned mission to Mars interplanetary travel, the creation and operation of planetary outposts," Perminov was quoted by the Russian media as saying.